Tales From Shakespeare

ThestoryofCharlesandMaryLambisbrieflypresentedinthebeginningofthiseditionandreadsnearlyasinterestingasaShakespeareplay.Theyoriginallycollaboratedasawaytoearnmoneyaswellastointroduceyoungreaderstotheworksofthefamousbard,preservingwheneverpossible"Shakespeare'sownwords."Macbeth,AMidsummerNight'sDream,Othello,Hamlet,MuchAdoAboutNothing,andKingLearareadaptedtoalengthandsimplicitysuitableforolderelementaryormiddleschoolstudentswhileretainingthecomplexplotsandcharacterizationssofamiliartoreadersofShakespeare.Thesixstoriesofferreadersatasteofthecomicandthetragic,andwillprovidetheincentivetotackletheplaysthemselvesatthehighschoollevelunderproperadultguidance.Threecenturieslater,theLambs'adaptationsremainafineintroductiontoShakespeare'swritingsandareamustforthewell-roundedlibrary.Occasionalcolorillustrationsofperiod-lookingcharactersandsettingsprovideinterestforyoungreaders,asdotheboxedpresentation.Reviewer:MeredithKiger,Ph.D.807年，兰姆姐弟从莎士比亚传世的作品中选出20个最为人们熟知的故事，把它们改写成叙事体散文。其中，六个悲剧(即《李尔王》、《麦克白》、《雅典的太门》、《罗密欧与朱丽叶》、《哈姆莱特》和《奥瑟罗》)由查尔斯?兰姆执笔，其余十四篇为玛丽·兰姆改写。