Book 82: Acts 1 and 2.

I haven't read this since I was a high school sophomore, so teaching it to MY sophomores is quite the experience. They are getting really into the story and power of the words they are reading out loud (every student is taking turns reading a part out loud, which is really adding to the dramatics of the play).

I made sure that we covered a lot of the historical context before diving in. It helps that the district I work in has aligned the history and english curriculum for sophomores together. The classes follow each other so that the students are building on the knowledge that they are taking from each class between the literature we study, and the era it was written in.

It also helps that I am teaching U.S. History, so I see some of my students twice a day. This has really helped us dive into this play.

The Crucible was written in 1953, in the midst of the McCarthy era, and those ideas are truly prevalent in the play. Suspicion, accusations, and lies plague the characters. The Salem Witch trials make the perfect foil for that era and the kids have been making huge connections between the two.

I am also getting far more out of it than I can remember from my first reading. I am surprised by the intensity of each line, and I am drawn to the other characters more than the main heroes (the character of John Proctor is my students' favorite. They "hate" the villains). Reverand Hale is one that I am insanely interested in. He comes to Salem (in the play), in the first act to diagnose what is wrong with the sick girls. He has a reputation and is there to look at the suggestions of witchcraft, but he begins to change in the second act. I am trying to remember back to the other time I read it, but I am pretty sure he undergoes a large change.

Another character I am enthralled by is Abigail, the ringleader;

"Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. And you know I can do it; I saw Indians smash my dear parents' heads on the pillow next to mine, and I have seen some reddish work done at night, and I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down!"

So violent, and so vicious. But she is a woman scorned by the man she loves (John Proctor), so it makes watching her more interesting.

The one question the kids continually asked after finishing Act 2 is why the accused don't just admit witchcraft to save their lives. In one of my classes, this erupted into an intense debate about the lengths you would go to in saving your life. Most of the class said they would lie, but we'll see what happens when we finish the play, won't we?

I can't wait to see what they say about the end and that last powerful scene.

Book 82: The Crucible and Book Stats.

Title: The Crucible

Author: Arthur Miller (1915-2005)

First Published/Performed: 1953

My Edition: Penguin (seen at right)

Pages: 143

Other Works Include: All My Sons (1947), Death of a Salesman (1949), and A View from the Bridge (1955/1956)

I have already read Miller's Death of a Salesman and reviewed it (it was Book 31), so I am familiar with his work. I read this one back in high school as a sophomore and loved it. Now that I know a little more about the history surrounding the play and McCarthyism, I am hoping to pull more from it as I go.

In addition, I am also teaching this one to my sophomore English students. We're going to be reading it out loud (they each have a part and I am playing the narrator), so it should be a fun experience for all of us. I am looking forward to their reactions to the witchcraft and court proceedings, as well as making connections for them between the McCarthy era (which we just covered in U.S. history) and the proceedings in Salem. It should be enriching and fun! :)

Have you read this one before? What did you think?

Has anyone seen this live-acted? I really want to!

Book 36: Book Stats.

Title: Macbeth
Author: William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
First Published/Performed: It was written sometime between 1600 and 1610, and the earliest performance known was in 1611.

My Edition: Barnes and Noble Shakespeare (I prefer these over the other editions. They read easier and have great supplemental materials-you can see my edition at left).
Pages: 328

Other Works Include: Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, etc.

I would be highly offended if you told me you haven't given Shakespeare a try! I love Shakespeare and I find that with the right edition, it is not as difficult to figure out as you might think.

For my challenge, I am reading a whopping 16 plays by William. I have already completed 2-Much Ado About Nothing and The Winter's Tale. I have read a great deal of Shakespeare's work in the past, in college, high school, and on my own. So far in my personal challenge I haven't picked up a Shakespeare play that I haven't already previously read. This will be my fifth or sixth time reading Macbeth, and it has always been one of my FAVORITE Shakespeare plays. It is very dark and sinister and I LOVE the witches.

Before I wrap this up, I just want to mention a couple things about reading Shakespeare. People have a great misconception that Shakespeare is difficult. While yes, his language is tricky, he is not as difficult as you may think. With his plays, it is more important to get the big scheme of things rather than get caught up on every individual word. With that being said, you can buy great editions of his plays that have footnotes and information to help you. I think Barnes and Noble has done a great job with theirs. I also really like No Fear Shakespeare and Folger's editions as well. They are great places to start!

Book 33: Book Stats.

Title: The Cherry Orchard
Author: Anton Chekov (1860-1904)
First Published/Performed: 1904 (shortly before his death)

My Edition: Dover Thrift Edition-Published 1991 (My library's sole copy)
Pages: 49

The play was first performed on Chekov's last birthday and was one of the last works he completed. He is probably better known for his short stories, but The Cherry Orchard is performed frequently and it critically praised.

I have read some of Chekov's short stories, which I loved, so reading a play by him will be quite different.

This will be the only piece by Chekov I will be reading for this challenge, but I have a few short story collections in my personal library that I want to get to eventually.

Book 32: The Misanthrope/Finished.

I am not big on drama. I mean, I haven't had a whole lot of exposure to the world of theater, which is probably why I am missing some of the impact of this play.

That is not to say I didn't like it. I certainly did, but it is quite different to read a play than a novel. Everything is based off the dialogue when you read a play. Your mind has to create the setting, etc based off what the characters are saying.

Luckily for me, this play was excellent. The banter between the characters made it come alive and I managed to read all 52 pages in one short reading.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Moliere's play (I'm assuming that is almost all of you), it focuses on a small part of the aristocracy. The main male character, Alceste, believes that a person must be completely honest and never try to hide the truth. This obviously creates some problems as he bluntly says whatever he feels at a certain point in time. It also creates a lot of humor, which I much appreciated.

The play begins with Alceste commenting on his view of social interaction, as well as his disapproval of a fellow's love poem. After criticizing the poem, Alceste ends up being taken to court (hilarious). It also touches on a love mess between Alceste and Celimene, a young flirtatious woman with many suitors.

The situations and language make this play hilarious, as you wonder what the characters will say or do next. It also offers a lot to think abut socially. I know that I have had conversations about whether telling a little white lie is beneficial or not. The Misanthrope almost serves as an example as to what happens when you don't tell anything but the blunt honest truth at all times.

It gives you a lot to think about.

I want to leave you with some of my favorite passages.

This first one is spoken by Alceste to Celimene. He is arguing with her about another of her suitors. I just love how belittling he is when he is speaking;

"Are you, like all the rest of the fashionable world, fascinated by the dazzling merit of his fair wig? Do his many ribbons charm you?Is it by the attraction of hid great German breeches that he has conquered your heart, whilst at the same time he pretended to be your slave? Or have his manner of smiling, and his falsetto voice, found out the secret of moving your feelings?" (14).

This next passage is from when Alceste is in court defending his right to hate Oronte's love poem. Again, I just love his mocking tone;

"At what is Oronte offended? and with what does he reproach me? Does it reflect upon his honor that he cannot write well? What is my opinion to him, which he has altogether wrongly construed? One may be a perfect gentleman, and write bad verses; those things have nothing to do with honor. I take him to be a gallant man in every way; a man of standing, of merit, and courage, anything you like, but he is a wretched author," (33).

This last passage showcases the beautiful banter Moliere creates between characters. I read this passage out loud to truly get a sense of the amazing connection between the two. The first speaker is the wronged Oronte and the second is our good friend Alceste;

"I have no wish, sir, in any way to disturb, by an untimely affection, your good fortune.

And I have no wish, sir, jealous or not jealous, to share aught in her heart with you.

If she prefers your affection to mine...

If she has the slightest inclination towards you...

I swear henceforth not to pretend to it again.

I peremptorily swear never to see her again.

Madam, it remains with you to speak openly.

Madam, you can explain yourself fearlessly," (46).

I think this is a play I am definitely going to have to see if I get the chance.

I feel I should also point out that the most recent adaptation just opened in December 2009 in London and stars Damian Lewis and Keira Knightley.

Book 32: Book Stats.

Title: The Misanthrope
Author: Moliere (1622-1673); Real Name: Jean-Baptiste Poquelin
First Published (Performed): 1666

My Edition: Dover Thrift Edition-published 1992 (my library's sole copy)
Pages: 52

I have never read or seen anything by Moliere before. To be quite honest, my background in theater is pretty pathetic. I took one "theater" class in college, which solely focused on Shakespeare, so any other early playwrights are essentially unknown to me.

This will be the only work I am reading by Moliere for my challenge.

Book 31: Finished.

It was really hard to read a play to myself. Trying to keep characters separate in your head while reading a play is completely different than doing it during a novel. Where you have lots of text in-between certain section of dialogue to help build the characters and add to their depth, you have to infer all of that from dialogue while reading a play. It is incredibly different.

I think it might be a good idea to get the audio CD's for some of these plays. It might make keeping characters apart easier.

With all of that being said, I really liked this play. It was deep, and dark and moving. It was also a great explanation of how the American Dream can not only help us, but hurt us. It is not always attainable, or it never IS what you think it is. I guess you could say that this play can serve as a reality check for those of us who dream so hard that we forget to work.

I really loved how Miller set it up. The play takes place on a simple set (described in the beginning), and the character morph in and out of different sections. It also has flashbacks where the characters simply move to another portion of the stage to simulate the change of time.

Willy Loman is a traveling salesman who believes that by being a likable person, he will be successful in his job. While that works for a small amount of time, it gradually unravels. His life and his way of seeing the world slowly grows outdated as his children grow up and live their lives. His life becomes a reflection of the choices he made in the past, and some of those choices resulted in missed opportunities that could have changed his life forever. The result is a tragedy-the fall of Loman-and the fall of the American Dream. Success and happiness are more than just dreaming and hoping. Success requires work and dedication.

This is definitely something that I would love to see performed and will if I get the chance. Reading is was haunting and eye-opening. I would most certainly recommend this (but listen to it or see it live!).

Book 31: Book Stats.

Title: Death of a Salesman
Author: Arthur Miller (1915-2005)
First Published/Performed: 1949

Awards Won: 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama

My Edition: Penguin Plays
Pages: 139

In high school I had to read The Crucible by Miller. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was glad that my teacher made us read it out loud in parts to make it easier to understand. I will be reading The Crucible at a later date.

This is the first non-Shakespearean play that I am taking on so far, so I am hoping it goes well. I find Shakespeare to be easy to read in my head, but I am not so sure about reading more modern plays in the same way. I think I may have to read out loud, especially since this play shifts time periods often.