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sarah1984's review against another edition
4.0
19/10 - I've just started a course on Shakespeare through FutureLearn and the first play that we are studying is The Merry Wives of Windsor, which is one I know absolutely nothing about. So far, I've read about three pages, or to the end of scene one and what I understand is that while I can barely understand the language, I can get the general gist of what's going on (or at least I think I can). There are many instances where God is Got, better is petter, brings is prings, very is fery, good is goot, and w is left off the beginning of a couple of words, all of which makes for confusing and slow reading. I think I understand what was being discussed in scene one - Shallow has accused Falstaff of assault, breaking and entering and poaching of his deer - but it was a little difficult to pull that information out of all those difficult and misspelt words. Professor Bate's (who is the scholar running the course) comment that Elizabethan's weren't concerned with spelling is certainly proven correct by the writing in The Merry Wives of Windsor. To be continued...
At the end of act I, scene III - I don't understand why Falstaff is trying to woo a pair of married women. Is he just being spiteful? Or is he delusional enough to really believe that they 'gave him good eyes'? To be continued...
26/10 - Well I finished it, mostly thanks to www.sparknotes.com. I really had trouble with the language throughout the play and had to refer to SparkNotes at least once a page. I could see where the dialogue might be funny, but I think it might work better as an acted out play rather than a read one. I feel like I would have enjoyed The Merry Wives of Windsor a lot more if I had been able to imagine what was happening in the scene better.
Our next play to study is A Midsummer Night's Dream. This is one of the plays I studied at school, I think I was in year 10 literature, so about 16. I remember enjoying it and the movie with Calista Flockhart and Kevin Kline, also the Balanchine ballet. I think I might have to make a concerted effort to get my hands on one or both of these, watching the action really does help my comprehension of the dialogue. To be continued...
31/10 - A Midsummer Night's Dream was an easier and much more humourous read. Having read it before and seen the 1999 movie surely made a difference and "Yay!" I've managed to download/rent that same movie through my pay tv service. A movie of this week's play, Henry V, is proving more difficult to acquire. No luck with my pay tv service, iTunes, Hoyts Kiosk, or my library system.
I've heard the quote
"Once more unto the breach, my dear friends..."
many times but had no idea it was Shakespeare's words that I was hearing, or a paraphrased version of it, from sources as diverse as Star Trek to every day use around the office. To be continued...
PopSugar 2015 Reading Challenge: A Play
At the end of act I, scene III - I don't understand why Falstaff is trying to woo a pair of married women. Is he just being spiteful? Or is he delusional enough to really believe that they 'gave him good eyes'? To be continued...
26/10 - Well I finished it, mostly thanks to www.sparknotes.com. I really had trouble with the language throughout the play and had to refer to SparkNotes at least once a page. I could see where the dialogue might be funny, but I think it might work better as an acted out play rather than a read one. I feel like I would have enjoyed The Merry Wives of Windsor a lot more if I had been able to imagine what was happening in the scene better.
Our next play to study is A Midsummer Night's Dream. This is one of the plays I studied at school, I think I was in year 10 literature, so about 16. I remember enjoying it and the movie with Calista Flockhart and Kevin Kline, also the Balanchine ballet. I think I might have to make a concerted effort to get my hands on one or both of these, watching the action really does help my comprehension of the dialogue. To be continued...
31/10 - A Midsummer Night's Dream was an easier and much more humourous read. Having read it before and seen the 1999 movie surely made a difference and "Yay!" I've managed to download/rent that same movie through my pay tv service. A movie of this week's play, Henry V, is proving more difficult to acquire. No luck with my pay tv service, iTunes, Hoyts Kiosk, or my library system.
I've heard the quote
"Once more unto the breach, my dear friends..."
many times but had no idea it was Shakespeare's words that I was hearing, or a paraphrased version of it, from sources as diverse as Star Trek to every day use around the office. To be continued...
PopSugar 2015 Reading Challenge: A Play
nwhyte's review against another edition
Henry VI, Part I[return]Henry VI, Part II[return]Henry VI, Part III[return]Richard III[return]Comedy of Errors[return]Titus Andronicus[return]Taming of the Shrew[return]Two Gentlemen of Verona[return]Love's Labour's Lost[return]Romeo and Juliet[return]Richard II[return]A Midsummer Night's Dream[return]King John[return]The Merchant of Venice[return]Henry IV, Part I[return]Henry IV, Part II[return]Henry V[return]Julius Caesar[return]Much Ado About Nothing[return]As You Like It[return]Merry Wives of Windsor[return]Hamlet[return]Twelfth Night[return]Troilus and Cressida[return]All's Well That Ends Well[return]Measure for Measure[return]Othello[return]King Lear[return]Macbeth[return]Antony and Cleopatra[return]Coriolanus[return]Timon of Athens[return]Pericles[return]Cymbeline[return]The Winter's Tale[return]The Tempest[return]Henry VIII[return]The Two Noble Kinsmen[return]Edward III[return]Sir Thomas More (fragment)
ianbanks's review against another edition
5.0
A beautifully illustrated edition accompanied an excellent introduction by Katherine Duncan-Jones on the history of the sonnets. Like most Folio editions this is a wonderful book and book-shaped object.
selenareads's review against another edition
Romeo and Juliet — 4 stars
A Midsummer Night’s Dream — 5 stars
King Richard II — 3 stars
The Merchant of Venice — 4 stars
King Henry IV Part One — 3 stars
Much Ado About Nothing — 5 stars
Julius Caesar — 3 stars
Twelfth Night; Or, What You Will — 4 stars
Measure For Measure — 2 stars
Othello, the Moor of Venice — 4 stars
The Winter’s Tale — 5 stars
The Tempest — 5 stars
A Midsummer Night’s Dream — 5 stars
King Richard II — 3 stars
The Merchant of Venice — 4 stars
King Henry IV Part One — 3 stars
Much Ado About Nothing — 5 stars
Julius Caesar — 3 stars
Twelfth Night; Or, What You Will — 4 stars
Measure For Measure — 2 stars
Othello, the Moor of Venice — 4 stars
The Winter’s Tale — 5 stars
The Tempest — 5 stars
kathrinreads's review against another edition
4.0
It took me quite some time to get through all of Shakespeare's works but it was a very interesting journey. I discovered some hidden gems within his works while I was disappointed by some of the most famous ones. I will definitely reread my favorites in the future and I am very happy to say that I have read all his works now.
readingicequeen's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
jayshay's review against another edition
5.0
Very heavy. Do not read in bath. Oh, and some great plays.
caroline_carnivorous's review against another edition
3.0
I did enjoy the first 15 (I think several of them have already been published as parts of other poems or sonnets?), not so much the Sonnets to sundry notes of music.
caroline_carnivorous's review against another edition
3.0
Maybe 3.5 stars. It took me pretty much exactly 3 months to finish this! Except Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet, this was my first time reading all of these. Several I hadn't even heard of before!
A lot of the time it was very heavy to read, I think during all of March I had to have a break from this, since I wanted to actually be motivated to read in it.
I do appreciate the beauty of his writing, and he really did have a way with words. Reading them all pretty much back to back wasn't the best idea though, as many of the plays have similar themes and plots, so a bunch of them just blended together in my head and I didn't enjoy them as much. I don't regret reading them though, I think it's important to read at least SOME Shakespeare in your life!
My top ten would be:
1. Hamlet (duh, always has been)
2. King Henry VI, part 3
3. King Henry IV, part 1
4. The Merry Wives Of Windsor
5. The Comedy Of Errors
6. Henry V
7. Romeo & Juliet
8. Richard III
9. Macbeth
10. Sonnets
So if you want suggestions of what to read, I recommend these!
A note on the edition: The golden edges of the pages transferred onto my hands when I touched them, and the printing wasn't the best. Sometimes whole words hadn't been printed properly, and in many places the letters looked rubbed off.
A lot of the time it was very heavy to read, I think during all of March I had to have a break from this, since I wanted to actually be motivated to read in it.
I do appreciate the beauty of his writing, and he really did have a way with words. Reading them all pretty much back to back wasn't the best idea though, as many of the plays have similar themes and plots, so a bunch of them just blended together in my head and I didn't enjoy them as much. I don't regret reading them though, I think it's important to read at least SOME Shakespeare in your life!
My top ten would be:
1. Hamlet (duh, always has been)
2. King Henry VI, part 3
3. King Henry IV, part 1
4. The Merry Wives Of Windsor
5. The Comedy Of Errors
6. Henry V
7. Romeo & Juliet
8. Richard III
9. Macbeth
10. Sonnets
So if you want suggestions of what to read, I recommend these!
A note on the edition: The golden edges of the pages transferred onto my hands when I touched them, and the printing wasn't the best. Sometimes whole words hadn't been printed properly, and in many places the letters looked rubbed off.