Okay, let's talk Shakespeare...

[GregX]

Arguably the greatest writer who ever lived. All of our genius writers today steal from him, and for good reason. The Bard was bloody brilliant.

So, what do you love about him? What's your favorite of his plays? Which of his numerous legendary characters are your favorites?

I started the thread, so I'll go first.

My all time favorite character in Shakespeare's plays has to be Tamora, the queen of the Goths. She was the villain in "Titus Andronicus" and, may I say, what a villain. I first saw her when I saw "Titus" performed at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival way back in 1999. She was portrayed by a brilliant actress named Nance Hendrickson. Later that year, I got to see Jessica Lange play her in Julie Taymor's excellent film adaption. The character of Tamora definitely left an impression on me, and I have my own plans to steal this character for my own work. Hey, talent borrows, genius steals

I know a lot of Shakespeare scholars are not big on "Titus," but I thought it was brilliant. I love it. But, it's not my favorite of his plays. That honor goes to "Othello." I love that play, and I love how manipulative Iago is in it. Kenneth Branaugh's film adaptation is wonderful to watch.

Now, I'll admit right off the bat. I hate the way Shakespeare is taught in schools. I think the easiest way to turn people off is to force them to read Shakespeare. That's like telling them to read the script for movies instead of actually watching the movie. Shakespeare's plays are meant to be watched performed. Not read.

His stories are genius and were designed to be performed by actors capable of taking his work and making you feel it. There is nothing better than an electrifying performance from an actor performing Shakespeare.

[Hanshotfirst113]

Hamlet. One of the most psychologically complex masterpieces in the English language. And I agree about the teaching. Watching a great actor take on the Bard and seeing a great film adaptation is really illuminating (and really, Mel Gibson's take on the melancholy Dane is actually much better than many people would suggest), as is watching someone with real classical training (Branagh's Henry V is probably my favorite, and the Crispin's Day speech is still one of the best of all time, curbed in everything from Braveheart to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), but Iago and Richard III (see McKellen's mesmerizing performance in Richard Loncraine's twisted adaptation to see some of the best acting you will ever witness). I don't think that the English language will ever see another like him. My professor instilled a great love of the Bard in me in college, and I'm forever grateful.

[IDistractedYou]

I have only seen two of the Bard's plays performed live, As You Like It and Romeo and Juliet. But I totally agree seeing them performed live is the way to see it. Even if the dialect is old English seeing it performed by talented actors conveys the meaning of the dialogue perfectly. I'm looking forward to seeing Macbeth this fall with my best friend.

I'm not sure if this counts but I have seen the Entire Works of William Shakespeare Abridged. (Three Hours and it had everything)

[JRP82190]

Didn't he get most of his Ideas from Greek tragedy's?

I'm not going to deny his importance as a writer and I'll be the first to say he's got a lot of great ideas but I have never liked any of his play's it doesn't help that I've been forced to read a few of them (Macbeth&Romeo and Juliet) but even watching them i can't stand I don't like his use of language

[thedanmachine]

Love Othello for the characters mainly. (I saw it performed and the guy who played Iago was downright evil. it was spectacular)
I like Midsummer Nights Dream, King Lear, and Romeo and Juliet, mainly because Ive been in productions of all three (Oberon and Quince, Lear, and Mercutio respectively)
Much Ado About Nothing is okay. Its kind of annoying and I dont really like any of the characters.
And Macbeth is just epic to me. I watched Ian Mckellan as Macbeth and it was awesome.

[Damien]

"Titus Andronicus" and "Romeo and Juliet" are awesome. "Hamlet" is also good. "Measure for Measure" is pretty funny. Wasn't a big fan of other bigs like "Othello" or "Macbeth".

[StormBlue]

To throw another play or two out there...

Twelfth Night. My AP English teacher was shocked at the fact that by 11th grade we hadn't seen a Shakespearean play so she arranged a field trip to USC (South Carolina) to see the play performed at the campus theater. It was definitely a eye-opening experience. It enhances the written material exponentially.

Macbeth is another great one to read and see, especially on All Hallows Eve. Three friends, my roommate, and I drove 200+ miles to Atlanta to see it performed at a Shakespeare theater in the city (I'm forgetting the name of the playhouse) and it was lots of fun.

[Brandon Pierce]

I think Julius Caesar was probably his best. Somehow it's overshadowed by his other work like Romeo & Juliet. I always saw it like an early crime drama.

"If I were but a man with wings, I would be a fish!"-- Ryan Stiles

[GregX]

Didn't he get most of his Ideas from Greek tragedy's?

I'm not going to deny his importance as a writer and I'll be the first to say he's got a lot of great ideas but I have never liked any of his play's it doesn't help that I've been forced to read a few of them (Macbeth&Romeo and Juliet) but even watching them i can't stand I don't like his use of language

That's just sad.

[JRP82190]

That's just sad.

I don't like Shakespeare so I'm sad?

[GregX]

I don't like Shakespeare so I'm sad?

I think it's sad that haters go on and on about the "language." That's old English, you know. Shakespeare used it wonderfully, and had great stories that everyone steals from to this very day.

You can't appreciate what's out today if you don't appreciate what came before.

Also your point about him getting some ideas from Greek tragedy is not really a point at all. Ever heard the phrase, "talent borrows, genius steals?" And even if not, everyone gets their ideas from elseware. Everyone.

But, honestly, I think it's sad when people aren't culturally enlightened enough to appreciate it.

[Delthayre]

That's old English...

In the spirit of linguistic pedantry, I must correct your assertion. Shakespeare wrote in Early Modern English; Old English is something rather older.

[Cortez2301]

I have only read Julius Ceaser and Twelfth Night.I really liked Julius Caesar.It gathered up all the mythology and politics the Romans used and was brilliantly well written.

[GregX]

In the spirit of linguistic pedantry, I must correct your assertion. Shakespeare wrote in Early Modern English; Old English is something rather older.

Well, yeah... sorry, I just woke up.

[Harlan_Phoenix]

It saddens me that I can never see these performed or really get a hold of the plays (for various reasons), because I actually enjoy reading them and would love to see them performed. Call it cliche, but I'm rather fond of Romeo and Juliet, although MacBeth was damn sweet as well.

One of these days I need to get one of those big one volume collections of his work.

[The Irishman]

Now, I'll admit right off the bat. I hate the way Shakespeare is taught in schools. I think the easiest way to turn people off is to force them to read Shakespeare. That's like telling them to read the script for movies instead of actually watching the movie. Shakespeare's plays are meant to be watched performed. Not read.

I'll give you that. Pretty much all of my experience with Shakespeare has been in secondary school; and I pretty much hated it at the time, now that I'm a bit older and wiser, I can appreciate that they are decent stories. A quick run-down on what I know:

Romeo & Juliet: Possibly one of the most well known love stories out there (as well as the most parodied). I guess the focus of the whole story is how petty fighting can ruin people's lives in ways they can't imagine. Probably Shakespeare's greatest romantic tragedy.

Julius Caesar: This is a fairly straight forward play, and there's nothing that I particularly remember about it except the line "Et to Brute?".

The Merchant of Venice: A kind of tragi-comedy of sorts. It's a very straightforward story, but it's also a very revealing social commentary of the day. The main characters are all fairly normal people, but it's the plot itself that is the most interesting; revolving around said merchant and his troubles. The immortal character Shylock is perhaps one of the only antagonists who I have had sympathy for. Now, that doesn't say that Shakespeare is anti-Semetic, he is merely reflecting the opinions and attitudes of the day. The games that Portia's father plays on his daughter's potential suitors is perhaps a good lesson in he shallowness of life and how to avoid it.

Macbeth: One of Shakespeare's most complicated plays that still resonates in society today. The story of a king who is seduced into murder and madness by three witches is one of the greatest commentaries on the weakness of man in general and his willingness to obtain power at all costs. It makes me wonder how Shakespeare would view the modern corporate culture where similar activities (not murder of course) occur every day. One can't help but feel sorry for Macbeth at the end as his lust for glory and power eventually hands him his comeuppance. The superstitions surrounding the play only adds to it's mystique and popularity.

I probably should get some of the other plays though, just so I can say I've read them.

[Classic Speedy]

Agreed, Shakespeare's plays are meant to be seen, not read. You don't get any of the over-the-top acting that emphasizes certain words in a sentence, whether for comic effect or dramatic intensity. Not to mention the poetic dialog flows a lot better when spoken aloud by pros.

I mean, I really enjoyed seeing A Midsummer Night's Dream live, but I can't imagine reading it. I don't think it would have the same effect.

[mookie75]

In the spirit of linguistic pedantry, I must correct your assertion. Shakespeare wrote in Early Modern English; Old English is something rather older.

Awww, you beat me to it. I was all ready to flex my English Major muscles.

Yes, Old English is the language of stories like Beowulf. As seen in this picture of the first page of the Beowulf manuscript:



In its early forms, the Old English language was comprised of symbols and wouldn't even be readable to the average Modern English speaking person. I believe the picture above is from a time after the Latin alphabet was adopted, but it still looks pretty foreign to me.

Middle English came next and the most commonly known work in this language is probably Geoffrey Chaucer's The Cantebury Tales. As we can see in the quote below, it was a step in the right direction, but still fairly unreadable in its earlier forms:

Whan þat Aprill with his shoures soteÞe droghte of Marche haþ perced to the rote,And baðed euery veyne in swich licour,Of which vertu engendred is þe flour;Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeþInspired haþ in euery holt and heeþÞe tendre croppes, and the yonge sonneHaþ in the Ram his halfe course yronne,And smale fowles maken melodye,That slepen al the niȝt with open ye—So prikeþ hem Nature in hir corages—Þan longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,To ferne halwes, couthe in sondry londes;And specially, from euery shires endeOf Engelond to Caunterbury þey wende,The holy blissful martir for to seke,Þat hem haþ holpen, whan þat þey were seke.

To be honest, I hadn't heard the term "Early Modern English" before today. Back when I was in college (a good 10 years ago), we were still corrected if we claimed that Shakespeare was written in Old English, but I recall being told that it was Middle English. Is this a relatively new distinction? I suppose it makes sense since even a modern translation of Chaucer is still a little more difficult to read than old Bill Shakespeare's work.

[Rolling Cloud]

But, honestly, I think it's sad when people aren't culturally enlightened enough to appreciate it.

I'd appreciate Shakespeare if I wasn't forced to read it for school assignments. >_>

[Harlan_Phoenix]

I'd appreciate Shakespeare if I wasn't forced to read it for school assignments. >_>

I say take some time when you're not FORCED to read it and try to look at it again and see if your opinion changes.