William Shakespeare's Star Wars (2013)

William Shakespeare's Star Wars. Ian Doescher. 2013. Quirk. 176 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

I really LOVED this adaptation of Star Wars A New Hope. It is somewhat faithful to the movie and somewhat faithful to Shakespeare. I appreciated the movie being broken down into five acts and many scenes.

Strengths:

• Loved the reflectiveness of the characters
• R2-D2 had some great soliloquies
• Appreciated many of the asides and many of the soliloquies
• Loved finding my favorite lines and seeing how they were changed or transformed
• Some of the scenes were just giddy-making
• The illustrations!!! Oh some of these were just WONDERFUL. 

Weaknesses:

• The use of the chorus was annoying at times (sometimes worked, sometimes didn't)
• The ending was weaker than the beginning (the last few scenes were more tedious to read)
• Would be best if reader was familiar with all the films and had read/seen Shakespeare previously

 Favorite quotes:

Luke: -- I wonder who she is.
Whoever she may be, whatever is
Her cause, I shall unto her pleas respond.
Not e'en were she my sister could I know
A duty of more weight than I feel now.
It seemeth she some dreadful trouble hath--
Mayhap I should replay the message whole. (33-4)

Obi-Wan: ... In his beginning I shall find my end;
This business shall reveal my final stage.
Yet in my closing scenes perhaps I'll write
A worthy ending to my mortal days: (47)

Luke: ... Adventure have I ask'd for in this life,
And now have I too much of my desire.
My soul within me weeps; my mind, it runs
Unto a thousand thousand varied paths.
My uncle Owen and my aunt Beru,
Have they been cruelly kill'd for what I want?
So shall I never want again if in
The wanting all I love shall be destroy'd.
O fie! Thou knave adventure! Evil trick
Of boyhood's mind that ever should one seek
To have adventure when one hath a home--
A family so kind and full of love,
Good, steady work, and vast, abundant crops--
Why would one give up all this gentle life
For that one beastly word: adventure? Fie!
But soft, my soul, be patient and be wise.
The sands of time ne'ever turned backward yet,
And forward marches Fate, not the reverse.
So while I cannot wish for them to live,
I can my life commit unto their peace.
Thus shall I undertake to do them proud
And take whate'er adventure comes my way.
'Tis now my burden, so I'll wear it well,
And to the great Rebellion give my life.
A Jedi shall I be, in all things brave--
And thus shall they be honor'd in their grave. (64-5)

Han:...I either shall destroy her, or, perhaps,
I may in time begin to like the wench! (117)

Luke: Peace, 3PO! Lend ears and not thy voice! (122)

© 2013 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews