Tuesday, November 15, 2011

My Shakespeare Picks.

Since posting about my Shakespeare Reading Month on Tuesday, I have had a few people requesting my reading pile!

While nothing is set in stone, I am planning on reading some of the plays on my list that I haven't gotten to just yet, as well as his sonnets. I may even pick up a biography. However, my main goal are the plays, so here are the titles I haven't gotten to just yet!



  • A Midsummer Night's Dream (one of my all-time favorites)
  • Antony and Cleopatra (I will definitely be getting to this one)
  • As You Like It (really looking forward to a reread)
  • Hamlet (I might watch the Mel Gibson film...just for a giggle)
  • Henry IV (read this one in college)
  • King Lear (read this one in college)
  • The Merchant of Venice (I've never read this one-I KNOW!)
  • Othello (Haven't read this one either-I KNOW!)
  • Richard III (started this during readathon)
  • Twelfth Night (I know NOTHING about this one!)
I also have a couple of plays picked out, just in case and if a miracle happens, for if/when I finish the pile above:


  • The Taming of the Shrew (Haven't read this since high school)
  • Henry VIII (because its King Henry VIII!!)
  • Love's Labor's Lost (one of my favorites from my college Shakespeare class)
  • Coriolanus (REALLY want to get to this one with the movie coming out)
  • The Comedy of Errors (I don't know this one as well!)


For those of you participating, have you thought about which plays you are going to read?

Anyone have thoughts on any of these?

17 comments:

  1. Wow, that looks like a great list! You've got a good mix of tragedy, comedy, and historical plays.

    Twelfth Night is great. It has twins, cross-dressing disguises, crazy love triangles, and confused identities. It's basically classic Shakespearean comedy.

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  2. I did a whole project for drama class in middle school on Henry VIII where I had to read the play, write a paper on how I would direct it, and design the costumes. It was a lot of fun!

    The Taming of the Shrew is one of my favorites.

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  3. Have you read the sonnets? I really enjoy them.

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  4. Richard III is one of my favourite Shakespeare plays and Twelfth Night was the first one I ever read so I am biased towards them but you have a pretty good mix there.

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  5. I plan to use the month continuing on with my close-reading of the sonnets, and then I'll be reading King Lear, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Tempest. Like you I need to reread Coriolanus sometime soon. This'll be fun! Cheers!

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  6. I haven't read The Merchant of Venice or Othello either! What's up with that?! I have, however, studied Twelfth Night TWICE in education. We apparently have special feelings for teaching it in schools in England... It's ok, but I'm sort of over it :)

    Love A Midsummer Night's Dream too! My main achievement in life is that I was Hermia when I was like 10, it was very exciting! Your Shakespeare plans are super ambitious by the way, I like it!

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  7. I want to get to at least one tragedy and one comedy and I think I'll do Othello and As You Like It. I love your choices. I've read almost all of those. Twelfth Night is hilarious! It's one of my favorites to see live.

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  8. I've got (I think) everything you've listed on my list, except the Henrys and Antony and Cleopatra. (I will be reading those eventually, of course.)

    I will only be reading a hanful in January, but more throughout the year. :-)

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  9. I'm not sure you can have anything but a great list when it's Shakespeare! I've never read Othello either (and perhaps The Merchant of Venice--I've seen it but can't remember if I've read it). I don't think I've read any of the histories either (unless Julius Caesar is a history?), but I've seen Twelfth Night and have a real hankering to read it, for some reason. A good one for January! I've seen The Comedy of Errors also, and as I recall it is hilarious.

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  10. I read Othello as part of my University English major and found it a thought provoking play. I am sure you will enjoy it especially since you have never read it before!! I am hoping to join in this challenge though I am sure I will not get through as many as you have set for yourself!

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  11. Which edition do you like more, Folger or B&N?

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  12. You've got some great picks here! I love Shakespeare... I took a class in University that all we read were Shakespeare's plays throughout the year and just analysed them (it was my favourite class) Good luck with your Shakespeare month!

    Andrea
    Cozy Up With a Good Read

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  13. Twelfth Night is really fun. I think you'll like it if Midsummer's is one of your favorites. I think that Midsummer's is definitively my favorite. I appreciate the tragedies, but I like Shakepeare best when he's funny.

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  14. I haven't read that much Shakespeare but Merchant of Venice is probably my least favourite. I was quite young at the time and I think I maybe didn't appreciate the humour behind it.

    I am hoping to read Antony and Cleopatra, Henry VIII (I am looking forward to this one) and Macbeth. If I have time I might also read The Tempst and a short biography by Bill Bryson.

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  15. A Midsummer Night's Dream is a favorite of mine too, along with Hamlet. I last read it in high school, so I really need to reread it.

    Twelfth Night is great. I just read it for a class. If you're a fan of Amanda Bynes, I recommend watching She's the Man, which is loosely based on the play. I love that movie! I also saw a clip of Twelfth Night (1996) with Helena Bonham Carter and it looked really good.

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  16. Great list! I'm so excited for this challenge. I was (finally!) infected with the blogging bug this month, and I'm really looking forward to participating more (or at all) in the blogging community.
    As You Like It is one I've been meaning to read for ages, so that one's a definite. Macbeth, Othello, The Merchant of Venice and King Lear are others I'm pretty sure will make my list.

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  17. Funniest Shakespeare play I have ever read is Troilus and Cressida. It's like a melodramatic highschool crush-story, mixed with The Odyssey (with the homoerotic subtext cranked up so it's not even subtext anymore). I don't even know what to do with that play.

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