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William Shakespeare's Star Wars 01: The…
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William Shakespeare's Star Wars 01: The Phantom of Menace (edition 2015)

by Ian Doescher (Author)

Series: William Shakespeare's Star Wars (Part the First)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
3622170,456 (3.7)9
Fiction. Poetry. Science Fiction. HTML:Experience the Star Wars saga reimagined as an Elizabethan drama penned by William Shakespeare himself, complete with authentic meter and verse, and theatrical monologues and dialogue by everyone from Darth Maul to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The entire saga starts here, with a thrilling tale featuring a disguised queen, a young hero, and two fearless knights facing a hidden, vengeful enemy.
Authentic meter, stage directions, reimagined movie scenes and dialogue, and hidden Easter eggs throughout will entertain and impress fans of Star Wars and Shakespeare alike. Every scene and character from the film appears in the play, along with twenty woodcut-style illustrations that depict an Elizabethan version of the Star Wars galaxy. O Threepio, Threepio, wherefore art thou, Threepio?
… (more)
Member:pith
Title:William Shakespeare's Star Wars 01: The Phantom of Menace
Authors:Ian Doescher (Author)
Info:Quirk Books (2015), 176 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:****
Tags:2015 reads, 2015 birthday, author: ian doescher, book series: star wars shakespeare, format: hardcover, gift: sabu, star wars

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William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace by Ian Doescher (Author)

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Showing 1-5 of 21 (next | show all)
★★★½☆

《To the dark side of the Force,
Fear’s the surest path.
Fear leads to anger,
Onward leads anger to hate,
Hate to suffering.
A bounty of fear
Is present in thy spirit—
Fear beyond measure.》


Overall I liked this book but I'm still not quite sure about the rating.. Should I take some time, maybe? :P ( )
  XSassyPants | Jun 11, 2022 |
..When some gross fault of theirs is then expos’d,
They throw their hands unto the sky and cry,
“O, now ’tis us who sorely are oppress’d!”
Thus do the dominating twist the tale
And make themselves the subject of their pity,
Whilst turning blind eye to those truly plagued..


This is a REALLY good adaptation, unfortunately even shakespeare can't save this plot.
This isn't a straightforward translation to the shakespearian either, there are various injokes and pop culture references too, most of which i could have done without but i didn't mind them much.

I was mildly distracted at times trying to picture how they would actually stage this at the new Globe theatre etc. There is a LOT going on in some scenes with a lot of people in different locations.

The characters are a big improvement on the original, you can do a lot with asides and soliquays. I also like the addition of Rumour, who added some useful exposition.

Couple of quibbles, towards the end i couldn't figure out if Jar-Jar was on the field of battle or in the palace, also i have no idea what happened in the throne room it was a bit messy on the page.
The alien gibberish and droid speak seems even more annoying to my ears despite many asides and translations.

The main issue though is the original plot. Even with Rumour to help i still don't know how the Trade Federation and Senate actually function.
Also you spend an inordinate amount of time on what is essentially a side-quest to get the ship fixed so you can get to the senate... where nothing happens and they go home again :| .
And there are other plot issues but my point is that the improvement in many areas tended to highlight some of the underlying problems.

Anyway as an adaptation at least 4 stars, maybe even 5 out of 5. However this is still the Phantom Menace. ( )
  wreade1872 | Nov 28, 2021 |
This retelling of Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace in Shakespearean prose is very clever. It's filled with brilliant jokes and references, and a new depth added to certain characters who did not fare so well in the original film. With Episode One, Doescher alters several components of the story for the better. The main being Jar-Jar Binks, who is turned from a bumbling idiot into a character who is working for the good of his people. A great read for fans of both Star Wars, and Shakespeare, filled with witticisms and references for fans of Star Wars and Shakespeare alike. ( )
  Olivermagnus | Jul 2, 2020 |
This whole series is an amazing twist on one of the most famous and revolutionary film trilogies in history. You don't need to be an expert on Shakespeare to read these plays. They are fast reads and full of fun. While the plot is the same, some of the characters have interesting twists like Jar Jar. He goes from a bumbling idiot to an intelligent strategist. Overall, these plays are phenomenal twists on the original Star Wars trilogies and I highly recommend it to any Star Wars or Shakespeare fan. ( )
  BJH2016 | Dec 9, 2016 |
Largely unlike the film on which it is based, Ian Doescher's The Phantom of Menace (surely a play on The Merchant of Venice?) is a worthy successor to earlier instalments of the series. I was worried, after loving Doescher's first three Shakespeare mash-ups based on the original Star Wars trilogy, that trying to alchemize 1999's disappointing The Phantom Menace into Shakespearean gold would be a step too far. Happily, this isn't the case.

The book is just as fun as any of the other three previously released (you just know that Transmission hath been wholly lost, my liege!" (pg. 16) was written with a smile on the face); a key element in the series' success has been that it wears its learning lightly. Doescher recognises that Shakespeare was a populist in his day, and his plays were meant as entertainment rather than something to be studied in excruciating detail in a classroom. Consequently, the book barrels along nicely; it really reveals just how misguided we have been to be daunted by the iambic pentameter employed by Shakespeare. Following on from the delightful genre-savvy mooks in his original three books, here we have two nameless Jedi lampshading how it is that the prequels seemed to have more advanced technology than the men, women and Wookiees of the original Star Wars (pp128-31). I always enjoy these contributions; it makes a book even more special when you know that the author is enjoying himself too.

Doescher's wit and wordplay is in fine fettle, and what's more, he actually goes some way to redeeming – or at least emphasising the merits of – the film. The Phantom Menace film came with a perhaps unprecedented level of excitement and pre-release buzz (Doescher describes it thus: "E'en groundlings, waiting weeks to be let in, Look forward to the wonders they shall see. Starts now what you have long'd for, sans delay: Attend – a phantom menace comes anon!" (pg. 10)) but quickly became a byword for disappointment. Right from the iconic title cards outlining the story (economic blockade? taxation? trade routes? Hardly rousing stuff…) to the poor acting and delivery (and not just wee 9-year-old Jake Lloyd – the poor lad didn't know just what he was getting himself into) and the three words that make every Star Wars fan curl up into the foetal position in the corner of a darkened room and sob quietly to themselves: Jar Jar Binks.

Yet Doescher's prose allows the tropes of the story to become clearer, and from this point of view one begins upon a process of rehabilitation of the Star Wars prequels. In design, if sadly not in execution, the prequels are a good example of film storytelling, planting the seeds for the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker. Doescher's attempts to win us around to Jar Jar by reimagining the character's motivations aren't entirely successful (he is only human, after all), but by and large you will look at the film with a more considered appreciation. And given the film's reputation, that's no mean feat on Doescher's part. Now I am looking forward to see how he breathes life into the most uninspired of the Star Wars films: Attack of the Clones. After reading the achievement that is The Phantom of Menace, I am now much more confident that he will do so." ( )
  MikeFutcher | Jun 3, 2016 |
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Doescher, IanAuthorprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Lucas, GeorgeInspirationsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Delort, NicolasIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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To Ethan Youngerman, Bard of New York,

And to Chris Martin, Jedi of the South.

To Heidi Altman, Force in old D.C.,

And to Naomi Walcott, far-flung muse
First words
Alack! What dreadful turmoil hath beset

The strong Republic and its bonds of peace.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Fiction. Poetry. Science Fiction. HTML:Experience the Star Wars saga reimagined as an Elizabethan drama penned by William Shakespeare himself, complete with authentic meter and verse, and theatrical monologues and dialogue by everyone from Darth Maul to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The entire saga starts here, with a thrilling tale featuring a disguised queen, a young hero, and two fearless knights facing a hidden, vengeful enemy.
Authentic meter, stage directions, reimagined movie scenes and dialogue, and hidden Easter eggs throughout will entertain and impress fans of Star Wars and Shakespeare alike. Every scene and character from the film appears in the play, along with twenty woodcut-style illustrations that depict an Elizabethan version of the Star Wars galaxy. O Threepio, Threepio, wherefore art thou, Threepio?

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Book description
Join us, good gentles, for a merry reimagining of Star Wars: Episode 1 as only Shakespeare could have written it. The entire saga starts here, with a thrilling tale featuring a disguised queen, a young hero, and two fearless knights facing a hidden, vengeful enemy.

’Tis a true Shakespearean drama, filled with sword fights, soliloquies, and doomed romance . . . all in glorious iambic pentameter and coupled with twenty gorgeous Elizabethan illustrations. Hold on to your midi-chlorians: The play’s the thing, wherein you’ll catch the rise of Anakin! [retrieved 10/22/2015 from Amazon.com]
Haiku summary
Whiny kid and dumb

alien don't give Force a

powerful ally.

(legallypuzzled)

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