Can you imagine what it would be like if the mighty Iron Man starts spewing Shakespeare’s sonnets? Or if Hulk and Captain America face each other in a Shakespearean duel with swords? Well, you won’t have to wait too long to find out.
The superhero films are all set to be presented in a new avatar with a classical twist. Marvel Studios along with Quirk Books will be releasing The Avengers”, “Avengers: Age of Ultron”, “Avengers: Infinity War, and “Avengers: Endgame” in the form of Shakespearean plays. Titled “William Shakespeare’s Avengers: The Complete Works, the plays will be released on September 28.
Immersing Marvel’s favourite team of superheroes into a Shakespearean world isn’t as far-fetched as it may sound. In fact, viewers got a taste of it in the very first “Avenger” film in 2012 when Tony Stark aka Iron Man encounters the God of Thunder for the first time. Looking at Thor’s medieval clothes, Stark jests about indulging in some Shakespeare in the park. “Doth Mother know you weareath her drapes?” Stark famously asks Thor.
And it was actually this scene that inspired Marvel to come up with the unconventional collaboration. The studio wondered what would have happened if the most epic cinematic franchise of all time had been penned by the greatest playwright of all time?
What’s in store
According to the Marvel website, “William Shakespeare’s Avengers: The Complete Works” reimagines all four films as plays by the Bard of Avon, complete with authentic metre and verse, stage directions, and entertaining Easter eggs. Fans will also experience their favourite scenes, characters, and lines in a new way, through monologues and dialogue by everyone from Captain America to Groot (Tis !!).
Written by lan Doescher, the author of “William Shakespeare’s Star Wars”, the book will feature a two column layout and dozens of full-colour illustrations capturing the iconic moments of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Who was William Shakespeare?
Born on April 23, 1564 Shakespeare was the son of a glove maker in Stratford upon-Avon. A small-town boy with only secondary school education, he grew up to become the greatest English-language playwright in the world. Love him or hate him, you just cannot ignore Shakespeare. His works have been admired by the world for hundreds of years and are part of the school curriculum.
And even though, the young minds might struggle to comprehend his Victorian English, Shakespeare’s stories continue to move us and remain relevant even today.
His life and achievements
Shakespeare had a successful career in London as an actor. writer. He was also part-owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later known as the King’s Men.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories. He devoted the latter half of his career to writing tragedies. Some of his notable works are “Hamlet” “Romeo and Juliet “Othello”, “King Lear and “Macbeth”. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies.
A man of mystery
For a man who was so prolific with his pen.
Shakespeare did not leave much evidence of his life. No one knows for sure whether Shakespeare is one person or a group of writers using the name collectively. Nobody even knows if that’s how Shakespeare spelled his name: the only surviving examples of his handwriting are six signatures spelled in different ways. He is believed to have died at the age of 52 on April 23 1616.
OH REALLY?
- Shakespeare wrote around 37 plays for the theatre and over 150 poems! But the exact number is unknown.
- In the latter part of the 16th Century, Shakespeare disappeared from records for a few years! Historians often refer to this part of the writers life as the lost years.
- Plays in Shakespeare’s time were different from the ones we have today. There were no female actors. If the audiences didn’t like the performance, they would boo and even throw food at the actors.
Picture Credit : Google
