This book does reproduce the main incidents in the play (re-ordering them chronologically) and shortens and simplifies key speeches whilst retaining some of their flavour. However, the device it employs to retell the story: a male narrator - a servant of Antony; skewers the play in favour of Antony's narrative and marginalises his Eqyptian Queen. As a result, much of the play's magic and energy is lost. She is, after all, the most exciting character in Shakespeare's original. By the time it starts, Antony has already effectively 'lost it' and declines throughout, speaking pompously and making one futile gesture after another, so it's a mistake to focus on him.Also, Enobarbus is written out of the story. An understandable decision, it nevertheless takes away any sense of the impact that Antony and Cleopatra's obsessive love had on their followers and subjects.In this series, Macbeth and A Midsummer's Night's Dream are much better. Usborne Young readers also publish an excellent biography of Cleopatra for young readers and listeners, in story form, which will tell you much more about Cleopatra and her times and set the imagination racing. It will also give you readers enough facts about her life to help them cope with the plot of 'Antony and Cleopatra'.