I figure it is time to get another Shakespeare play off of my list. Since I am not brave enough to venture into reading a play that I haven't already previously read, I decided to go with a lesser known play this time around (the last Shakespeare play I read was Much Ado About Nothing).The Winter's Tale is another comedy, although it doesn't seem so at first. I have read it once before, during my college Shakespeare class. At the time, I remember thinking that it was alright. It didn't match up to some of the other plays we read in that class, but I still enjoyed it (unlike The Two Gentlemen of Verona which just annoyed me. Thankfully, I am not reading one for this challenge).
Anyway, even though I enjoyed it, I barely remember the plot line. I know some of the characters names; namely, Perdita, Leontes, and Hermione. I also recall that there are some small similarities between the play and Harry Potter. We discussed this in that class, which is why I remember, so as I read I'll try and pull those details out. I like finding inspiration for modern novels within Shakespeare.
Perhaps after giving another old friend a try I'll summon the courage to tackle a new Shakespeare play. I have reservations about it. It is really easy to re-read a play once you are familiar with the storyline because you know essentially what is going to happen and if some language escapes you, it still makes sense. I'm just a little worried about my abilities to decipher something new and unfamiliar on my own.
Off to Shakespeare land!
I think I read this in University for the second time, and only then did I start to appreciate it. It's difficult to read, and you have to be in the right mindframe to fully comprehend it :)
ReplyDeleteHmm, I feel a little weird leaving a comment about the Hunger Games series on a post about Shakespeare, but what can I do? (oh and if anyone else is reading this comment, there may be spoilers)
ReplyDeleteAs far as the third Hunger Games book goes, I only really have vague ideas about what's going to happen. I can assume that the people in district 13 are going to try and lead a revolution, and I'm assuming Katniss is going to go after Peeta, but other than that I can't begin to guess. Suzanne Collins has always managed to throw surprises in that I can't even begin to see coming.
How about you? Any guesses?