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Post by shaxper on Apr 27, 2002 18:44:18 GMT -5
...and why?
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Abhorson
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Post by Abhorson on Apr 27, 2002 19:06:31 GMT -5
I'm not really sure that I could choose a favourite, but I enjoyed Measure for Measure greatly, as this was the first of Shakespeares works that I encountered, and also had the benefit of an excellent teacher to guide me through it.
One of the things that impressed me the most about this play was the powerful expressions that Shakespeare gives to the characters of Claudio and the Duke in their debate on life and death. The language and meaning of their respective speeches always thrills me every time I read it
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Post by Ganymede on Apr 29, 2002 17:43:22 GMT -5
I also do not have a clear-cut favorite. However I do have a list of plays that I have really connected with:
As You Like It <-- cross-dressing heroine teaches her ass of a man how to woo
Twelfth Night <-- cross-dressing heroine woos both man and woman with her special gender blend
Much Ado About Nothing <-- I absolutely adore the witty interplay between Beatrice and Benedick!
Othello <-- I've always been able to identify with the sense of naked betrayal portrayed in this play. It's complicated-- you can identify with each of the characters, even if some of them seem despicable.
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Post by Bardolph on Apr 29, 2002 17:53:18 GMT -5
The Tempest. It's not so much a matter of structure as of history. I read a book when I was about nine that quoted heavily from The Tempest. I then read the play. That was my introduction to the next thirty years of interest in the works of WS.
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MsDirector
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Post by MsDirector on Apr 29, 2002 19:45:17 GMT -5
Has to be HAMLET. I've always loved "character plays", where the action depends not so much on specific events or plot points, but more on the characters and relationships and how they revolve around each other. And, as a director, it is the psychology of the characters that fascinates me - what makes them take the paths they do. HAMLET is an incredible study of the psychology of a man. And, more than any other of his plays, it takes us into the mind of a single character and allows us to see the progression of his thoughts, actions, and even inactions. Following close behind is "TAMING OF THE SHREW" - one of the first Shakespearean plays I saw and understood, and, along with "MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING", a great study of the interplay of male and female - both with strong, intelligent, witty women who match their men word for word and wit for wit. Another favorite is "ANTHONY AND CLEOPATRA", another strong woman - more than a match for Anthony. I like "JULIUS CAESAR" as well, and always wondered what a Shakespearean version of "CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA" would have been like...  |
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Post by MelanieS on May 10, 2002 16:48:13 GMT -5
I'm afraid I'll be predictable, and say Romeo and Juliet. I was rehearsing it to myself for about 10 minutes every day, just sto stay in practice, and it moved me very much, the emotions flowed so easily... I like Taming of the Shrew up until they get married, and Merchant of venice has some very good scenes in it too, if one gets past the anti-Semitic and racist bits.  The play I definitely least like is Love's Labours Lost.  MelanieS |
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Post by shaxper on May 10, 2002 18:30:07 GMT -5
Nothing wrong with a little predictability. It wouldn't be a classic if there wasn't something very lovable about it. I haven't actually read Love's Labour Lost yet. What do you dislike so much about it?
By the way, thanks for dropping in again!
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Post by litluver on May 14, 2002 22:12:25 GMT -5
I'll have to say that Macbeth is my favorite-- Not sure if it is because it was the first play I had read and understood or is it because I can still read it and feel the same as I did then? I love the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. I could go into a long discussion on them, but since this is a Shakespeare forum-- I'm sure you know about them.  I would say my favorite "comedy" would be "Much Ado about Nothing." It is just great fun! History?-- I like Henry IV and Richard III. I read a book not long ago about Richard III that took a complete opposite view of him. I guess I am intrigued about that whole thing. Was he really like Shakespeare makes him out to be or not?? |
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Post by shaxper on May 14, 2002 22:16:52 GMT -5
I'll have to say that Macbeth is my favorite-- Not sure if it is because it was the first play I had read and understood or is it because I can still read it and feel the same as I did then? I love the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. I could go into a long discussion on them, but since this is a Shakespeare forum-- I'm sure you know about them. True, but this is a discussion forum, and so I'm sure we'd all be itching to discuss whatever aspects of Macbeth you'd like to talk about. Humor us! Ah, probably written by one of the many modern day Ricardians who constantly work to clear his name. Why don't you tell us more about it in the Plays section? |
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N.N.W
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Post by N.N.W on May 27, 2002 10:40:42 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300] Hamlet - gotta be.
Kept it as a constant standbye now for almost ten years, and everytime I pick it up, I find something new and wonderful... [/glow]
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actaeon
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Post by actaeon on Aug 6, 2002 5:13:00 GMT -5
Favourite to see: Twelfth Night.
The closest to perfection in its genre of any of the canon. Incredible funny, yet very moving (Malvolio's humiliation, Viola's loss of her brother, Antonio's unrequited love for Sebastian), a play that can be understood by a first-timer with no knowledge of Shakespeare and yet rewarding for someone who as seen it dozen times, beautiful use of language, and an incredible ratio of meaty roles to hangers-on (Viola, Olivia, Orsino, Malvolio, Toby, Andrew, Maria, Feste, etc.)
Favourite to act: Othello
Othello has to do more emotional work in the final scene than most of the tragic heroes do in an entire play. He is the only tragic hero with a great love-speech - and he has two, when he describes to the Duke how he wooed Desdemona, and when they meet on Cyprus aft3er the storm. He has to entirely convince the audience that he is convinced by Iago in the middle of the play. At the end he has to convincingly show anger, madness and love as he prepares to kill Desdemona, despair when he has done it, then find a deeper despair when Emilia reveals the truth, and then find a depth from which to find some nobility to redeem himself in the audience's eyes when he kills himself.
I have never been so tired after each performance as I was in plaing that, far more than playing Lear or Coriolanus.
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Post by shaxper on Aug 7, 2002 9:43:48 GMT -5
Absolutely! In my mind, Shakespeare's msot dramatic protagnists are Lear, Hamlet, and Othello. But much of Lear's drama comes in his madness (feigned or real), which is carried out to such an extreme that it is distanced from reality. Hamlet's drama is veiled by his own self-aware acting. His drama is far more cerebral than emotional (in keeping with a philosophical student fresh out from University). Othello's seems closest to the heart. Neither madness nor performance distance him from the present action. He must feel each moment, and that is an exhausting task to perform, as well as to witness.
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Lord3
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Post by Lord3 on Aug 7, 2002 23:06:45 GMT -5
After much deliberation, I always come back to The Winter's Tale. This was written by a man at the height of his craft and by someone who has lived a life. Tones of regret and longing that come with age are prevelent. I think this is a play that people come to as they get older because they recognize the part Time plays in everything. Act IV- the party scene in Bohemia is written with a nostalgia for lost innocence. Perdita is so unabashedly open in her youth and honesty that she can say in front of the whole gathering Like a bank for love to lie and play on. It is such a difficult scene for young people to play because, i believe, it's meant for older people.
Steadfast, true and honest characters always win me. Paulina speaks the truth in the face of tyranny. The simple shepherds speak and act the truth almost in spite of themselves. Hermione, Perdita, Camillo and, after he sees his folly, poor old Leontes who for 16 years is heartbreakingly steadfast. The first time he sees the son of his best friend says I have done sin against your father. Penitent to say the least.
And the lines. Paulina: It is required you do awake your faith. Hermione: Ye gods look down and fromyour sacred viles poor your graces upon my daughters head.
Polixenes: When at home he is all my entertainment.... (he's talking about his son) ..He makes a Julys day as short as Decembers...
There are so many.
It's sort of a rambly defence, it's been a long time since I've written a paper. I'd love to hear other peoples thoughts because I think this is considered a problem play but am not sure why. Maybe a thread would be in order.
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Post by shaxper on Aug 8, 2002 9:29:21 GMT -5
"Problem plays" are usually those that don't fit neatly into the traditional formats of Comedy and Tragedy (usually comedy), though I find that if you explore any Shakespeare play closely enough, they are all "problematic". Never easily definable. For The Winter's Tale, I believe the specific problem is that the first half is too dark and dramatic for the comic redemption we see in the second half. By "too dramatic", I mean only in the minds of the people who call it a "problem play". I think the fact that the unity of time is so extremely and consciously violated also contributes to this label.
I agree that it's a fantastic play, though I need to read it again, and closer as well.
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Post by MarchingTwinkie3 on May 16, 2004 16:52:49 GMT -5
Well, I'm 14 and I've only read six plays so far. All tragedies, too! But, there were a couple that I liked more the the others. Julius Caesar-We had to read it in class this year, and I thought I was going to hate it. It was just the opposite. We only read the first three acts in school because my teacher thought the rest was boring (of course, my favourite scene is in act four). Anyways, I bought my own copy and finished it. Why do I like it? Two reasons: Brutus and Cassius. I just think they're really cool, and I really like the dialogue, attitudes, and relationship between the two. I've fallen madly in love with Cassius... Hamlet-How predictable... Maybe I like it so much because I often wonder "To be or not to be." I kind of feel like I can really relate to him. King Lear-It's been a year since I've laid eyes on it, as I lack a copy, but I thought it was beautiful. Very powerful. It also bears a strange similarity to an incident in marching band this year. Yeah. I'm off. Maybe I'll read a comedy... |
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