'Stay at home' comic strip adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedies has netizens laughing 

A new hilarious comic strip on Shakespeare’s classic tragedies is making rounds on social media as it tickles the Internet. Amid the coronavirus pandemic that is keeping the world at home, the comic strip sheds interesting light on the possible fate of Shakespeare heroes like Julius Caesar, Romeo, Hamlet, and Othello if they had just stayed at home.

The caricature, originally designed by author and a former library cataloguer Mya Lixian Gosling, is a stick-figure Shakespeare webcomic spin to COVID-19 pandemic that has got the literature buffs on the internet laughing out loud. 

Take a look at the comic strip here:

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Shakespeare Characters in Quarantine

In the caricature, Macbeth is left baffled as King Duncan has refused to step out and is probably quarantining at home. He tells Lady Macbeth, “It turns out Duncan does not come here tonight,” to which Lady Macbeth replies, “So much for that idea”. While Duncan spends time with his family at home, the tragedy of his planned murder takes a spin.

Julius Caesar, on the other hand, has heeded the warnings of 'Don't go to the Capitol!', citing a prohibition on the non-essential movement during the outbreak. He is quoted as saying “It’s not the grocery shopping day yet”, foiling the conspirators’ plans of his assassination as he decides to stay at home in order to avoid catching the infection. Not just that, his 'honourable' friend Brutus in this comic strip world would have been rightfully banished for coming too close to Caesar not maintaining the 6 feet/2 meters social distancing orders. 

Also, to every Othello fan's relief, the Moorish Captain's tragic fate is averted when Desdemona points out that she couldn't have had an affair with Cassio because she hasn't left the house in two weeks. Let's just say the pandemic gave these star crossed lovers their happily ever after. 

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What happened to Romeo & Juliet?

On the other hand, the Capulets in the comic strip seem to have cancelled the masquerade party, an old accustomed feast held in Verona, to avoid a large gathering of people. The Montague boy, Romeo, steers the course of the tragic fate as Juliet breaks the news to him from the balcony, maintaining a safe social distance.

While Count Paris, who would have used the feast for match-making with Juliet, now has to avoid socialising until further notice and has to wait for when the lockdown might be lifted in phases in Verona, northern Italy, the epicenter of the outbreak.

Many such plots in comic strip including King Lear, Hamlet, Antony & Cleopatra see an interesting twist with lead roles following the social distancing and home quarantine measure owing to the COVID-19 outbreak. Netizens are sharing the comic to encourage people to stay home, in order to stay safe and avoid the ill fate of the tragic heroes in Shakespeare’s dramaturgy who stepped out when they probably shouldn't have.  

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Read: 62 New Coronavirus Cases In MP, Tally 532