My Shakespeare Book Nook

Shakespeare Book Nook Bookshelf Puzzle

These cool puzzles were all over TikTok a few months ago. My children, at this point, are all trained to see Shakespeare merchandise that I don’t already have and grab it, so I was happy to see that my son found the Shakespeare version (it comes in several different versions).

It’s called a “Book Nook,” and the idea is for it to sit on your bookshelf and represent this complete little world. At least, that’s how I interpret it. I’ve made a video so you can take a look inside. It’s quite detailed – almost all of the individual books have accurate titles, including plenty of Shakespeare (though this is probably not obvious in the video).

I will say that it was quite a challenge to put together. The entire thing is flat-packed like Ikea furniture, so you must snap out every piece. The books are all two pieces – the body and then a sticker – so you can imagine where there are shelves or stacks of multiple books. There are potted plants, rolled-up posters…even the open book sitting on the comfy chair is a fancy sticker. My son eventually had to help me put it together at the end. My hands were just too big (and my eyes too old) to see it through to the finish. But that makes it more special.

I love the depth of dimension it manages to get. Note the staircase in the back and the upper balcony. The mirror really gives that illusion of a continuing space.

If you like puzzles, it’s definitely a neat project. Make sure you have a cool place to show it off. I definitely think it needs to sit between some books – if you just leave it standing on its own it looks a little like a phone booth.

Available for purchase on Amazon.

Spiderman and Juliet

https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/tom-holland-to-star-in-jamie-lloyds-romeo-and-juliet-in-the-west-end_1569505/

Spiderman and Juliet, AI-generated

Move over, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sirs Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen — there’s a new Marvel hero nipping at your heels to tread the Shakespearean boards. Spiderman himself, Tom Holland.

I wish more of these were filmed. On the one hand, I get the allure of live theatre, but at the same time, the audience feels just so limited in both space and time. Live theatre is ephemeral. If you’re not there, then, you miss it. You don’t even get a rewind button. But film it, and it exists forever for everyone.

Young Mr. Holland does have stage experience, having previously played Billy Elliot. I don’t know if this is his first attempt at Shakespeare.

Break a leg, Spiderman!

Shakespeare For Kids – Free on Kindle (for a Limited Time!)

Disclaimer – I was sent a press release, I have not personally read these books. My kids are a little old for the intended audience now, anyway. But they’re legit free, at least for an introductory period, so it’s an opportunity to grab them if you’re looking for some material for the 6 – 12 age group.

Welcome to “Shakespeare for Kids” – a delightful book series that brings the magic of William Shakespeare’s timeless stories to life for a younger audience! Our series opens up the world of classic literature, making it accessible, engaging, and heaps of fun for children to explore.

Shakespaere For Kids Hamlet

Perfect for young readers aged 6-12, as well as for parents and teachers who wish to introduce the Bard’s masterpieces in an approachable manner, “Shakespeare for Kids” ensures that learning about literature is both educational and entertaining.

Shakespeare For Kids Romeo and Juliet

Let your children’s adventure with the greatest playwright of all time begin today! Pick up a “Shakespeare for Kids” book and let the curtain rise on their exciting journey through the timeless world of William Shakespeare.

FREE on Kindle for a limited time!

Introducing Arthur Brooke

While Romeo and Juliet is arguably Shakespeare’s most famous work, casual fans rarely know that few of Shakespeare’s plots were original. The tale of the star-cross’d lovers dates back at least to The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet, by Arthur Brooke (1562). His, in turn, was based either on an Italian novella by Matteo Bandello, or a via a French translation of that novella (theories vary).

Romeo and Juliet in the tomb

I’m not about to claim that we should teach Brooke to high school students. It’s hard enough to get Romeo and Juliet into their heads. But that doesn’t mean we can’t bring him into the conversation,. I was looking at Brooke’s text tonight to answer a different question, and I found this. I guess it’s his version of what Shakespeare turned into the famous prologue:

Love hath inflaméd twain by sudden sight,
     And both do grant the thing that both desire
     They wed in shrift by counsel of a friar.
     Young Romeus climbs fair Juliet’s bower by night.
Three months he doth enjoy his chief delight.
     By Tybalt’s rage provokéd unto ire,
     He payeth death to Tybalt for his hire.
     A banished man he ‘scapes by secret flight.
New marriage is offered to his wife.
     She drinks a drink that seems to reave her breath:
     They bury her that sleeping yet hath life.
Her husband hears the tidings of her death.
     He drinks his bane. And she with Romeus’ knife,
When she awakes, herself, alas! she slay’th.

That … is a surprisingly good summary of the entire play. Much better than Shakespeare’s version. Let’s look:

  • love at first sight
  • They get married in secret.
  • Romeus visits Juliet’s bedroom at night.
  • They get three months of this (which Shakespeare took away!).
  • Romeus gets Tybalt angry, ends up killing Tybalt, and is banished for his trouble.
  • .They try to get Juliet to marry someone, but she fakes her death instead
  • Romeus hears that she’s dead and poisons himself.
  • Juliet kills herself with Romeus’ knife.

With a little editing love to modernize the spelling and a couple of glossary notes, you could give this to students as a plot study guide. Other than the three months thing, this is spot-on accurate with how Shakespeare told it, right down to the specific murder weapons.

Students might also be interested to know the “original” ending!

The poem’s ending differs significantly from Shakespeare’s play—in the poem, the nurse is banished and the apothecary hanged for their involvement in the deception, while Friar Lawrence leaves Verona to end his days in a hermitage.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tragical_History_of_Romeus_and_Juliet

Alas, poor apothecary. He was so worried about doing the wrong thing (“Such mortal drugs I have; but Mantua’s law is death to any he that utters them.”) Shakespeare decides to let him live. Maybe it was to make up for Mercutio?

Ranking Julia Stiles Shakespeare Movies

AI-generated sketch of Julia Stiles in Shakespearean costume
She’s giving Kate vibes in this AI-generated sketch.

I love this idea for a list, courtesy ScreenRant – Top Julia Stiles Shakespeare Movies. Of course, she only made 3, so it’s a very short list – Hamlet, O (Othello), and 10 Things I Hate About You (Taming of the Shrew). The math geek in me wants to say that only leaves 6 possible combinations, but who are we kidding – nobody’s making O their number 1. I love that I can just italicize a single letter like that as a title.

I like to remind people, though, that Ms. Stiles may have been having a bit of fun with us during her Shakespeare period.

She portrayed Ophelia to Ethan Hawke’s Hamlet in 2000 … but she also starred in Down to You with Freddie Prinze Jr. the same year. Is that a Shakespeare adaptation? Well, no. But she does play a character named Imogen – who shares a name with a character from Cymbeline. Which Ethan Hawke also starred in, in 2014! But we’ll call that one a coincidence, the girl’s not from the future.

Then, in 2004, she starred in The Prince and Me. Oh, and she was named the same as a Shakespeare character? Not this time. She just played the love interest to the Prince of Denmark. And they fall in love bonding over Shakespeare sonnets.

I’m a little tempted to stage a Julia Stiles movie marathon just to see how many Shakespeare references we can spot in the strangest places.