William Shakespeare's "Star Wars"

I know what you're thinking: "Dude, what the hell are you talking about?"

Don't worry, I'll explain. And I'll start with this--you never know what you'll find at the library.

On a recent trip there, I was wandering the stacks and I came across a book by Ian Doescher called William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily A New Hope. I thought, "That's interesting."

Written in iambic pentameter (IP), Doescher's book tells the story of the first* Star Wars movie in the style of a Shakespearean play. Nothing is left out, from the first scene, where the chorus takes over for the famous scroll of the movie, to the last, where the chorus wraps everything up. It's a perfect recreation, beat by beat.

The dialog is also of Shakespeare's day. As a result, there are a lot of words, such as "thou", "thee", and even "verily" itself, that aren't used in our times. Sentence structure is also a bit different, partly because IP requires a very specific pattern of syllables. If you are unfamiliar with Shakespeare and/or Star Wars, these may make it a little more difficult to read. But you can still get the idea, and be entertained.

As the story goes along, there are opportunities to really get into what characters are thinking. These are done, as the stage directions call them, with "Asides". Here, the character breaks out of the action and talks directly to the audience. One of my favorite asides actually addresses the infamous, and never-ending,  controversy of  "Who Shot First?" As Greedo lies dead, Han says, "And whether I shot first, I'll ne'er confess!"

While most of R2-D2's dialog are whoops, beeps, and other usual R2 sounds, even he gets asides in plain English, such as this one as he moves away from C3PO after landing on Tatooine. He says:

Now I shall leave his company awhile--
Belike my absence shall alleviate
His obstinate resolve, and teach him thoughts
Of kindness, care, and good humility.

Actually, all of the best asides, from the Rebel side of things, anyway, show annoyance with C3PO. There's a lot of comedy in that.

The very idea of Star Wars getting Shakespearean treatment actually makes sense. It really is a Shakespearean story. As Doescher writes in the afterward, relationships like Vader/Skywalker are very reminiscent of those in Macbeth or The Tempest; similarly, Obi-Wan brings to mind Prospero or King Hamlet (before or after death, respectively.) The same goes for the themes of destiny and fate, as in A Midsummer's Nights Dream or Romeo and Juliet.

As one who enjoys both Star Wars and Shakespeare's plays--not the sonnets, just the plays--but who is by no means an expert in either, I like this book, and the idea of it. Will and George's work are a great combination.



* Just in case there's any non-Star Wars people reading, "first" refers to the first movie produced and released. In the overall chronological story arc, this is actually the fourth movie.