Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: The Manga Edition

by Adam Sexton, Hyeondo Park

Bringing together the dramatic works of the Bard with the graphic manga style of storytelling, these faithful retellings of Shakespeare's most popular plays capture the characters, action, and settings of the dramatic works through the visual images of talented manga artists who work in the popular graphic novel format, accompanied by introductions that set the stage for each play.

Genres: Manga, Comics, Classics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Shakespeare

179 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Prithu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many may find it queer to read Shakespeare in Manga. But, as the authors have claimed in the introduction, this book overcomes the shortcomings of stage production and presents interesting visualization of metaphors. A commendable effort indeed.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I have read this story many times and i found this one to be the most interesting. I loved the visuals and how much more interesting the story was. I’m a very visual learner and so this helped me have more of an understanding of the little details that happened in the Shakespeare greatest know tragedy. I found now that i want this into an anime. Even though i knew the story well it was nice to have a change.

This is basically the story of Julius Caesar but if it were an manga. It tells the story of how Julius grows to power. It also tells about how his friend begin to see how power hungry he is. And how they plan to kill him. It brings a new light to the well know play. It helps those who may have a hard time reading to understand visually.

[Gary Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Adam Sexton says in the introduction to this largely successful rendering of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, "Unbound by the physical realities of the theater, the graphic novel can depict any situation, no matter how fantastical or violent, that it creators are able to pencil, ink, and shade." Those depictions make this version a worthwhile addition to classrooms studying the play, although it has some pedagogical limitations.

Each character is distinctively drawn. Although stylistically consistent, we can clearly tell the difference between characters. Cassius is portrayed as dark-haired and sinister; the bearded Brutus has just the right combination of sincerity and toughness.

This manga version of Shakespeare's story uses graphic novel conventions to dramatically convey the story that is the bane of so many sophomore English classes. For example, the characters in Julius Caesar tend to speak in highly formal language, even when they are upset or in anguish. That difficult language is made more accessible here not only through finely drawn facial expressions but by important words emphasized in the text bubbles. For example, in Act II Decius comes to Caesar's home with other conspirators to lure him to the Capitol. Caesar relates a dream that he interprets as a sign that he should not go with them. Decius listens to Caesar's concern and then says, "This dream is all amiss interpreted! It was a vision fair and fortunate." Obviously, Shakespeare did not italicize anything, and I've heard countless student readers breeze over those lines without stopping to consider the importance of those individual words. This version will help student readers hear the inflection that brings out the most meaningful aspects of that line and many others.

Our understanding of Julius Caesar is also enhanced by the depictions of various settings—the homes of Brutus and Caesar, the Capitol, and the battlefields, for example. I also like how the art establishes mood, as in the disturbing supernatural storm described by Casca and Calpurnia: We see the slave with his hand on fire and the lioness whelping in the street.

A particularly effective scene is the description “coming from Sardis” of “two mighty eagles … gorging and feeding from our soldiers’ hands” as the authors break the traditional horizontal panel formation to deliver a disorienting effect that must echo what Cassius is feeling as hears the portentous scene described by Messala.

Readers who are drawn to the macabre will find it in the ghost of Caesar, as well as in the drawings of various stabbings on which this play’s plot turns.

The business in Act V involving Titinius and Pindarus is frequently confusing for students as Shakespeare used various playing areas in the Globe Theater to convey a war within the limited confines of a theater’s space. In this book, the action is clear as we see what Pindarus sees rather than having it relayed to us.

The primary disadvantage of this manga version of Julius Caesar is the complete loss of the play’s poetry. The words are left mostly intact, but they are presented in text bubbles without regard for blank verse enjambment. Also lost is the contrast between the block-prose, logic-based funeral speech of Brutus, and the emotional iambic pentameter of Antony’s funeral speech.

The weirdest element of this manga adaptation of Julius Caesar is the portrayal of Portia who is clearly shown as pregnant. Nothing in the text indicates that Portia is pregnant, except possibly the reference to her “weak condition,” which is explainable in several other ways. This editorial liberty with the character of Portia might generate some interesting discussion, but it strikes me as obtrusive. If Portia is pregnant, her motivations are understood differently than if she is not pregnant, but readers who are introduced to Portia as pregnant will be unlikely to ever consider her as not pregnant.

I enjoyed reading this manga adaptation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. After reading and teaching this play for many years, I found this adaptation faithful to the original text (except for the Portia portrayal), and especially helpful in conveying some of the action that takes place between lines and other non-text aspects of the play.

If you have read this version or used it in class, I hope you’ll comment on how you liked it. Thanks for reading.

Cross posted on What's Not Wrong?

[Kristin Bateman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent! I love the use of italicized words for rhetorical devices and emotional techniques. I can't wait to use this with my kids next year!

[MARY Brazeau · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a resource it I would love even more images to help ELs with the similes and other difficult language.

[Julia Kaiser · Rating 3 out of 5]

They did not have to do Cassius dirty with that forehead. He did not die for Rome just to be portrayed as having a 12 head.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 2 out of 5]

Baca yang versi manga ini tepat setelah membaca Conspirata, kesannya kok terdapat perbedaan pada karakter Julius Caesar-nya. Julius Caesar di sini instingnya tumpul, minimal kuduna curigaan dikit kek...

Cicero cuma muncul dua halaman (jadi waktu itu dia sudah balik ke Roma, ya?), dan charanya beda banget dengan yang ilustrasi di sampul Imperium dan Conspirata. Di manga rambutnya gondrong plus jenggotan, sementara di novel rambutnya tipis hiasan. Mungkin di pengasingan sempat menemukan ramuan penyubur rambut ;)

Lalu meski namanya dijadikan judul, Julius Caesar cuma diceritakan sebentar, malah banyakan Brutus. Tapi kalau judulnya Brutus memang nggak komersil sih.

Terakhir, dari ilustrasi manga, baru tahu belati di jaman Roma (yang dipakai menusuk Caesar) ternyata mirip keris.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrator Hyeondo Park has chosen to take the conventional route with this work, clothing Caesar and his people in the dress of ancient Rome. But I can’t complain since they’ve done so quite handily. The robes and costumes of Romans are not all similar but distinct according to rank, status, age and sex. The characters are as varied the costumes and after awhile the reader can easily discern Julius from Brutus, Calpurnia from Portia. Manga Shakespeare brings us Shakespeare’s immortal work of politics, greed, treachery, disloyalty and assassination of the most famous Caesar of all time. As an introduction to this work, it is a more than credible effort.

[Jean-Pierre Vidrine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to confess that I have not gotten around to reading Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in the regular text format before reading this manga edition. But, since I see no problem with watching a production of one of his plays before reading, I don't see a problem here. After all, adapting the play into this format is not so different at all from casting and producing the play. To cut to the chase, Adam Sexton and Hyeondo Park deliver a superb and compelling read. Any stage production of Julius Caesar should take ideas from this manga.

[Sancaka · Rating 3 out of 5]

gambarnya bagus. dan sesuai klaim buku ini, karya shakespeare ini memang jadi lebih enak dinikmati ketimbang baca versi teks dalam bahasa aslinya. walaupun demikian, belum mudah bagiku 'tuk pahami ceritanya

[Timtracy Seguinjohnston]

Okay, we'll admit it. It's never to early to introduce Shakespeare to young readers. First Manga, then Branagh films.

[Jan Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange story about domination and revenge.

[Patrick Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes me feel gooey.

[Samra · Rating 4 out of 5]

helpful in understanding this play better. so much violence and death

[Melissa Davenport · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations bring Shakespeare's words to life in a way that is fun, interesting and within reach for middle school students.

[Michael P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may assign this too to students in the fall, so no comment.