Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, Contemporized

About the Book

William Shakespeare is unquestionably the greatest dramatist of the past millennium, yet many people fear trying to read one of his plays because of lines such as “To see it tetchy and fall out wi’ th’ dug.” Who except a scholar can readily read language like this? But now, in this book, students and general readers can read Shakespeare freely, without pain, without (on most pages) footnotes. The verse remains iambic pentameter, the language remains 90% Shakespeare’s; only enough words have been changed to carry the meaning to today’s reader. Finally students can see for themselves the plots, the characters, the ideas, and even (in almost every case) the language that has made Shakespeare the most important playwright in the history of English.

About the Author

Dr. Marvin D. Hinten teaches at Friends University in Wichita, KS. His courses include Shakespeare, World Masterpieces 1, and C. S. Lewis. He received his Ph.D. in English from Bowling Green State University, specializing in C. S. Lewis and in British Literature 1560-1660.