'My first memory of Shakespeare, apart from being given his "Complete Works" at the age of five, was failing to get the part of Bottom in the school production of "A Midsummer Night’s Dream". I was given the part of Peter Quince and felt very miffed. I thought that I was already like Peter Quince and playing Bottom would have been my chance to be a bigger, funnier, more annoying and touching character than I was in real life. I think that Shakespeare’s ability to create these timeless characters that we can laugh at, fall in love with, despair of, edge towards madness with is one of his enduring fascinations. Sharing Shakespeare’s rich cast with children, through my books and through events, is a delight. To watch another generation catch the Shakespeare bug and bring his plays alive in their own particular way is truly inspirational!'

 

Image credit

The magical world of 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' created by Marcia Williams, with central characters the Fairy Queen Titania and Bottom

Cover © 1998 Marcia Williams

'TALES FROM SHAKESPEARE' by Marcia Williams

Reproduced by permission of Walker Books Ltd, London SE11 5HJ www.walker.co.uk

 

Scroll down to see a portrait of Marcia Williams

Image credit

Marcia Williams, author and illustrator