Introduction
Shakespeare Retold is a series of ten stories written by well-known children’s authors. Each story is inspired by or based on a play by William Shakespeare. These are not straight retellings but stories with a spin, told only the way each individual author could tell them. Some are closer to the original play than others. The stories are intended as a very light introduction to some of the characters and themes found in Shakespeare’s plays and have been written to appeal to children at KS2.
King Lear: A Tragedy in 5 Acts. audio
A fun and irreverent retelling of King Lear that centres on Lear and his daughters. Written by Andy Stanton and read by Simon Callow.
Macdeath. audio
A story inspired by Macbeth, written by Pamela Butchart and read by Shirley Henderson
The Tempest: The Isle of Noises. audio
A Frank Cottrell-Boyce story inspired by The Tempest. Read by Julian Rhind-Tutt.
The Taming of the Kat Dog. audio
A Gareth P Jones story inspired by The Taming of the Shrew. Read by Verity-May Henry.
Hamlet Lives Forever. audio
A story inspired by Hamlet, written by Horatio Clare and read by Julian Rhind-Tutt.
A Midsummer Camp's Dream. audio
Laura Dockrill retells the story of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Read by Shirley Henderson.
Henry V - A Soldier’s Tale. audio
A short story inspired by Henry V written by Geraldine McCaughrean. Read by David Gyasi.
Romeo v Juliet. audio
A Chris Priestley story inspired by Romeo and Juliet. Read by Sarah Macdonald Hughes.
All for a pound of flesh. audio
A short story by Jamila Gavin, inspired by The Merchant of Venice. Read by Jez Edwards.
