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mary00's review against another edition
4.0
Enertaining, although much darker than most of Shakespeare's other comedies.
In reading most of the reviews I'm just a little surprised on how one-sided the views of Betram are. Obviously, Bertram has many character flaws. However, I think that a case can be made that he is not as big of a jerk as the play is set up to portray him as. He is young, and as a result of his youth makes some serious mistakes. But can we truly fault him for not loving Helena? It may seem incomprehensible that he would not love such an intelligent, sweet, and beautiful woman - but we don't choose who we fall in love with. I for one cannot fault him for not loving Helena and for not being happy about being forced to marry her. Anyone would be upset at being pushed into a marriage that they don't desire, however desirable it appears to everyone else. Although Bertram is not a character that I admire or love, he is a character who I can feel some sympathy for.
Likewise, Helena is not as innocent as she may appear at first reading. She trapped Bertram into marrying her, knowing full well that he did not care for her in the way that she cared for him. She is a perfect example of the classic sterotype that good girls fall for the bad boys.
A little part of me wishes that Shakespeare would have let the audience see the other side of the story a bit more, instead of manuipulating them into viewing Bertram as a complete cad. He is a cad, but not as completely as most readers will conclude.
In reading most of the reviews I'm just a little surprised on how one-sided the views of Betram are. Obviously, Bertram has many character flaws. However, I think that a case can be made that he is not as big of a jerk as the play is set up to portray him as. He is young, and as a result of his youth makes some serious mistakes. But can we truly fault him for not loving Helena? It may seem incomprehensible that he would not love such an intelligent, sweet, and beautiful woman - but we don't choose who we fall in love with. I for one cannot fault him for not loving Helena and for not being happy about being forced to marry her. Anyone would be upset at being pushed into a marriage that they don't desire, however desirable it appears to everyone else. Although Bertram is not a character that I admire or love, he is a character who I can feel some sympathy for.
Likewise, Helena is not as innocent as she may appear at first reading. She trapped Bertram into marrying her, knowing full well that he did not care for her in the way that she cared for him. She is a perfect example of the classic sterotype that good girls fall for the bad boys.
A little part of me wishes that Shakespeare would have let the audience see the other side of the story a bit more, instead of manuipulating them into viewing Bertram as a complete cad. He is a cad, but not as completely as most readers will conclude.
_m_sarai's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ellienorshellstrop's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Not a huge fan of the Bard *gasp* shock horror and why the hell did dude just do a 180, 2 minutes before the end, there was practically 0 build or explanation for that tbh. But Helena is cool and the Countess and the clown were freaking icons
erboe501's review against another edition
4.0
Classified as one of Shakespeare's "problem plays," AWTEW is different because the woman is strong-willed and able to go after what she wants. She might be a "problem" for some of the men in the play, but she understands how to play to female stereotypes while also manipulating the situation. Even if her object of desire is not really worthy of her sharp wit, she is definitely a woman to be admired.
ppr_bck_rdr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
const_elle_ations's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
gaymoonreader's review against another edition
3.0
While this was not my favorite, I did still enjoy this book for the change in power dynamics as a female character actually does hold some modicum of power over a man.
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This one was very fun to read! I'm glad to be continuing my Shakespeare education now that I'm done with my minor!
rsand11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
what a mess, but a very silly mess.