Understand Shakespeare, beat-for-beat.

A modern English retelling in matching verse: rhythm preserved, meaning revealed.

Feel the heartbeat
Grasp the line
Original
To be, or not to be? That is the question.
Shakespeare Retold
Shall I live on, or take my life? I wonder.
Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 1
Original
The quality of mercy is not strained.
Shakespeare Retold
It's effortless performing acts of mercy.
The Merchant of Venice, Act 4 Scene 1
Original
The robbed that smiles steals something from the thief.
Shakespeare Retold
If, when you're robbed, you smile, the crime's diminished.
Othello, Act 1 Scene 3
Original
For loan oft loses both itself and friend.
Shakespeare Retold
For you may lose the money and a friend.
Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 3
Original
He bears him like a portly gentleman.
Shakespeare Retold
He holds himself with dignity and manners.
Romeo and Juliet, Act 1 Scene 5
Original
Affliction is enamoured of thy parts.
Shakespeare Retold
Misfortune is a quality of yours.
Romeo and Juliet, Act 3 Scene 3
Original
There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Shakespeare Retold
The strength of men can ebb and flow, like tides do.
Julius Caesar, Act 4 Scene 3
Original
The world is still deceived with ornament.
Shakespeare Retold
Most folk can be deceived when things look flashy.
The Merchant of Venice, Act 3 Scene 2

Shakespeare's greatest plays, retold line by line – with study guides to every character, theme and scene. Free to read here, or buy a book.

"A dazzling success." – Stephen Fry

Tragedies

Hamlet Macbeth Romeo and Juliet Othello Julius Caesar
King Lear

Comedies

Twelfth Night The Merchant of Venice
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Much Ado About Nothing
The Tempest
The Taming of the Shrew

Histories

Henry V Richard III

Sonnets

Shakespeare's Sonnets

Meet the author

James Anthony

Award-winning author James Anthony has spent a decade meticulously retelling Shakespeare. His debut book, Shakespeare's Sonnets, Retold, was published by Penguin Random House in 2018. With a broad creative portfolio, James has presented globally, including at Stratford Literary Festival, New York Shakespeare Exchange, and on BBC radio.

More about James →

FAQs

  • For students: Read original and modern verse side by side, then deepen with character profiles, theme analysis, and key quotes from each play hub.

    For teachers: Unlock comprehension in class without losing the rhythm — every play includes plot summaries, scene analyses, and ready-to-use study questions.

    For actors and performers: Scan, breathe, and find the beat exactly as Shakespeare wrote it — the matching verse preserves every iambic structure.

  • Yes — for GCSEs, A-levels, AP, IB, and any close-reading exam where understanding Shakespeare's text matters. Each play includes scene-by-scene summaries, character profiles, theme analysis, and key quotes with study prompts. The line-by-line layout makes it easy to revise specific passages, and the matching verse helps you remember the rhythm of quotes you'll need to recall under pressure.

  • Every original line is preserved exactly as Shakespeare wrote it. The retelling sits beside each line in matching verse — the same number of beats, the same iambic rhythm, the same dramatic shape. Nothing is paraphrased loosely; every line earns its place. The result is a parallel reading: Shakespeare's words on top, plain modern English beneath, both moving to the same heartbeat.

  • Most modern versions of Shakespeare are prose paraphrases — useful for understanding the meaning, but the poetry is lost. Shakespeare Retold is the only line-by-line retelling written in matching iambic verse, so the rhythm of the original is preserved beside its modern translation. You don't have to choose between meaning and music. You get both.

  • Yes, every published play is free to read on this site, supported by ads. And if you'd like a permanent, beautifully designed copy on your shelf, the books are available in print and eBook from major retailers. Two ways to read, both giving you the same matching verse.

  • Every line of the retelling has been meticulously written by James Anthony, working through Shakespeare's plays line by line to find modern verse that matches each original beat.

    The supporting study materials — character profiles, themes, scene analyses, imagery — are AI-assisted under his editorial direction, designed to make Shakespeare Retold a comprehensive learning resource alongside his self-crafted retellings.

    Read more about James Anthony here.

Paapa Essiedu
Every actor would benefit from these compelling translations.
— PAAPA ESSIEDU, actor
Played Hamlet for The Royal Shakespeare Company
Stephen Fry
Schools and colleges will stamp and cheer with unrestrained gratitude and delight.
— STEPHEN FRY, actor & writer
Played Malvolio for Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

What readers are saying – live Amazon reviews: