Ian Doescher, who in my opinion should be canonized as a saint, has rewritten the Star Wars films in beautiful iambic pentameter. It is truly a unique way to once again enjoy the saga from a galaxy far, far away. Here are some excerpts from Shakerspeare’s Star Wars:
And I haven’t even mentioned the best part. Doescher has provided an educator’s guide on his website. This is a wonderful way to introduce students to Shakespeare in a new and creative way. Of course you are mixing two nerdy things and that might not fly over so well at first, but the beauty of this lesson is how someone can find deeper meaning, compare themes across genres, and use poetic devices within the text. That covers a couple standards. Even students who are not fans of the holy Trilogy will be impressed at how Doescher transformed one medium by using another.
The Educator’s guide has mini lessons on iambic pentameter, themes, and comparisons between Star Wars and some of Shakespeare’s most famous works (including Henry V, Richard III, Hamlet, Macbeth, and Julius Caesar just to name a few). The guide also includes information on Shakespearean devices and how they are used in context. The educator’s guide legitimately turns a novelty quirky book into an awesome Shakespearean introduction for all students.
Earlier this year Doescher released the second part to the trilogy. The Empire Striketh Back follows the same structure in telling the tale of Luke Skywalker through a Shakespearean lens. The final installment, The Jedi Doth Return, is due out on June 1, 2014.
This book, besides being awesome in concept alone, also demonstrates the timelessness of both the Star Wars franchise and Shakespeare. This is a huge understatement, and probably not new information to anyone, but melding these two styles definitely shows how the bard’s themes transcend 16th century literature. This is the book you are looking for.
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