In my Shakespeare class, we are trying to vote on whish play to go over next. I’m already familiar with plays such as “Romeo and Juliet” (who isn’t?), “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “Othello”, “Macbeth”, “Julius Caeser”, “Hamlet” and " Taming of the Shrew".
I’m thinking I’d be more interested in comdies and tragedies than romances and histories.
The following is a list of specific plays I have done some research on. If anyone has read them, I’d like to hear what you thought of them - characters, plot formation- anything.
[ul]
[li]Titus Andronicus[/li][li]Much Ado About Nothing[/li][li]Comedy of Errors[/li][li]Twelfth Night[/li][li]Measure for Measure[/li][li]Merchant of Venice[/li][li]The Merry Wives of Windsor[/li][/ul]
Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night and Merry Wives are extremely lightweight, with plot devices (miscommunications, disguises, etc.) that would make Sherwood Schwartz roll his eyes.
What are you looking for in a ‘play to go over’? What’s the focus of your class?
Merchant is an interesting play, but, of course, you have to get past the anti-Jewish prejudice. An easy way to do that is to read Marlowe’s Jew of Venice, and you appreciate just how rich, human, and sympathizable Shakespeare really made Shylock.
Titus and Much Ado are fun in completely different ways. I never liked studying Comedy of Errors or Merchant. But that might have been me. If you’re willing to look for it (or if you’re made to look for it) there’s very much more to Twelfth Night than there appears to be at first glance. You can stop at the farce - but there are good reasons not to do so. I’d recommend voting for that.
Richard III- you have to love a villain whose described as a “bottled spider”, “servant of hell”, and “crooked toad” (and that’s just by his Mama), then there’s the insanely bitter Margaret of Angou roaming around in the background and it ends as it should with a pile of bodies on the floor and some ghosts.
See the movies “SEARCHING FOR RICHARD” (Al Pacino), RICHARD III (Ian McKellen’s version- it’s set in a 1930s alterniverse and is much more effective a transplant than the DiCaprio R&J), and Lawrence Olivier’s version from the 1940s for real contrast in styles.
Richard III is a lot of fun, and Henry IV is fun in a completely different but still intriguing way. I’ve never read a Shakespearean comedy that I didn’t find tiresome–definitely not a farce fan.
I really like “Twelfth Night” and “Much Ado.” Both extremely fun shows. And “Titus” is good, too, but in a creepy-disturbing-gory way.
And of all of them, I’d say my favourite is . . . “Much Ado.” Watch the Kenneth Branagh movie. That will pretty much give you an idea of what it is – follows the original script fairly faithfully.
Shakespeare wrote Titus to draw audiences-- he was competing with the likes of Kit Marlowe for box office, and Marlowe could really lay 'em down. The gorier the better. So if you want to see what Shakespeare would do to make a buck, pick Titus. It’s still over the top today, where a body count of hundreds raises nary an eyebrow.
IIRC, Measure for Measure is only just barely a comedy. It’s pretty deep and dark, but it end with a wedding, so it’s a comedy. I have to say, though, it’s been over a decade since I read it.
I second the vote for Richard III, and for Ian McKellan’s rendition.
Much Ado is my favourite Shakespeare comedy, with the ongoing battle between Benedict and Beatrice - much more realistic and fun than, say, Petruchio and Kate.
“Oh, that I were a man, I would eat his heart in the marketplace!”
I’d just be afraid that by studying it, you lose the lightness (my usual complaint about studying comedies.)
Titus Andronicus – Very much a love-it-or-hate-it play. If you liked the film, go for it. (Be advised, however, that it’s very dense linguistically – lots of long speeches and mythological allusions – but you’ve got to love a play with the stage direction “Enter a messenger with two heads and a hand.”)
Much Ado About Nothing – Fun. Easy reading, and probably the most accessible of the comedies for a twenty-first century audience, since the lovers actually seem suited for one another, and there’s nothing that jars too much against modern sensibilities.
Comedy of Errors – The shortest of Shakespeare’s plays (not that this should be your only consideration, but some of your classmates may be pleased to hear it). Lots of slapstick. Based on a Roman comedy, The Menaechmi, which might also be fun to read in class.
Twelfth Night – Also fun, a little darker than Much Ado but still has plenty of slapstick moments. Stunningly beautiful poetry.
Measure for Measure – Hard going in terms of language, but if you can get past that, there’s plenty to talk about. (You’ll almost certainly notice some parallels with the contemporary political scene, and that’s all I’m going to say.)
Merchant of Venice – Another dark comedy that will provoke a LOT of discussion. It’s a challenging read, not so much because of the language but because the attitudes about religion, gender, and marriage are so far removed from our own (almost the polar opposite of Much Ado in that respect.)
The Merry Wives of Windsor – Actually, I don’t recommend this one unless you have the opportunity to see a good stage production; it’s more fun in performance than in reading.
Twelfth Night! Twelfth Night! Twelfth Night!(it’s probably my favorite) I agree with amarinththat there’s a lot more to it than farce. There are fascinating issues in it about gender, the problem of interpretation, and the question of how farce is incorporated into normal social life. I’ve seen it performed a few times, twice as a farce and once as a drama, and the latter performance was much more successful. The gulling of Malvolio is really quite cruel, the separation of the twins tragic, and Antonio’s passion desperate.
Measure for Measure is also really interesting because while nominally a “comedy,” like Merchant of Venice, it’s not very funny to modern audiences. And the problem of how a wise leader governs his people is pretty engaging today, if your class is interested in that sort of thing.
Hurrah for Twelfth Night! It is my favorite, and I think it’s a delightful work. It’s very, very funny, but also deals with social and gender issues that are still interesting and relevant today. I think Molly Coddle’s class would really enjoy it, so that’s my recommendation.
I loved when we studied Much Ado in class. (It was that or Julius Ceasar) and enjoyed it immensely. Reading it you can get a good idea of it and I agree the Kenneth Brannagh version was pretty good (if you discount Keanu Reeves’ acting as the villain. Thank goodness he only had a few lines.)
Reminds me… I actually have a copy of that version somewhere. Durnit I don’t have it here though. Otherwise I’d put it on right now. I asked for it the Christmas after we watched it in class, I loved it so much.
As you’ve already vetoed Taming of the Shrew I’d just like to say I have a special place in my heart for it. That was the first encounter I had with Shakespeare at the tender age of 11/12 when the Senior class of a high school put it on as a play and our teachers took us to see it. I loved it.
In regards to the language, most of it is extremely modern. Sure, some people don’t get all of his metaphorical/biblical/historical/literary allusions, but still. If you think Shakespeare’s language is hard to decipher, try reading The Canterbury Tales in the original Middle English. Ugh.
As for the cliches, most of those are cliches because he wrote them. Seriously, I doubt anyone was saying “Screw your courage to the sticking place” or “Ay, there’s the rub” or things like that when Shakespeare was alive. If you’re referring to his somewhat stereotypical characters, you must first realize that he was very much a satirist and wrote farce. Just read “Merchant of Venice” if you don’t believe me.
And as for your last complaint, there was no America in the 16th/17th century, let alone American teenagers, and the few who were over there weren’t exactly reading or viewing Will Shakespeare’s works.
Ahem, sorry. Mean no disrespect. Just had to set a few things straight.
Or, erm, how about As You Like It? Another one of my favourites. Cross-dressing and sappiness and much hilarity ensuing. Plus, there’s a character called Ganymede. How can you hate a show with a character called Ganymede?
