William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope

I'm fairly certain that no one going into this book is going to take it seriously. Shakespeareans and hardcore Star Wars fans could very well be appalled by its very existence, but I think geeks in general will love this. The book is exactly what the title says it is, the entirety of Episode IV (A New Hope - here titled, Verily, A New Hope) presented in all the glory of iambic pentameter as if the Bard himself had written it, complete with archaic turns of phrase and punctuation. Ian Doescher is clearly well-versed in Shakespeare's writing style to have pulled this off so well.

Is it goofy? Yep. Is it a great work of literature? Nope. Is it still fantastic fun? Hell, yes! Do I want to see the other two episodes from the original trilogy show more presented just the same? Absolutely! Everything about the book and presentation, from the writing to the illustrations of scenes from the movie as if they were from an Elizabethan stage production (the illustrations are made to look like wood engravings) is just spot on to create a book that is damn fun to read.

Sometime soon, I think I may need to pop the Bluray of A New Hope in and read this while watching it at the same time. That should be an interesting combination! Happy reading! show less

Upon a galaxy far hence we gaze,
The Star Wars tale doth blend with Shakespeare's plays.
But lo, a jest! A parody most rare,
Where players speak in fine poetic flair.

In rhyme iambic, true to classic form,
With stage directions ample to inform,
The rebels speak as if from poet sprung,
With lines that echo how the Bard hath sung.

“What light through yonder sensor breaks?” Luke hears,
“Friends, rebels, starfighters, lend me your ears,”
“A plague on both our circuit boards!” they cry,
As rebels and villains fight low and high.

Two arts most grand herein together dance;
Both tales of fate, of love, of happenstance.
Their twin traditions, timeless, rich, and deep,
Awaken memory that long doth keep.

Methinks the players' voices on mine ear,
Their show more dulcet tones made characters appear,
And sound as those from silver screen of yore,
As if the film's own cast this script did score.

So hie thee hence to find this volume fair,
No finer gift for readers could compare.
If thou dost love when worlds of art combine,
No sweeter nectar for the mind to dine.

For those who love to play with text and theme,
Who know the film and prize the Jedi dream,
This merry spoof shall surely joy impart —
A jesting lightsaber straight to the heart.

So read or hear, and may this truth shine through:
May the Fourth, and Force, be always with you! show less

This book had me feeling giddy throughout. I read it with a constant smile on my face, loving it even more than I thought I would. But don't think that William Shakespeare's Star Wars is just another mash-up, which are all the rage at the moment with the likes of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. This isn't a tired facsimile of the Star Wars script with the odd 'forsooth' or 'alas' thrown in - it is a genuinely clever and affectionate homage to both the works of William Shakespeare and to Star Wars, rendered in an authentic, flowing iambic pentameter that does the legacies of both the Bard and George Lucas proud.

You see, the advantage William Shakespeare's Star Wars has over other mash-ups is that, as writer Ian Doescher ably show more demonstrates in his Afterword with reference to Joseph Campbell, the two fall within the same populist story-telling tradition. Doescher identifies the common elements, of which there are many, and brings them together in perfect harmony. The heady Shakespearean prose lends itself well to Lucas' iconic dialogue, succeeding in etching a gigantic and immovable grin on my face. Doescher also adds his own ideas which makes it very much his own work. The Star Wars characters now have their own delightful Shakespearean inner monologues (think Hamlet's The play's the thing/Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."), with R2-D2's being particularly interesting. He also handles the action scenes well without breaking the immersion in this Elizabethan simulation.

I have no doubt Star Wars nerds will relish it all, as I did. Aside from the cleverly re-imagined dialogue and the dignity of Shakespearean tragedy given to the characters (perhaps Sir Alec Guinness, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi, might have revised his opinions on the "banal lines" and "mumbo-jumbo" if Doescher had been around to demonstrate their true depth), Doescher also amusingly addresses fan sticking-points such as whether Han shot Greedo first and foreshadows the later Luke/Leia relationship reveal on page 33. There's also a highly amusing lampshading of the dumb, faceless mook trope on pp102-4, as two Imperial Stormtroopers question the wisdom of their superiors. And has there ever been a better description of Han Solo's beloved Millennium Falcon than as "a rough-hewn wayward scut" (pg. 82)? There's also a number of hidden gems for the Bard's fans; I noticed references to As You Like It (pg. 39), Macbeth (pp12, 95), Hamlet (pg. 124), Richard III (pg. 143) and numerous references to Henry V and Julius Caesar in Luke's rather badass final battle speeches à la the "band of brothers" (well, that wasn't in the original!). And I'm not even much of a Shakespeare aficionado; no doubt there are more that I missed.

There will be some who won't give this a chance; those who don't like Star Wars, perhaps (who are you people?) or those who have had an aversion to Shakespeare since high school. But those people are missing out on this amazingly well-executed and loving homage. If you are in two minds, then screw your courage to the sticking-place and give it a try. Like me, you'll be counting the days until the second book, The Empire Striketh Back. And for those of you worried about whether you'll be able to untangle the Shakespearean prose, rest assured that it flows very well. Consider, finally, the following passage which re-imagines the famous "let the Wookiee win" scene, after Chewbacca is frustrated at a move R2-D2 has made in a game of chess:

HAN
- Be thou wise, droid, mark well what
thou dost.
As it is said: black holes are worth thy fear,
But fear thou more a Wookiee's deadly wrath.
C-3PO
But Sir, no proverb warns the galaxy
Of how a droid may hotly anger'd be.
HAN
Aye, marry, 'tis because no droid hath e'er
Torn out of joint another being's arms
Upon a lesser insult e'en than this -
But Wookiees, golden droid, are not so tame.
C-3PO
Thy meaning, Sir, doth prick my circuit board.
'Tis best to play the fool, and not the sage,
To say it brief: pray let the Wookiee win." show less

Clever clever. I had so much fun with this-the author wrote it all in iambic pentameter, here and there borrowing from Shakespeare's plays.(Luke started one speech with a nod to Julius Caesar, and by the end had moved on to Henry V). When C-3PO thinks he hasn't turned off the trash compactor soon enough to save Luke and co., he says "A plague on 3PO for action slow, a plague upon my quest that led us here, a plague on both our circuit boards, I say!"

Hee hee.

For people who know the movie by heart, or have at least seen it a few times, the famous lines are still recognizable in their Shakespearean form, often to hilarious effect- When Luke comes to rescue Leia, she says, "Thou truly art in jest. Art thou not small of stature, if thou art show more a stormtrooper?" The book is filled with gems like this.

The author also came up with some swell plays on words of his own, like Luke's response when Han tells him he won't be fighting in the last big battle-"Then take thou care now, Han, thou Solo act, For certain 'tis the part thou best dost play."

But my favorite thing that Doescher did was to cast R2D2 as the wise fool, making asides to the audience in perfectly good English, while beeping and whirring to everyone else. That R2D2's a sassy bloke.

Very entertaining. show less

I expected to have quite a few laughs while reading Verily, A New Hope, and I was not disappointed, but I was surprised that it also managed to go into greater depth with character thoughts and motivations due to its style. Modern sci-fi action doesn’t translate well into a Shakespeare play because the Elizabethans wouldn’t have had the ability to bring it to life on the stage. The story and the characters were drawn through words instead of relying on visual effects for entertainment. This is something that Ian Doescher really gets in his adaptation! Because the movies are always moving forward with the action, these adaptations bring something new to this galaxy far, far away by slowing down and drawing out those important show more character moments.

I also appreciate that these adaptations really pull from Shakespeare's style in such a way that in certain soliloquies I can pick out which Shakespeare play the author is drawing on for that speech. This combination of Shakespeare and Star Wars covers so many levels of nerdiness and it is simply amazing. I’m excited to see what he does with the rest of the Skywalker Saga. show less

Take two things I love, but never thought would collide and you’ve got this book. As an unashamed nerd I can quote lines from Star Wars like nobody’s business. I was raised by my Dad to embrace Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings and all the sci-fi and fantasy nerdiness in between. At the same time I am a huge fan of the Bard. I took a class in college solely devoted to his works. I have slowly been working my way towards reading and then seeing every single one of his plays performed. So this unique combination of Jedi lore and iambic pentameter was impossible to resist.

This is a retelling of the first (technically fourth) Star Wars movie in Shakespearean style. My favorite parts are the characters’ inner monologues. show more Shakespeare uses that trick constantly to introduce audiences to a new character and it translates well in the Star Wars plots. The R2-D2 monologue was absolutely hilarious. He has an eloquent monologue and then aloud he says, “Meep beep bop meep.”

The language is really well done, embracing Shakespeare’s style without losing any of the Star Wars story or even really making it too ridiculous. There were so many parts that just cracked me up. There are also couple great illustrations throughout the book that add to the fun.

BOTTOM LINE: This book is geared to a VERY specific niche group. I happen to be the target audience, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to work for everyone. If you love both Shakespeare and Star Wars then get thee to a galactic bookstore immediately! show less

Shakespeare and Star Wars come together to wondrous results thanks to the fantastic writing and imagination of Ian Doescher. In 176 pages of iambic pentameter verse, stage directions, and some of the best Elizabethan clothed Star War characters ever seen, the reader finds one of the best adaptations of Star Wars ever.

The language is Shakespearean, but it's very readable and understandable even if you're not use to late 16th century language (even in quasi-form). The original dialogue of the Star Wars film is covered excellently with numerous additional lines of soliloquies and speeches by a variety of characters added by Doescher to give the book it's true Shakespearean element. However these additions don't take away from the film, show more they add to it by giving the characters a chance to express their inner thoughts that we never hear in the actual film. The soliloquies are full of spoilers from the prequels along with foreshadowing for the sequels that seem to be Doescher's shout out to Star Wars fans of all kinds.

I can't say how much I enjoyed this book and how much I think Star Wars fans will like it as well. If you're a Star Wars fan check out this book and you'll have a smile on your face as you imagine the film being transferred to an Elizabethan theater with all the action, adventure, and comedy taking place. show less