selenareads's review against another edition

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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

kathrinreads's review against another edition

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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

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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

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5.0

Very heavy. Do not read in bath. Oh, and some great plays.

caroline_carnivorous's review against another edition

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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

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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.

guardianofthebookshelf's review against another edition

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I had read sixteen of Shakespeare's plays up to this point, but I finished the rest this month.

italo_carlvino's review against another edition

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5.0

Shakespeare is a revered author and we are all bardolatrists. I am too. But I think I got a better understanding of his work now that I have read all of his plays. There is a difference between the semi-divine Shakespeare quote at you and the human Shakespeare you read. He is an author among many who really, really delighted in poetry and turns of phrase. He has an abiding empathy, humanism, and skepticism. I love the bard, but I do not want to revere him. I wish I had taken a Shakespeare class in college (I was required to read his sonnets for my English degree before you lose you mind). Shakespeare interests me not so much as a static artifact, but how people have interpreted and reimagined him.

I think Shakespeare is still relevant and meaningful even after all of these centuries, and I am glad I read him. But honestly I am tired (yes I can get tired even of the bard) and I am ready to move on.

miniingrid's review against another edition

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Leer esta edición es casi como leer un diccionario o el equivalente a la Biblia de Shakespeare, por el tamaño de letra y el tipo de papel.
Después de años leyendo a Shakespeare, y haber representado alguna de sus obras con la compañía de teatro del colegio, cuando visité la casa-museo en Stratford-upon-Avon, no podía irme sin este libro.