What would happen if you combined one of the most successful film series the world has ever seen, with one of its greatest writers of all time? Answer: William Shakespeare’s Star Wars. It may sound too bizarre to be true, but trust me, this series is not to be judged by its appearance (or the fantastic artwork that adorns their covers!).
The William Shakespeare’s Star Wars series is a set of nine books, telling the story of the main Star Wars films, but in the form of Shakespearean prose. With titles such as The Clone Army Attacketh, Verily, a New Hope, and The Merry Rise of Skywalker, this series puts the drama into a galaxy far, far away and reimagines this sensational saga as if The Bard himself were telling these stories instead of his classics.
The initial concepts for this series had piqued my interest for a while before I started reading them, and having now finished all nine, I can say this series was a great read. Having some of my all-time favourite films completely flipped onto their head was so much fun and was much more enjoyable than my earlier memories of Shakespearean language. Having the addition of stage directions, a chorus and other staples of Shakespeare thrown in gives these stories a whole new dimension, and one that works surprisingly well. Like all works written in his prose, there were sections I didn’t understand fully, but knowing the subject matter definitely helped.
And it is in this idea that I think the series’ main excellence comes in. By taking a story that many people already know and applying this language to it retrospectively helps to make understanding this language a lot better, and a lot more fun. When initially introduced to Shakespearean text, it can be very confusing, with an unfamiliar story and unfamiliar language. But by taking away one of those unknowns, understanding the language becomes a lot easier, as these books show. Using these as a way to introduce Shakespearean language may be instrumental in helping people not only understand Shakespeare but enjoy it too.
Whether you enjoy Shakespeare or not, these books are well worth a read for their imagination and genius. Doescher has crafted something fun yet brilliant, and his series is definitely worth a chance!
Rating: ★★★★☆
William Shakespeare’s Star Wars series was published between 2013 and 2020
