Manga Classics: Macbeth

It's no secret that I really like the Manga Classics series. Chan and artist Julien Choy did a great job with Romeo & Juliet and The Jungle Book, and now they've done great work again in this rendition of Macbeth.

I was a little skeptical going into it because, as with most Shakespeare but maybe more so with Macbeth, the real drama to me is not so much in what the characters are saying but how they're saying it. But I wasn't disappointed at all. The art adds a dimension to the story that isn't so simple to pull off in a theater or even in a movie. And I especially like how Choy drew Macbeth and his insanity - very well done.

Yet another worthwhile rendition of a classic work from this publisher. Reluctant readers I have worked with love these books.

One more incredible manga rendition of a great classic, a Shakesperean tragedy of epic proportion that still addresses raw human emotions like greed, ambition, regret, loyalty. Macbeth's rise to power and following downfall are depicted in powerful strokes and the text is true to the original play. It is not one of the easiest or most entertaining works of Shakespeare, but it is a classic you should not miss even in its manga form.

It's been a long time since I've read a manga or a Shakespeare play so the combination of the two was amazing! Macbeth has always been a favorite out of Shakespeare's works so being able to essentially get a crash course through the story was a lot of fun. The artwork is beautiful and just really brings the story to life. Highly recommend!

I know I’ve said this time and time again, but I sincerely adore the concept behind Manga Classics. I love that it gives me a new perspective on many of the classics I know and love. And for those I haven’t read it gives me an excuse to try them out and not be quite so intimidated (we’ve all come across that one classic that was so large it was impossible not to be intimidated by it).
I think it’s great that they’re working so hard to help expose more people to the classics by making them more approachable. Plus it’s fun seeing something so well known turned into a different medium (after all, that’s why movie and TV adaptations are so popular, right? Well, one of the reasons at least).
I can’t get enough of the Manga Classics, truth be told. It felt like I waited a year for the next one to come out, when it was really only a few months (which is a very fast turnaround time, I’d like to point out).
I’ve been hoping for a while now that they would do a manga version of Macbeth, and it looks like I finally got my wish! I’ll admit that even though I was looking forward to it, I was shocked by just how well it adapted into manga form.
It’s always interesting to see how these classic characters would translate into manga characters. I was a bit surprise by Macbeth’s, but I think that has more to do with how I picture him versus how he was described. I adored the representation of almost all of the characters, but some of the side characters in particular really stood out to me as being amazingly accurate (and no, I’m not really sure why they stood out to me in particular). I love the more stylized manner in which the witches were drawn as well. It really suited their more ethereal nature, and frankly it made them look creepier, so it was a brilliant choice all around.
The artist’s choice of including imagery in the background during specific scenes (usually the ones with more dialogue than most) was brilliant. It helped convey the deeper meaning and implications of the words, while not disrupting the immersion.
Overall I really loved this adaptation. It was everything I could have hoped for and more. And the best part? In the back of the book they listed the upcoming classics, and A Midsummer’s Night Dream is shown! All of my wishes and dreams have come true! I’m the happiest girl ever. Now I just have to be patient and wait for its release!

Book Review

Title: Manga Classics: Macbeth

Author: Crystal S. Chan (Adapted by), William Shakespeare & Julien Choy (Illustrations)

Genre: Manga

Rating: *****

Review: So, from all the manga classics I have read all stick very close to the original source material so I won’t be going in-depth into the story as most people have read Macbeth at some point in the educational lives or they are familiar with the source material. When I read Macbeth in Comprehensive school, I found it to be a very raw, gritty and visceral story so I was excited to see how the story would translate to a more visual format.

To summarize Macbeth: A brave Scottish general named Macbeth receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia. I was correct about this particular play translating well into manga as it opens with a bang and Macbeth makes a great entrance into the story and from the moment, he meets the witches we can see his path laid before him.

One thing I love about Macbeth is a lot of the key scene are foreshadowed in earlier scenes, for example, when the witches first meet Macbeth, they reveal that he will someday be king, but they do not specify that he will obtain that position by murdering Duncan.

There is an astounding amount of the original information from the play in this manga, but most aren’t in dialogue although this manga does contain far more dialogue than there is in traditional manga. I found the way the manga was drawn really allowed the bloody and grim nature of the play to blossom in a way the original material doesn’t. However, I did find that much of the tension and suspense found in the original play are lost be seen a visual representation.

Overall, I really loved the version of Macbeth and seeing both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s decent in madness and eventual death and I highly recommend all the manga classics series, however, there is a fair amount of dialogue in all of them which isn’t common in manga.

A new approach to an old classic that breathes life into a good story. This Macbeth interpretation is a great place for younger readers to start to learn and understand some of Shakespeare's more difficult dialogue. Recommended for Manga fans, young readers, and fans of retellings for all ages.

Net Galley Feedback

I just recently read Macbeth because I've been wanting to read it for way to long, and when I saw this, I just decided to go for it. Only to learn this is actually the freaking Original Text!! The synopsis I read didn't say it and the book's cover was tiny and I didn't see it written there... So basically I just read Macbeth twice. 

I've read only one play by Shakespeare before and to be honest, this one was slightly more difficult to read, although I loved it even more. This is such an intense story and I loved to read it in manga format! My original edition is the Folger Shakespeare Library and it helps to understand some words/expressions. But so did the manga, because by seeing the characters, their actions and emotions it also helped visualizing it more! 

This is an incredibly tragic, dramatic and bloody play and I was all for it! I love all the mysteriousness and darkness of it and how crazy everything turned out! It's not very easy to talk much about this play without spoiling it, but I do have to say this... Those witches give me the creeps! after those prophecies, everything just came down and well... That end was just WTF. I was NOT expecting it and I think it's amazing. That's all I'm gonna say.

The manga design was really good and quite detailed like always, pretty much like Romeo and Juliet, but in my opinion even more expressive, which is not one of my fav things, but it does fits the drama quite well. My fav design was of Macduff. I just really liked how he was portrayed.

Overall I really liked reading this and it made me finally read the original classic, which is always a plus. I really didn't know what to expect before reading the original book's version, but I'm actually happy I got to experience both and I LOVE that this contains the actual Original Text. I believe it invites more people to read classics and in this case to actually read the full novel in a more enjoyable and accessible way! It's a great idea and I'm a BIG fan of the Manga Classics collection. I really think you guy's should give it a try!

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read an early edition. If I were a high school teacher, this is where our study of !Macbeth would begin. The layout is visually pleasing. It makes reading the Shakespearean tragedy much easier and more entertaining especially for young people.

Oh, wow. I really liked this one. I like all the manga classic really. They make for great quick refreshers and sometimes even let you view the story in a different way, or see facets of it that weren't as obvious in the original texts. I can even get my kids to read these without a fight, and it breaks it down in a way that's much more understandable for kids than the original versions are. I really hope they continue to make more.

As always, these manga adaptations do not disappoint. The story and original language stay intact, but we get a stunning image of the story. The artwork is descriptive and spectacular, and this specific one is one of my favorites so far. I would encourage everybody to read these adaptations! If you think classics are boring this is definitely the version for you!

Ah, The Scottish Play. When you read it, you realize just how good it is. rather than relying upon the opinions of others. I enjoyed the artwork quite a bit. This is well worth the reading/viewing!

I'm a new fan of this series. I bought The Scarlet Letter for our homeschool and soon we realized that we were going to need the entire collection! Macbeth, made reading Shakespeare doable!

I have always loved the tale of Shakespeare's Macbeth but seeing it in a comic form had me a little skeptical. However, this was pulled off beautifully. It was super easy to read and comprehend. The art was beautiful and honestly added another layer to the storytelling, one that is not so achievable by TV or theater. There is an undeniable beauty in the emotions that are conveyed through animations/art, this was like a beautifully done animation of the dark tale but in paper form. I had so much fun reading this and can't wait to get my hand on more Manga Classics.

-- 5 stars --