Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

Shakespeare's 400-year-old language can be tough to understand...but, with Shakespeare Retold, it's easy

Written line-by-line in the same iambic pentameter versification of the originals, it offers a contemporary interpretation of the Bard's lines in the same form and pacing.

Quickly understand each character, each plot twist, each convoluted phrase, each befuddling reference. Never get stuck on Shakespeare's language again A perfect guide for actors, students and the inquisitive, Shakespeare Retold breathes new life into the most intoxicating, beguiling and often frustrating words in the English language.

If music be the food of love, play on;

If music is the fuel of love, play on

Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,

Play tunes aplenty till I've heard too much,

The appetite may sicken, and so die.

And then these pangs will pale and fade away.

That strain again it had a dying fall.

Play that refrain again; I found it haunting.

Schools and colleges will stamp and cheer with unrestrained gratitude and delight. - STEPHEN FRY

Tackling Hamlet for The Royal Shakespeare Company is arguably the most daunting role for any actor. For me, learning the words was the easy part; interpreting the nuances of the language and breathing life into the performance was brutally tough. James Anthony's Shakespeare, Retold would have helped me immensely. For every line, I'd have had a lyrically identical modern-day translation that I precisely understood, helping reveal the emphasis and punch of each moment of my stage performance. Every actor would benefit from this compelling translation. - PAAPA ESSIEDU

At the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, Peter Holland is the McMeel Family Professor of Shakespeare Studies. He was President of the Shakespeare Association of America (2007-8) and Director of the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon (1997-2002).