Encountering Shakespeare- Five Best Plays to Read or Watch

Shakespeare- The World's GreatestPlaywright - Unknown

Encountering Shakespeare- Five Best Playsto Read or WatchAug 24, 2010 Theodore Haddad

To encounterShakespeare, eitherreading the plays orwatching them performedon stage or in film, can be adaunting task. But despitethe difficult language andobscure references andsymbols, including a greatamount of alchemicalsymbolism, reading orwatching Shakespeare isworth the time.

Shakespeare was a prolificwriter having left formodern man almost 40plays and more than 150sonnets. It isunderstandable that unlessan individual is an avidscholar of Shakespearethey will never find the timeor energy to examine all ofhis work. For this reason itmay be useful to have aguide in ones quest todiscover Shakespeare andfor the individual who isjust starting out, here is alist of five plays worthwatching or reading.

The Life ofShakespeare

Before delving into the taskof finding five plays thatshould make the list, it maybe important to develop a

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The thought of reading Shakespeare can be daunting, so here is a listof five plays to start with, including Hamlet, Macbeth, and Henry V.

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brief understanding ofWilliam Shakespeares life.Shakespeare was born in1564, though the exact dayand month is debatable itwas most likely that theday was 23, April as hewas baptized at the HolyTrinity Church on 26,April; traditionally childrenwere baptized a few daysafter their birth.

Shakespeare was educatedat the Stratford GrammarSchool, which was locatedabout 85 miles fromLondon, where he wasexposed to the Greek andLatin classics which laterhad an influence in hiswork. In 1582,Shakespeare married AnneHathaway and until 1594,there is little record of theirlife together.

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Books to Read Five Plays asEnjoyable on Paperas on StageA Timeline ofShakespeare's Lifeand PlaysOverture FilmsAnnounces NewVersion of Hamlet

It was in the early 1590sthat Shakespeares playsbegan to emerge though hemay have been writing asearly as the mid 1580s.Many of his plays were performed at the Globe theatre which was built around 1599, andShakespeares success grew exponentially as he received commissions from Queen Elizabeth I andlater from James I.

Five Plays Worth Watching (or Reading)

Though it is difficult to select only five of Shakespeares plays, it is beneficial to have a good startingpoint with which to embark on the sometimes intimidating road to encountering Shakespeare. Theseplays may not always be considered Shakespeares best, but they include a variety of genres andcomplexities.

1. Perhaps the most important of all Shakespeares plays (and what is often considered his bestas well as one of the greatest pieces of literature in the English language) is Hamlet. One ofthe great tragedies, Hamlet has become one of the best known of the plays containing manypopular lines including the To be, or not to be... soliloquy. Hamlet is inundated withsymbolism but the plot is easy to follow and the characters are memorable. While reading orwatching Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh starred in and directed a stunning adaptation in 1996), itis important to note the language surrounding death and dying as well as to observe the

Overture Films Announces NewVersion of HamletShakespeare Stories for Children - AReviewIntroduce Children to ShakespeareBooks to Read Five Plays asEnjoyable on Paper as on StageBranagh's 1992 Film Adaptation ofMuch Ado About Nothing:A ReviewA Timeline of Shakespeare's Life andPlaysKenneth Branagh's Adaptation ofHenry VShakespeare's Ideas: What Have TheyDone to the Bard?

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parallel between the characters of Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras.2. Another tragedy that should be considered is Macbeth. Like Hamlet, it is a play deep in

symbolism but may come across much darker than Hamlet. Also, the theme of Macbethdiffers in that is it a play of misplaced ambition rather than revenge. Things to be conscious ofin Macbeth are Macbeths internal struggle and the concept of divine retribution.Controversial director Roman Polanskis 1971 film adaptation of Macbeth captures theessence of the play quite well.

3. Moving from tragedy to history, Henry V may be the best to read or view if only one historyplay were to be considered. Henry V contains much of the drama and complexity of many ofShakespeares tragedies, and the historical elements are presented well. ThoughShakespeare had a habit of changing history to favor the English, Henry V may be read withsome historical confidence. Kenneth Branagh also has an excellent adaptation of this play,filmed in 1989.

4. Making the leap from tragedy to history may not seem drastic, but often times Shakespearealso attempted to blend tragedy with comedy as he did in Much Ado About Nothing.Though it combines tragic elements, the play is humorous nonetheless and does not becomeoverly complex and ambiguous as such plays as Measure For Measure. There are severalenticing subplots and parallel stories which create an enjoyable comic tension. KennethBranaghs 1993 film adaptation in which he stars along with Denzel Washington, KateBeckinsale, and Keanu Reeves is an entertaining way to enjoy the play.

5. The last play on the list is another comedy but with far fewer elements of tragedy as are foundin Much Ado About Nothing. The fanciful play A Midsummer Nights Dream takes theaudience from the reality of the human comedy into a world of fairies and magic. AMidsummer Nights Dream is an easy play to watch or read and has many humorous andmemorable characters such as the mischievous fairy Puck, and local weaver, Bottom.Perhaps the best film adaption of the play is Peter Halls 1968 film starring Ian Holm, JudiDench, Ian Richardson, and Derek Godfrey.

Sources:

Bloom, Harold, Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human; Penguin Putman, New York.2003.New Standard Encyclopedia; Ferguson Publishing Company, Chicago. 2002.

Copyright Theodore Haddad. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.

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