William Shakespeare's Star Wars
Registered by 
GoryDetails
of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 4/25/2018
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
GoryDetails of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 4/25/2018 This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
I loved Doescher's Phantom of Menace, retelling the plot of the Star Wars "Phantom Menace" film in Shakespearian form. Since then I've read the rest of that trilogy and the other books in the series. I found this ex-library hardcover - adapting "A New Hope" - at Better World Books.
"In time so long ago begins our play,
In star-crossed galaxy far, far away."
The book contains a detailed retelling of the plot of the movie, with much entertaining banter between C3PO and R2D2, of course - and some delightfully 4th-wall-breaking notes from Han Solo, mostly to do with the directorial changes to the original film, such as the added scene between him and Jabba where some of his lines from other scenes got looped in: "It sometimes seemeth I repeat myself..."
Several characters get more in-depth examination, sometimes in the form of soliloquies or "explaining the offstage action" monologues. The speeches are in iambic pentameter - including R2D2's: "Beep, meep, beep, squeak, beep, beep, beep, meep, beep, whee!" (We do get to hear R2D2's internal thoughts now and then, in English rather than droid-beeps.) There are lines from the original movie, and also lines inspired by Shakespeare plays: "Now is the summer of our happiness made winter by this sudden, fierce attack!" And the action scenes are described here by the various characters, turning the attack on the Death Star into pages of text from all the participating pilots - and it works surprisingly well, though if one had never seen the movie I'm not sure how it would come across.
One of my favorite bits in all the books is the presence of a couple of tertiary characters who discuss some key plot-point and *almost* make a choice that would have altered the entire course of the plot, but then opt not to. Here they're "Guard 1" and "Guard 2" on the Death Star, nattering about whether the mysteriously-empty ship that just came in might possibly contain the sought-for enemies, "that boy and droids and rebels all", concealed inside...
"A hidden boy! The droids within! A fig!
Avaunt, thou silly guard, be not so thick."
This doesn't end well for Guards 1 and 2!
The book concludes with the award ceremony, and wraps with the lines:
"There let our heroes rest free from attack,
Till darkness rise and Empire striketh back." Exeunt omnes.
"In time so long ago begins our play,
In star-crossed galaxy far, far away."
The book contains a detailed retelling of the plot of the movie, with much entertaining banter between C3PO and R2D2, of course - and some delightfully 4th-wall-breaking notes from Han Solo, mostly to do with the directorial changes to the original film, such as the added scene between him and Jabba where some of his lines from other scenes got looped in: "It sometimes seemeth I repeat myself..."
Several characters get more in-depth examination, sometimes in the form of soliloquies or "explaining the offstage action" monologues. The speeches are in iambic pentameter - including R2D2's: "Beep, meep, beep, squeak, beep, beep, beep, meep, beep, whee!" (We do get to hear R2D2's internal thoughts now and then, in English rather than droid-beeps.) There are lines from the original movie, and also lines inspired by Shakespeare plays: "Now is the summer of our happiness made winter by this sudden, fierce attack!" And the action scenes are described here by the various characters, turning the attack on the Death Star into pages of text from all the participating pilots - and it works surprisingly well, though if one had never seen the movie I'm not sure how it would come across.
One of my favorite bits in all the books is the presence of a couple of tertiary characters who discuss some key plot-point and *almost* make a choice that would have altered the entire course of the plot, but then opt not to. Here they're "Guard 1" and "Guard 2" on the Death Star, nattering about whether the mysteriously-empty ship that just came in might possibly contain the sought-for enemies, "that boy and droids and rebels all", concealed inside...
"A hidden boy! The droids within! A fig!
Avaunt, thou silly guard, be not so thick."
This doesn't end well for Guards 1 and 2!
The book concludes with the award ceremony, and wraps with the lines:
"There let our heroes rest free from attack,
Till darkness rise and Empire striketh back." Exeunt omnes.
Journal Entry 2 by GoryDetails at Peddler's Daughter, 48 Main St. in Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Wednesday, April 25, 2018
GoryDetails at Peddler's Daughter, 48 Main St. in Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Released 6 yrs ago (4/25/2018 UTC) at Peddler's Daughter, 48 Main St. in Nashua, New Hampshire USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I left this book on a table in the entrance of the Peddler's Daughter after having some of their excellent fish-and-chips. Hope the finder enjoys the book![See other recent releases in NH here.]
*** Released for the 2018 Movie release challenge. ***
