All the World's a Grave: A New Play by William Shakespeare

By John Reed and William Shakespeare

An epic tragedy of love, war, murder, and madness, plucked from the pages of Shakespeare In All the World's a Grave , John Reed reconstructs the works of William Shakespeare into a new five-act tragedy. The language is Shakespeare's, but the drama that unfolds is as fresh as the blood on the stage. Prince Hamlet goes to war for Juliet, the daughter of King Lear. Having captured Juliet as his bride--by reckless war--he returns home to find that his mother has murdered his father and married Macbeth. Enter Iago, who persuades Hamlet that Juliet is having an affair with Romeo. As the Prince goes mad with jealousy, King Lear mounts his army. . . This play promises to be the most provocative and entertaining work to be added to the Shakespeare canon since Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead .

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452289866
• ISBN13: 9780452289864
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Penguin Adult Hc/Tr
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.1" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Shakespeare gets a remix

This is equal parts collage-art genius and Shakespeare refresher course. I can't tell you how strange and fun it is to see familiar lines re-cast in new scenes and in the mouths of new characters -- you really do have to experience this for yourself. Its proof that ripping apart the canon and reconstituting it into something new is an entirely worthwhile endeavor, one that can yield surprising results. I also saw an actors' reading from this and would recommend it to theater groups looking for a new way to do Shakespeare.

All The World's A Grave

John Reed achieves something extraordinary in "All The World's A Grave". It's an ambitious piece of work, but he manages to pull it off. The writing is darkly addictive, humorous, and blunt. I read every word with admiration and pleasure.

Shakespeare 08

The last time anyone at a party could say, "Have you read the new Shakespeare?" was before the piano was invented. And now we're seeing just that on our Kindle's over four hundred years later. I'm more of a person who knows people who love Shakespeare. What I liked about ATWAG was that it was accessible for me too. I'm not Shakespeare scholar and didn't feel I needed to be to enjoy it. I loved the witty plot and got the humor. And it was fun knowing that this book was crafted in the tradition and structure of Shakespeare's other works and yet not exactly written by him. All together it was a great experience and a highly recommended read (Reed). And of course, it's a perfect gift for all my wonderful Shakespeare nerd friends.

Shakespeare Matrix

I liked watching All the World's a Grave performed as a play, at the Marble Cemetery . I began to see the Shakespeare lines as new words with complex definitions.Then, even the plot created by these combinations added layers. And the multilateral assault of life's problems on Hamlet awarded a dark satisfaction.

Thrills and Chills

Ripping yarn, ripe with tragic turns and poetic polish. A nice follow up to Snowball: cruel, unusual, and Shakespeare all over again. The spelling is updated, and the language is somehow Elizabethan, but easier.