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My ranking of every Shakespeare play

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Re: My ranking of every Shakespeare play

#11

Post by jfengel »

ojbyrne wrote: post #3

That was fun to read, even though I would disagree with much of the article. I generally like the comedies least, the OP likes them most, but it's nice to see people talk about Shakespeare in an article linked here. A couple of comments I would make: * "People will think I’m crazy, but yes, I’m placing Henry IV above Henry V." I doubt many people would think you're crazy, the Henry IVs are generally considered better…

So much depends on the performance. Some of the comedies make great productions, suitably edited and with the right amount of physical comedy.

Right on the page they are nearly all a slog. The tragedies make better reading.

Re: My ranking of every Shakespeare play

#12

Post by lr4444lr »

My shrink pointed out in a conversation once as a tangent that Hamlet was not-so-subtly a psychoanalytic masterpiece: Hamlet watches his uncle carry out the Oedipal fantasy of killing his father and marrying his mother, and is haunted by a "ghost" to take action. It is not Shakespeare's only play to feature historical fiction or political machination by a long shot, so one should probe for other reasons to explain why it's proved so enduringly popular.

Re: My ranking of every Shakespeare play

#13

Post by necubi »

dan-robertson wrote: post #6

I ‘studied’ Much Ado About Nothing in school (as the author wished for) but it was lost on me. Probably the issue is not normally the specific choice of play. But there are lots of things that are hard about Shakespeare in school, even ignoring the unfamiliar language. (A friend from another country said they studied some Shakespeare which had been translated into his language so didn’t sound so unfamiliar, but I can…

The comedies are so much better performed than on the page. I find the humor gets a bit lost in the archaic language, but a good cast is able to bring it for modern audiences.

Re: My ranking of every Shakespeare play

#14

Post by el_nahual »

Anyone who likes Shakespeare--or anyone who wants to like it--should watch this marvelous BBC Series called "Playing Shakespeare": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2VnxiW3oqk&list=PLboSQWmG70...

It's produced by the Royal Shakespeare company and is comprised simply of some of the greatest shakeasperean actors (Judi Dench, Ian McKellan, David Suchet, Patrick Stewart) talking about different elements of how to act shakespare.

I recommend starting with Episode 8, "Exploring a character" if only to see David Suchet utterly outclass (the much more famous) Patrick Stewart in their portrayal of Shylock.

Re: My ranking of every Shakespeare play

#15

Post by as_bntd »

ojbyrne wrote: post #3

That was fun to read, even though I would disagree with much of the article. I generally like the comedies least, the OP likes them most, but it's nice to see people talk about Shakespeare in an article linked here. A couple of comments I would make: * "People will think I’m crazy, but yes, I’m placing Henry IV above Henry V." I doubt many people would think you're crazy, the Henry IVs are generally considered better…

Laurence Olivier is a great actor. I've enjoyed several of his films, including his Hamlet adaptation (which he also directed). I have yet to watch Richard III though.

Re: My ranking of every Shakespeare play

#16

Post by as_bntd »

necubi wrote: post #13
dan-robertson wrote: post #6

I ‘studied’ Much Ado About Nothing in school (as the author wished for) but it was lost on me. Probably the issue is not normally the specific choice of play. But there are lots of things that are hard about Shakespeare in school, even ignoring the unfamiliar language. (A friend from another country said they studied some Shakespeare which had been translated into his language so didn’t sound so unfamiliar, but I can…

The comedies are so much better performed than on the page. I find the humor gets a bit lost in the archaic language, but a good cast is able to bring it for modern audiences.

The problem with the stage is that it is much harder to stay on top of the plot. Especially when you aren't used to the language.

Re: My ranking of every Shakespeare play

#18

Post by tomcam »

as_bntd wrote: post #15
ojbyrne wrote: post #3

That was fun to read, even though I would disagree with much of the article. I generally like the comedies least, the OP likes them most, but it's nice to see people talk about Shakespeare in an article linked here. A couple of comments I would make: * "People will think I’m crazy, but yes, I’m placing Henry IV above Henry V." I doubt many people would think you're crazy, the Henry IVs are generally considered better…

Laurence Olivier is a great actor. I've enjoyed several of his films, including his Hamlet adaptation (which he also directed). I have yet to watch Richard III though.

I thought he overacted that role. I feel it requires a much lighter touch than most actors give it.

Re: My ranking of every Shakespeare play

#19

Post by deepspace »

el_nahual wrote: post #14

Anyone who likes Shakespeare--or anyone who wants to like it--should watch this marvelous BBC Series called "Playing Shakespeare": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2VnxiW3oqk&list=PLboSQWmG70... It's produced by the Royal Shakespeare company and is comprised simply of some of the greatest shakeasperean actors (Judi Dench, Ian McKellan, David Suchet, Patrick Stewart) talking about different elements of how to act shak…

This clip by Ian McKellan talking about acting Macbeth was an eye-opener for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGbZCgHQ9m8

It shows what a genius and consummate professional McKellan is, and demonstrates the effort he puts into preparing for acting.

Re: My ranking of every Shakespeare play

#20

Post by irrational »

> Like many of you, I had assigned reading for several Shakespeare plays in high school. I loathed these assignments. I wasn’t interested at the time, nor was I mature enough to appreciate the writing. Even revisiting as an adult, the conventional selection — Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, etc. — are not highly ranked on my list. For the next couple of decades I thought that Shakespeare just wasn’t for me.

I feel this. I think trying to teach these things to immature teenagers is a real disservice and forms a lifelong disdain for many of the great works. I was in my late 30s before I tried Shakespeare, Old Man and the Sea, The Count of Monte Cristo, etc. again. I loved them, but I easily could have never touched them again after the hatred I developed during high school.

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