English and Literacy

In 2008, the UK's eminent Royal Shakespeare Company brought Hamlet - Shakespeare's most famous and perhaps most influential play - back to the stage, spoken in verse but with contemporary dress and David Tennant in the eponymous role.

No recent stage production in Britain has attracted either the level of interest of the near-unanimously positive reviews. Tennant's interpretation was recognised as defining the role for a generation, and Patrick Stewart - playing Claudius - as a performance of great depth and complexity. In this specially-shot screen version of Hamlet (filmed on location rather than in the theatre), Tennant and Stewart reprise their roles. Dynamic, exciting and contemporary, it brings Shakespeare's greatest play to a far wider audience than ever before. --Kanopy

One city, eight weeks and two contrasting schools come together to put on a professional production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In a unique experiment, each school will be cast as one of the two feuding families at the heart of the world's favourite love story.

Romeo and his Montague clan come from a Coventry city centre comprehensive, while Juliet and the Capulets are from a Catholic school in the city's northern suburbs. Trying to get the show on the road is artistic director of the National Youth Theatre Paul Roseby. Also on hand as mentors - one for each school - are Hustle actor and RADA-trained Shakespeare fan Adrian Lester and his wife actress, Lolita Chakrabarti. Can they help the teenage cast overcome their preconceptions about Shakespeare - and work with each other - to create a Romeo and Juliet for a new generation? --Kanopy

Six Shakespearean actors and directors research the revered dramatist and reveal the stories behind and the wonders within some of his greatest plays. This week Joely Richardson investigates Twelfth Night and As You Like It. -- Kanopy

Ethan Hawke looks at the greatest productions of Shakespeare's Macbeth as he uncovers the true story behind the cursed 'Scottish Play'. --Kanopy

Derek Jacobi revisits the role of Richard II which he played in 1978 for the BBC. He reveals why it might have cost Shakespeare his life, and shares some of the political parallels within the play that still resonate today. -- Kanopy

Legendary director Trevor Nunn, (who has directed 30 of Shakespeare's 37 plays and is determined to complete them all), takes us through the magical and mysterious world created in The Tempest, Shakespeare's last complete play.--Kanopy

Jeremy Irons (who is playing Henry IV in the new BBC films) uncovers the appeal of Shakespeare's 'History Plays' - Henry IV and Henry V. He unravels the differences between the truth and the drama that Shakespeare creates. -- Kanopy

David Tennant, whose RSC portrayal of Hamlet was a huge hit, meets other actors who have played the role. He also attempts to unravel the meaning of the play and why it is considered the greatest play Shakespeare ever wrote. -- Kanopy

Transplanted from the highlands of Scotland to the Melbourne underbelly, Shakespeare's savage tale of power, murder and revenge loses none of its potency.

Sam Worthington (Avatar) stars as MacBeth, the loyal henchman who, along with his bloodthirsty wife, plots his accelerated rise to the top. Adapted by writer/director Geoffrey Wright of Romper Stomper fame, this reboot of the Scottish Play set on the mean streets of gangland Melbourne also features stellar performances from Gary Sweet (Blue Murder, Police Rescue), Mick Molloy (Crackerjack), Lachy Hulme (The Straw Men) and Steve Bastoni (Underbelly). A bruising cocktail of drama and violence, MacBeth is an electrifying example of filmmaking at its most daring and compelling. -- Kanopy

"No Fear Shakespeare Graphic Novels is a series based on the translated texts of the plays found in No Fear Shakespeare. Each of the titles is illustrated in its own unique style, but all are distinctively offbeat, slightly funky, and appealing to teen readers. Each book will feature:
- Illustrated cast of characters
- A helpful plot summary
- Line-by-line translations of the original play
- Illustrations that show the reader exactly what’s happening in each scene." -- Amazon

"No Fear Shakespeare Graphic Novels is a series based on the translated texts of the plays found in No Fear Shakespeare. Each of the titles is illustrated in its own unique style, but all are distinctively offbeat, slightly funky, and appealing to teen readers. Each book will feature:
- Illustrated cast of characters
- A helpful plot summary
- Line-by-line translations of the original play
- Illustrations that show the reader exactly what’s happening in each scene." -- Amazon

"No Fear Shakespeare Graphic Novels is a series based on the translated texts of the plays found in No Fear Shakespeare. Each of the titles is illustrated in its own unique style, but all are distinctively offbeat, slightly funky, and appealing to teen readers. Each book will feature:
- Illustrated cast of characters
- A helpful plot summary
- Line-by-line translations of the original play
- Illustrations that show the reader exactly what’s happening in each scene." -- Amazon

Hinds adaptation serves as a wonderful introduction to the original. The setting is located in modern day Venice. This adaptation is easy to follow although some scenes and characters are omitted.

"Shakespeare's enduring characters are set adrift in present-day Athens, but a present with a massive difference - an alternative history. Rigid class systems and `god given' monarchies of the past have not been lost. Modern technologies meet ancient tradition; and the citizens of Athens are frustrated by continuing restrictions and hierarchies. Only the forest, home to the fairies and fey spirits can offer the illicit lovers what they seek." -- Amazon

"Beginning with an argument in a street in Venice, the grudges and passionate jealousies that fuel Othello's unfortunate plot are quickly revealed in this fantastical manga version of the classic story. Drawing inspiration from trend-setting Japan, this series is illustrated by leading UK manga artists." -- Amazon

Set in modern day China, Shakespeare's pastoral comedy is re-imagined in manga style. This adaptation retains Shakespeare's examination of human experience and its ever malleable nature.