I've only read a few plays so far, but my favorite is Much Ado About Nothing. I'm going to be reading Measure For Measure with my class next week and I hope it's good.

I've only read two works of Shakespeare's, but I only really liked one.

I've read Romeo and Juliet, and Julius Caesar.

I liked the former, disliked the latter. I think I would've enjoyed both more, had it not been for the fact that we were reading them in class, with a tape. x_x

I've only read a bit of Shakespeare in class. We, uh, tried to read Julius Caesar last November, but in between the threat of the teachers striking and Thanksgiving and a fake bomb threat, we only got through maybe part of the second act. I didn't really like what I read of it too much, but I suppose it probably wouldn't be so bad if I had actually read the whole thing.

We're currently reading Macbeth, though, and I'm really liking it so far.

Originally Posted by raiawyn

But Benvolio is like the most morally ambiguous character ever. He annoys me to no end because he can't pick a bloody side and then he just kind of disappears.

Benvolio doesn't just disappear...it's only because the last act or so it's mainly Romeo, the friar, Paris, and servants. It's not his fault that Shakespear didn't write more..

Besides, Benvolio is on a side -- Romeo's side. He just want to maintain the peace and make sure Romeo doesn't die due to the Prince's orders. Is that so wrong? Just because Benvolio actually thinks rationally and doesn't threaten to commit suicide everytime something doesn't go his way, that makes him morally ambiguous? Benvolio is the only character that doesn't make everything so dramatic, and act like a spoiled brat.

I have to admit that i am a shakespeare fan. although i like it way more when people spoof his works. there is a book out now thats called good night desidimona good morning juliet and its all about what would happen if othelo and romeo and juliet were comedies.

I feel kind of ashamed to say this, but I don't particularly enjoy Shakespeare.
I don't mind watching it - theatre or even movies are fine - but I can't read it.
I think it's all the Shakespeare we do in class every year. It just gets old after a while.
I think if I was reading it alone without constant interruptions and needless clarifications, it might be more enjoyable xP

While I'd probably never read Shakespeare for pleasure, I did enjoy reading them for school. Well, most of them. I've had Romeo and Juliet assigned to me so many times that I just want to drive an ice pick through my eyes whenever I see it on a syllabus.

On a whole, I like the tragedies better than the comedies, with the exception of Much Ado About Nothing. I love that one. But my favorite is definitely King Lear. And I have a soft spot for Hamlet, even if he is a whiny crybaby. :lol:

But I agree with seeing them performed, rather than reading them. You miss out on so much of the rhythm of the plays without being able to hear them.

Ah. Shakespeare. I enjoy his work. My favorite has to be "A Midsummer Night's Dream". I loved reading it, and I was also a member of a company who presented it my freshman year. It was so fun!

I enjoyed reading Romeo and Juliet. We read that my freshman year, also. We had to memorize so much of that play... XP

William is dirty old man. Some of the induendos...tsk..tsk..I love it!

My favorite of his plays so far is "Twelfth Night" although "A Winter's Tale" was a pretty good read as well. Personally, I don't go for "Romeo and Juliet" so much, for two reasons: that play is one of his most read, so there was never some small leap of excitement or joy inside me for reading something new, special, unique, undiscovered, etc. The second reason was because I never did believe that they were in love. Call me a stickler or whatever, but I don't think they were in love. Hadrian and Antinous were in love. Romy and Julie? Not so much.

I love his sonnets, as well. He has some really good ones that aren't well known. It seems like everyone has heard "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" but "No more be grieved at that which thou hast done" is very beautiful as well. My personal discovery, I like to joke. Of course, it's been read before by plenty of people, but for me, at this time in my life, it is somewhat my little secret.

Shakespeare's plays are so much better when performed, especially when the actors have a really good feel of what they're performing. I found them to be very tedious to read.

His sonnets are highly enjoyable, though.

I wonder if anyone here knows that Shakespeare was in a homosexual relationship. xD

Originally Posted by [[Fortune's

] //F o o l//]I wonder if anyone here knows that Shakespeare was in a homosexual relationship. xD

If you read the sonnets, its not hard to understand that. XD;;;

Edit: Should that matter though? He's still a master of the craft.

Yes. He'd always refer to a 'dark woman' [his wife] & such.
Ahaha. You gotta love Shakespeare though.

Originally Posted by Aeris

If you read the sonnets, its not hard to understand that. XD;;;

Edit: Should that matter though? He's still a master of the craft.

What a post to be my second! :)

There are two of us in my class having a fun, heated "argument" about his sexuality. I completely agree it doesn't matter, and there are too many people trying to make historical figures be seen as batters and bowlers, but it is fun to indulge in silly debates sometimes.

"He's GAY!"

"He's bisexual!"

Aah.

Anyway, I've recently been properly infected by my teachers' love of the bard. We're studying his sonnets and The Tempest for our exams, and I'm adoring both classes. : ) I'm reading Stephen Greenblatt's Will in the World as well.

I know it's better to see his plays on stage and such, and my Tempest teacher thinks the Masque is a bit dry and too formal for all the description, but I've quite a vivid imagination and even that's enough to make me dribble.

And the "saucy sonnets!"

Oh, he was a genius, the most human of humans!

Did anybody see The Shakespeare Code, the second Doctor Who episode of the new series?

Originally Posted by [[Fortune's

] //F o o l//]Yes. He'd always refer to a 'dark woman' [his wife] & such.
Ahaha. You gotta love Shakespeare though.

Do you mean by having "[his wife]" that the Dark Lady was his wife?

OMG.
DR. WHO.
-keels over-

There was always the Dark Lady, & then a man who he loved. xD

It seemed he hated his wife in some of his peices of literature.

Originally Posted by [[Fortune's

] //F o o l//]OMG.
DR. WHO.
-keels over-

There was always the Dark Lady, & then a man who he loved. xD

It seemed he hated his wife in some of his peices of literature.

*fans* : O Don't faint, don't faint!

And phew, the way you put that it almost sounded as though the Dark Lady was his wife. Sorry I got confused. ^///^!

AndOMGYESDOCTORWHO.

I swear they just made him sexy to get the disinterested GCSE students interested. :wink:

My friend and I reckon there's a reason they didn't bring Jack back for that episode; the world would never have got saved for flirtation. ; D

Er-
From what I learned & researched, the Dark Lady is/was his wife.
o.o;

Originally Posted by [[Fortune's

] //F o o l//]Er-
From what I learned & researched, the Dark Lady is/was his wife.
o.o;

o__o;; Really?

His wife was Anne Hathaway, up in Stratford with their children. Shakespeare left her for a long time to live in the capital. She was most likely illiterate and nobody's found any letters written from him to her... It seems he wasn't happy with his marriage.

The Dark Lady in his sonnets was, in my understanding, his mistress. He had an affair with her, and her identity can only be speculated on.

That's if she existed at all. Some people reckon she's meant to represent lust as opposed to the "platonic love" (that's debatable) he expresses for the Fair Youth.

I'm a huge Shakespeare fan. I'd have to say my all-time favorite would be Hamlet.

I like Romeo and Juliet, my friend had to do it for an asignment and I read a few pages, he write well...keeps w/ the time period, and the voices and personalities w. each of the characters...I can't even explain it :D

Lame and same, alas, as it may sound, my favorite of Shakespeare's plays is - you guessed it - Hamlet. And yet, it honestly is my favorite play. I am, I should say, totally obsessed with the character of Horatio, who, in my mind, is exceedingly awesome. He always remains Hamlet's friend, and he understands Hamlet far better than anyone else does.

I really enjoy reading Shakespeare's work. It is just so different that it is cool. It makes you imagine the actual story more. I only read three of his plays: Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer's Night's Dream, and Hamlet. My favorite would probably have to be Romeo and Juliet. It has such a great story and the way it is written is also very good.

I have only read a few of his novels but my favorite till now is Hamlet. I thought it had a bit of everything, romance, horror, tragedy , etc. I loved the storyline however for some reason every time I pick up a Shakespeare classic I expect a similar ending xD