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759 reviews for:
Antony And Cleopatra: An Extraordinary Tale of fiction Drama By William Shakespeare (Annotated)
William Shakespeare
3.56 AVERAGE
759 reviews for:
Antony And Cleopatra: An Extraordinary Tale of fiction Drama By William Shakespeare (Annotated)
William Shakespeare
3.56 AVERAGE
I was expecting a little more but It was still fun to read.
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“The bright day is done, and we are for the dark.” —Act V, Scene ii
I'm willing to let pending conversations sway me on this, but on first read-through it feels like a bit of a mess. The third and fourth acts (13+ scenes each) are such a jumbled rush that the fifth act (which moves at the speed of--you know--a play) feels like a huge letdown (plus, dead Antony, so...). Plenty of interestingish Rome/Egypt and Control/Passion dichotomies to explore, but I couldn't pick a favorite scene or character if I had to. This, like many, feels like one that could be saved by a superior production, but there's a reason I made it 40 years without anyone ever prompting me to read it.
On to Othello!
On to Othello!
I wasn't sure what I was going to rate this because I really only read this because I wanted the knowledge for another book and because I want to familiarize myself with the works of William Shakespeare, but all that being said while I enjoyed the story it did remind me of Romeo & Juliet, but more mature and without the age gap.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
[assigned reading] i love cleopatra, she would be my bff
So I DID see it performed before reading it again --a thrilling NT Live production with brilliant performances by Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo-- and it DID improve my opinion of the play. It helped my understanding of the characters that the NT Live production cast them as past their prime and, more importantly, aware of being so. In this light, and the dying of it, their over-the-top personalities take on a poignant quality that I didn't feel in my previous reading. **Pro tip: If you can find this production on DVD, SEE IT.
Perhaps picturing Burton and Taylor in the roles didn't help, but I found the title characters to be narcissistic, immature twits. Lovely poetry, and ambitious setting (how on earth were they able to mount this production 400 years ago?), but I was distracted by the "relationship" at the core of the play; it just seemed like a lot of mutual preening. I probably need to see the play performed live before reading it again. (two star review)
Perhaps picturing Burton and Taylor in the roles didn't help, but I found the title characters to be narcissistic, immature twits. Lovely poetry, and ambitious setting (how on earth were they able to mount this production 400 years ago?), but I was distracted by the "relationship" at the core of the play; it just seemed like a lot of mutual preening. I probably need to see the play performed live before reading it again. (two star review)
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes