# The best Shakespeare play **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 10, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-shakespeare-play/563620 "2010-12-10T03:09:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-shakespeare-play/563620/61 "2011-02-15T00:29:56Z")
_The Twelfth Night_ is a personal favorite, & very funny. Some scholars assert that _The Tempest_ contains a role Shakespeare crafted to play **himself** : Duke Prospero, the Wizard. In Prospero, we see a glimps of Shakespeare the man. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-shakespeare-play/563620/62 "2011-02-15T01:51:04Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > **King Lear**. I can’t help but love it the most. > > By the way, I hope all you Shakespeare fans are familiar with the Canadian TV series [_Slings and Arrows_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slings_and_Arrows). It’s an awesome show! My kind of dark humor. I voted Lear, too. The Scottish play and Richard III come close, but just miss for me. Richard in particular - pure Tudor propaganda. Blerg. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-shakespeare-play/563620/63 "2011-02-15T03:02:49Z")
I still love Romeo and Juliet. I’ve read over half of his plays, but R&J really stand out for the minimum of expository speeches that just explain what’s going on. Most of the writing is just poetry about the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-shakespeare-play/563620/64 "2011-02-15T06:20:41Z")
> [@](#): > > Some scholars assert that The Tempest contains a role Shakespeare crafted to play himself: Duke Prospero, the Wizard. In Prospero, we see a glimps of Shakespeare the man. I’ve heard the same said of Lear’s Fool. Who, interestingly enough, is my second-favorite Shakespearean character. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-shakespeare-play/563620/65 "2011-02-15T15:30:57Z")
> [@Dr.Rieux](#): > > The five most overrated Shakespeare plays: > > _The Tempest > Macbeth > A Midsummer Night’s Dream > Henry V > As You Like It_ > > The five most underrated Shakespeare plays: > _Measure for Measure > Richard II > Coriolanus > Henry IV, Part 2 > Antony and Cleopatra_ Thank you so much for clearing that up. I was under the mistaken impression that MacBeth and Dream were my favorites, but now I see clearly that I’m just an overrater, or a victim of overraters. I shall strive to do better in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-shakespeare-play/563620/66 "2011-02-15T18:38:55Z")
I like his tragedies which is why I voted for Hamlet, but also Mac Beth is up there aswell. Not into his comedies. ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-shakespeare-play/563620/67 "2011-02-16T14:53:35Z")
I voted for the melancholy Dane, because it justs holds up so well, but I love the comedic romps, the dark twisted Scottish play, and Richard III is just so awesome. Hmm. I even worked with a boyfriend who had a part in Merchant of Venice and by the end he loved the work of Shakespeare too. He really was not excited about the play at all in the begining then we worked the script and I showed him the fun ole Bill had with words. Damn I love Shakespeare. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-shakespeare-play/563620.md?page=3)