So.... Shakespeare
#1
So.... Shakespeare
Tell me what Shakespeare plays you've read and opinions.
I only read Romet and Juliet and Julius Caesar before through school. Caesar was particularly interesting especially all the weird moments that happen during the night like people on fire and ghosts appearing. Have only read the beginning of Hamlet though. I really want to get into Macbeth though as that's the other biggie
More clearer happy.
I only read Romet and Juliet and Julius Caesar before through school. Caesar was particularly interesting especially all the weird moments that happen during the night like people on fire and ghosts appearing. Have only read the beginning of Hamlet though. I really want to get into Macbeth though as that's the other biggie
More clearer happy.
Last edited by FRwL; 04-21-12 at 12:37 PM.
#2
Political Exile
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Re: So.... Shakespeare
School me on your Shakesfu.
I only read Romet and Juliet and Julius Caesar before through school. Caesar was particularly interesting especially all the weird moments that happen during the night like people on fire and ghosts appearing. Have only read the beginning of Hamlet though. I really want to get into Macbeth though as that's the other biggie.
I only read Romet and Juliet and Julius Caesar before through school. Caesar was particularly interesting especially all the weird moments that happen during the night like people on fire and ghosts appearing. Have only read the beginning of Hamlet though. I really want to get into Macbeth though as that's the other biggie.
Reading the plays is cool, though performance is the best way to experience the Bard
#3
DVD Talk Hero
Re: So.... Shakespeare
I'll watch a movie, and then read the text. I can't read a Shakespeare play until someone has unlocked it for me.
It's educational watching different performances. For example, Mel Gibson plays Hamlet as an energetic young man, while Kenneth Brannaugh plays him as the smartest person in the room, and Laurence Olivier plays him as a depressive.
It's educational watching different performances. For example, Mel Gibson plays Hamlet as an energetic young man, while Kenneth Brannaugh plays him as the smartest person in the room, and Laurence Olivier plays him as a depressive.
#4
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: So.... Shakespeare
I'd do as Nick suggested and tackle the better film adaptations first, and then read the plays. Watching Brannagh's Henry V, for example, made the text far more enjoyable to read as I could better imagine the setting (the Agincourt sequence is brilliant in the film) and gauge how faithful the film is to text. (As Nick noted the three adaptations of Hamlet are dramatically different in the "staging" of scenes and the depictions of the lead, but they're all drawn from the exact same source. That W.S. can be interpreted in so many different ways is quite beautiful.)
#5
Re: So.... Shakespeare
If you're looking into Macbeth, my favorite adaptation is Polanski's. There are only some minor changes from the text, and as you'd expect from Polaski it has plenty of style. Though somehow I doubt many stage productions had Lady Macbeth in the nude
#6
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Re: So.... Shakespeare
I'm in the minority of people who prefer reading the plays first so that I can form my own mental image of how they could or should be staged, and then viewing the available adaptations to see how the actual productions differ.
I love all things Shakespeare and have never had a problem getting through the texts, as long as I'm using an annotated version that clarifies some of the less familiar words or expressions. I was also an English major and always sought out any and all courses related to Shakespeare above all others.
Macbeth is still my favorite and the one with which I'm most familiar. Agreed that the Polanski version is by far the best film adaptation. The Ian McKellen/Judi Dench version is also good, though it's all about the performances since it's more of just a filmed theatrical production.
I love all things Shakespeare and have never had a problem getting through the texts, as long as I'm using an annotated version that clarifies some of the less familiar words or expressions. I was also an English major and always sought out any and all courses related to Shakespeare above all others.
Macbeth is still my favorite and the one with which I'm most familiar. Agreed that the Polanski version is by far the best film adaptation. The Ian McKellen/Judi Dench version is also good, though it's all about the performances since it's more of just a filmed theatrical production.
#7
Banned by request
Re: So.... Shakespeare
I read the plays aloud, staging them in my head and doing different characterizations for the characters. I've got a very nice complete Shakespeare collection with historical notes, introductions, etc. No matter how many times I read Hamlet, I always find something new in it. My favorite might be The Tempest, though.