ged ies , ▁you ▁have ▁a ▁very ▁strong ▁story ▁going ▁straight ▁through , ▁sust ained ▁by ▁the ▁protagon ist . ▁In ▁the ▁com ed ies , ▁the ▁structure ▁is ▁much ▁more ▁complex ." ▁Gar field ▁compared ▁the ▁task ▁of ▁trying ▁to ▁rewrite ▁the ▁plays ▁as ▁half - hour ▁pieces ▁as ▁a kin ▁to ▁" p ain ting ▁the ▁ce iling ▁of ▁the ▁S ist ine ▁Chap el ▁on ▁a ▁post age ▁stamp ." ▁To ▁maintain ▁narr ative ▁integrity , ▁Gar field ▁added ▁non - Sh akespe are an ▁voice - over ▁narr ation ▁to ▁each ▁episode , ▁which ▁would ▁usually ▁introduce ▁the ▁episode ▁and ▁then ▁fill ▁in ▁any ▁plot ▁points ▁ski pped ▁over ▁by ▁the ▁dialog ue . ▁The ▁use ▁of ▁a ▁narr ator ▁was ▁also ▁employed ▁by ▁Charles ▁Lamb ▁and ▁Mary ▁Lamb ▁in ▁their ▁own ▁pro se ▁versions ▁of ▁Shakespeare ' s ▁plays ▁for ▁children , ▁T ales ▁from ▁Shakespeare , ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 8 0 7 , ▁to ▁which ▁Gar field ' s ▁work ▁is ▁often ▁compared . ▁However , ▁f idel ity ▁to ▁the ▁original ▁texts ▁was ▁param ount ▁in ▁the ▁minds ▁of ▁the ▁cre ators ▁as ▁the ▁episodes ▁sought ▁" to ▁educ ate ▁their ▁audience ▁into ▁an ▁appreci ation ▁and ▁love ▁of ▁Shakespeare , ▁out ▁of ▁a ▁conv iction ▁of ▁Shakespeare ▁as ▁a ▁cultural ▁artifact ▁available ▁to ▁all , ▁not ▁restricted ▁to ▁a ▁narrow ly ▁defined ▁form ▁of ▁performance . ▁Screen ed ▁in ▁do z ens ▁of ▁countries , ▁The ▁Anim ated ▁T ales ▁is ▁Shakespeare ▁as ▁cultural