Shakespeare's plays are very adaptable, as his characters can always be interpreted in more than one way. That's why his plays are classic - because they can adapt and continue to work with modern media. That is why Manga worked so well with Hamlet. Manga can easily set up a stage on which any imaginary world can be effectively represented, with the result of a performance-like presentation. Yet there is also the benefit of being able to see the words, and to follow them at your own pace, making it easily digestible. That is probably why it took e much less time to read the whole manga book than it did to listen to the audio version. I was confused about who the audience may have been in mind: possibly teenagers, but the introductory articles seemed to address a scholarly Shakespeare audience. In all I suppose Manga is accessible to a wide variety of audiences, and it may very well be for everyone. None of the text was original; they were all Shakespeare's words, but there were some omissions in the text in order to make the characters succinct, and to fit it all within a small cartoon book.
The Manga presentation of the characters was interesting, as they represented Hamlet as much younger than 30, probably more like a teenager. This is part of the reason why I figured this version may have been directed at teenagers, to get them to identify with Hamlet. Horatio was a Buddhist, almost like Hamlet's sort of guru-buddy. And Laertes was represeted with long hair and armor, like an ancient Grecian war hero, fitting to his name.
The setting was always drawn out, so there was no need for stage directions, though some thigns were added in, such as when King Claudio squeezes Hamlet's shoulder excessively hard while entreating him to stay in Denmark in the beginning of the play. It gives a hint of that strain in their relationship. In the audio version, I imagined the scene with Ophelia going nuts to be in the castle, as Laertes returns, but Manga does this scene in the river/pond. I like this, because it sets up the idea of Ophelia hanging out around the water a lot, and it would make sense that no one would think twice if she were just chillin there, thinking of drowning herself, because she likes it there. I think this medium provides the perfect way for younger audiences, probably about teenage age, to get into Shakespeare with a little more ease.
The Manga presentation of the characters was interesting, as they represented Hamlet as much younger than 30, probably more like a teenager. This is part of the reason why I figured this version may have been directed at teenagers, to get them to identify with Hamlet. Horatio was a Buddhist, almost like Hamlet's sort of guru-buddy. And Laertes was represeted with long hair and armor, like an ancient Grecian war hero, fitting to his name.
The setting was always drawn out, so there was no need for stage directions, though some thigns were added in, such as when King Claudio squeezes Hamlet's shoulder excessively hard while entreating him to stay in Denmark in the beginning of the play. It gives a hint of that strain in their relationship. In the audio version, I imagined the scene with Ophelia going nuts to be in the castle, as Laertes returns, but Manga does this scene in the river/pond. I like this, because it sets up the idea of Ophelia hanging out around the water a lot, and it would make sense that no one would think twice if she were just chillin there, thinking of drowning herself, because she likes it there. I think this medium provides the perfect way for younger audiences, probably about teenage age, to get into Shakespeare with a little more ease.
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