Seriously debating doing a “Year of Shakespeare” for 2019. Corny, right?
Seriously debating doing a “Year of Shakespeare” for 2019. Corny, right?
137 Answers
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Loading Please wait
Seriously debating doing a “Year of Shakespeare” for 2019. Corny, right?
I think it sounds like fun
Great idea. Be sure to read the sonnets as well as the plays!
Definitely.
I think it sounds awesome too! Why not!
What do you exactly mean? Read all 37 plays and 154 sonnets? Or by genre? (comedies, tragedies, historical plays…) well well well, congratulations! That’s quite an objective!
The complete works of Shakespeare- plays and sonnets both.
@Aaron waouh!
@Aaron Good for you! It can be done. I read all the sonnets and all the better known plays in a semester in college, along with four other literature courses syllabi. Ah, youth!
@Aaron Oh, and the book must have weighed 20#! I wonder why I have back problems? ?
No! Sounds great. I know a couple that spent a year reading the plays to each other.
I’ll nudge my wife, and see if she’s game. 🙂
Let us know your plan and maybe others can join in too and have a discussion?
For the time being, I’m thinking of just working my way through this list https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/495.Best_of_William_Shakespeare
Here’s a rough draft. I think this covers everything. It keeps a pace of 4 per month, ending in November. It starts with the history plays first, then randomly works through the comedies, poems, and tragedies. Thoughts?
Thanks for sharing Aaron! I haven’t read Shakespeare in quite some time. I think 4 per month is a bit much for me. I’m rusty.?
I would finish with the Midsummer Night’s Dream, saving my favorite until last…..
Not corny! Wonderful! Go for it. I’ll join a discussion —
How do you think I should do it? Just post once per month here? or as I read each book? Here is the schedule I’m considering, although it’s just a rough draft.
That looks great! (Very ambitious!). I think you could start a thread once a week (looks like you’re doing four things a month) or once a month and whoever wants to join in can do so. One thing about the history plays — The “Henriad,” is Richard II, 1 Henry IV, 2 Henry IV, and Henry V, so you might want to start with Richard II. Do you have a particular logic to your order?
Also, you’d want to include Richard III with the three Henry VI plays; that would put them in chronological order. I love the Henriad and think it’s wonderful, but I might think about an order that would put some of the better-known plays toward the beginning to get you off on the right foot, so to say. And I would *highly* recommend setting aside some time to watch a video of whatever play you’re reading — parts of 1 Henry IV, for example, are extremely funny, but that might not be clear from reading the play alone. That’s a problem students often have — the plays can seem like a bunch of blah-blah-blah until you see them performed.
For the histories, I just did them in alphabetical order, not knowing anything about them. After that, I just randomized the comedies, tragedies, and poems.
Looking further, I found this Wikipedia article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronology_of_Shakespeare%27s_plays
It suggests the chronological order of the histories as:
1. Henry VI, Part 2
2. Henry VI, Part 3
3. Henry VI, Part 1
4. Richard III
5. Richard II
6. King John
7. Henry IV, Part 1
8. Henry IV, Part 2
9. Henry V
10. Pericles
11. Henry VIII
Not having studied anything other than Romeo and Juliet, I don’t know how to approach the histories, but I want to make sure I don’t do it wrong. So I’m open to suggestions! 🙂
That chronology might be when they were written, not the timeframe they’re portrayed. This Quora post had a different order:
https://www.quora.com/What-is-a-good-order-to-start-reading-Shakespeares-historical-plays-for-a-novice
1. Richard II
2. Henry IV, Part 1
3. Henry IV, Part 2
4. Henry V
5. Henry VI, Part 1
6. Henry VI, Part 2
7. Henry VI, Part 3
8. Richard III
9. King John
10. Henry VIII
That’s the chronology of how they were written, not the chronology of the actual history. Henry Bolingbroke took the throne from Richard II and became Henry IV, and Henry V was his son. So the story will make more sense to you if you read them in order. I don’t think there’s any right or wrong way to do it, but you might start with a play that’s easier (Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth), or plays that are “jucier,” like Othello, or fun, like Much Ado about Nothing, and move toward ones that are more challenging. Just my two cents.
I’ll revise the image to follow those based on the Quora post. Also, I want to get the (what I’m assuming) boring historical stuff out of the way, so I can enjoy the “jucier” stuff later. But also, If I keep them close together, it may help reading them back-to-back to keep details, names, places, and events in mind. I don’t know if that’s valuable reading them or not, but it seems like a good idea on the surface. 🙂
Updated
LOL the Henriad isn’t boring, at least in my opinion. As a whole, it’s my favorite of Shakespeare.
In that case, I’m starting off right. 🙂
Not to me! I studied Shakespeare for a semester in college. All worth it, despite having to lug a 15-lb anthology several miles across campus in freezing cold and wind and snow of the Penn State tundra for class.
Yay for expensive, heavy, single-use college books! 🙂
@Aaron — Yes! lol. I lucked out in that my apartment mate at the time had taken the class and let me use her tome. Money saved. 🙂
@Gwenn I bet it was the Riverside Shakespeare! I had one too.
@Kelly — I do believe it was!
@Aaron But you can refer to it over and over throughout life!
Sounds like a challenge!
For me….. one of my greatest nightmares ?!
Who knows, this may be a nightmare for me as well. 16th century Old English? FUN! (not).
@Aaron some “modern translations” exist… I often advise my pupils to check No Fear Shakespeare (not advertising it but I find it quite useful) to help them around the meaning… You may also want to watch the Globe’s video recordings of the plays (the original texts in the almost original theatre)
Usually, I watch the movie after reading the book, but I may watch the plays BEFORE in this case. ?
@Aaron good luck, keep us updated.
You didn’t have the right teacher 🙂
@Elise, maybe it has something to do with english being my second sometimes third language ?
@Suzette That’s okay. English is my native (and only) language, and I hated it in school. I never did well with it, and even took a summer class, because I failed it one year in high school. I was drawn to math, music, and art (weird, right?).
@Aaron then I really think you are brave! Go for it?
@Suzette Thanks!
@Suzette That could certainly have something to do with it! But Shakespeare has been translated into almost every language on the planet, so you could try it in your own language.
@Aaron Very good idea. It’s kind of like reading the libretto before attending the opera.
Let us know how far you get before you give up! ?
Let’s try this again.
Ambitious! I’m impressed. May I humbly suggest these? https://www.amazon.ca/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=shakespeare+lexicon&tag=googcana-20&index=aps&hvadid=231052746133&hvpos=1t1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17215492174843198186&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001367&hvtargid=kwd-299131659266
I’ll probably use it. When I read the Silmarilion by Tolkien, I had to sit next to the Silmarilion Wiki just so I could figure out what I had just read. Heh
@Aaron Mine are completely dog-eared from years and years of use!
Shakespeare is never corny. Actually, in my opinion, he is way ahead of his time. As much as the pound of flesh theme, the Merchant of Venice seems to me to be about a woman’s right to have control of her body and her life while the men around her are trying to subvert her wishes. Love that play. The comedies are fantastic, too.
I’ve been a fervent Shakespeare fan since high school, when I studied the plays “Julius Caesar” (10th grade) and “Hamlet” (12th grade) under the tutelage of the best English teacher I ever had. A word of advice: Be sure to have a supplement to further reinforce or augment your understanding of any of the plays and sonnets you choose to read. (THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE published by Barnes & Noble, Inc.)
Impressive. I don’t have the brain power for that right now!!!
I doubt I’ll have the brain power for it next year. 🙂
Good luck. It will be so educational
Just think of all the questions you will be able to answer on Jeopardy!!!! Lol.
I’ll give Ken Jennings a run for his money!
Challenging
GO FOR IT! im actually doing a ‘back stage pass’ reading of those who acted Shakespeare before reading the plays
I was considering this, too! I think I’ll do it. Thanks for posting!
Would you be interested in a group discussion per play/poem? Or would you rather just do your own thing? A couple of others have expressed possibly following along, so just curious.
@Aaron I’d love a group discussion!
Here’s a rough draft of my schedule. It’s ambitious, to be sure, but I’m a voracious reader. Open to feedback, as I have never read nor studied Shakespeare.
@Aaron that will surely be ambitious, but I am up for the challenge!
Newp. Sounds awesome. I love making theme reading goals.
No – sounds great and I think I’ll steal your idea!
Would you be interested in following along and having a discussion about it? It seems that a few others might be interested. Just curious.
@Aaron Absolutely!
Have you read Will of the World?
I haven’t. Tell me about it.
I presume you plan to read other stuff as well? Because it won’t take you a year to read all of Shakespeare
He wrote over 39 plays, I think they will have plenty to fill a year. You don’t know how fast or slow people read or how busy their lives are.
I do plan to read other stuff, but I don’t know what sort of pace to take this at. I don’t want to read it strictly for another item to mark off my list. I would like to comprehend what I’m reading, and I suspect this is going to require some Shakespeare study aids. So, we’ll see how it goes, but I’m not expecting to digest it at my regular reading pace.
Awesome idea!!!!
Me, too!
Would you be interested in following along and having a discussion about it? It seems that a few others might be interested. Just curious.
Sure!
@Aaron, I have a huge and intimidating annotated Shakespeare that has been sitting on my shelf for years!
Here’s a rough draft of my schedule for 2019. Still tweaking it, and absolutely open to feedback, as I have never read nor studied Shakespeare before. 🙂
Great idea~!
Not corny at all?
No way is it corny! I love doing themes for my reading.
I think it is a brave endeavor
I will not be joining you!?
No. I’m thinking about starting a Shakespeare reading group in my town.
Not at all! Cool idea!
Great idea.
Um, NOT corny.
No that cool ?
Not like real cool, but bookworm cool.
bookworm cool = real cool !
@Aaron I have a T-shirt that says that!
Not corny, but good luck.
@Barbara Thanks! I’m sure I’ll need it.
I don’t believe anyone could ever go wrong with Shakespeare.
Admirable! I would do it but would be better with a group so you could read them out loud!
Have you seen The Hogarth Series of contemporary authors creating new stores for the Shakespeare classics? Vinegar Girl, Anne Tyler is a retelling of The Taming of the Shrew…check them all out.
@Barbara I haven’t. I’ll look into it. Thanks!
Never
I like your idea of choosing an author or maybe theme for the year.
Excellent idea. You can actually go many directions with that. I read king Lear recently and am reading Christopher Moore’s Fool to get a totally different perspective. Also, a friend of mine just got Asimov’s guide to Shakespeare to expand the Bard experience. Please keep us posted with your progress.
@Jessica There are a few who have expressed interest in following along, so I think I’ll post monthly updates for discussion. I should probably get in contact with the mods about how to do it correctly, so I don’t annoy the group.
This guy usually updates each year with his Shakespeare in a Year plan. I’ll link the 2018 plan in another comment but hopefully he’ll have 2019 up before long. https://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2017/12/a-readers-resolution-for-2018
2018 pdf for Shakespeare in a Year https://s3.amazonaws.com/first-things-resources/uploads/resource_5a37e8817a8e6.pdf
@Kathy This is great! Thanks!
I love this. I might reread some Shakespeare myself.
Happy Shakespeare reading!
I’m impressed! May I suggest a companion book? I’ve found this useful and entertaining:
W.H. Auden, Lectures on Shakespeare.
Not at all! The only better thing would be seeing all the plays performed.
Challenging more than corny!
Maybe to supplement your quest, The National Theater (from the UK but televised in theaters across the US) are doing King Lear, Antony and Cleopatra, Hamlet and Julius Caesar next year. Here’s a link: http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/
@Debbie Thanks!
Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. I remember going through a Shakespeare-obsessed phase in high school, and read through all or most of his works one after another. It brings back fond memories. I can still recall where I was when reading various works: on a beach, curled up by a fire, etc.
Yup, I went thru that phase too… fun times!
Reading. vs studying Shakespeare?
@Kathy Mostly reading, but studying enough that I actually understand and comprehend what I’m reading.
I always did better in a classroom, reading out loud. That said, I tried an audio version of one of his plays and it was also hard to follow.
If you have Passport on PBS, check out the 3 seasons of Shakespeare Uncovered. Very illuminating!
Also, there’s a series of books called No Fear Shakespeare, which gives you Shakespeare’s words on left page and puts them in common English on right page.
Not at all. A wonderful idea! I have all his works and being an English & Literature major, I concentrated on him. Glad to hear the comment about the PBS series, I will check that out, too!
Oh, wow!
Nope! Sounds great!
Also, this helps a bunch, it’s a fantastic help, and interesting…
https://www.amazon.com/Asimovs-Guide-Shakespeare-Understanding-Enjoying/dp/0517268256
I mean Shakespeare isn’t supposed to be read. You’re supposed to watch them. But you do you boo.
@Natalie How do you watch a sonnet? ?
Seriously, I plan on both watching and reading them, but I don’t see any harm in reading a play.
@Aaron well. How do you listen to any poetry? ?
Love Shakespeare ?
I love to read Shakespeare, though it’s much better to have people to discuss it with.
@Laura A few have expressed interest in following along. I’m working with the admits on how best to do that without annoying the group, if you are interested.
Is there a university or college nearby? See if you can audit or just sit in
@Laura Oh, I’m not interested in deep study, just reading them.
Those kids are taking the class because they have to. Still a great place to discuss plays and poems once read
Not corny, but I like variety. Do what you like! I shouldn’t admit but I have never read an entire Shakespeare play, or seen one for that matter. In school when they were supposed to be on the curriculum somehow they always got skipped over.
We have a place in Southern,Or. Ashland,and they have the Skakespeaeare Festival ??
Everyone Dresses up in the era clothing and reinact His great works?☺️?
Big Celebration! I lived in Cantebury,England and Sat on the steps of a local pub where Shakespeare wrote some of his sonnet’s ?☺️?