Shakespeare Who?

Use this section to discuss drama books and poetry books. Drama includes plays but not novels. This includes work by Shakespeare, Marlowe, Miller etc. Poetry anthologies can also go here.
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Lgs1089
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Shakespeare Who?

Post by Lgs1089 »

I find Shakespeare redundant and bland like unsalted nuts. He's probably good for your literary health but meh. I'd like to know your favorite classical plays. What makes them your favorites? You can go Shakespeare on me if you must. A few of the most influential plays that I've read are as follows:

1. The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
2. A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
3. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
4. Oedipus Rex by Socrates

Each of the above plays acts as a metaphor. Sure, they can be read for pleasure but once the surface is penetrated, there's more. Just from my list, there are underlying abstractions such as the death of the American Dream, women's sacrificial roles in society, appearance verse reality, blinding truth... I've shown you mine, now show me yours. :lol:
L.G. Stewart
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ChilubaOgoke
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Post by ChilubaOgoke »

Talking about beneath the surface, have you read "Everyman"? Or Shakespeare's " Tempest? Good list though.
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Lgs1089
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Post by Lgs1089 »

ChilubaOgoke wrote: 19 May 2018, 17:34 Talking about beneath the surface, have you read "Everyman"? Or Shakespeare's " Tempest? Good list though.
I have read The Tempest, but I have not read Everyman. Thanks for the recommendation. Can you give me a little prelude to Everyman? What makes it one of your faves?
L.G. Stewart
"Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together." :wine:
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gkgurley
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Post by gkgurley »

I love Oscar Wilde. I have studied and acted in many of his works, and being in the plays as well as studying them for class gave me a lot of appreciation for him and his sense of humor. I'd take The Importance of Being Earnest over a Shakespeare comedy (except for Much ado About Nothing) any day.
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Sanyu faith
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Post by Sanyu faith »

I like Shakespeare's works...I HV read half of the books he wrote... Though he loved tragics I love thinking of him as a man of realism.... This world is not all rosy.... He portrays the world as it really is... A spade is a spade. Not a big spoon.. Betrayal..... Hypocrisy...murder name all vices.
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MsLisa
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Post by MsLisa »

Plays aren't really my thing so I can't say I have any favorites but I did have to read Shakespeare for school and to be honest I quite liked it. The language can get complicated at times but Shakespeare's use of literary devices and the types of characters and storylines he devised are very entertaining. I laugh a lot when I read Shakespeare.
pre106-2
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Post by pre106-2 »

I love Shakespeare works, he is great a couple his works I have read is; Hamlet, Othello, Tempest, Julius ceaser, and Romeo and Juliet. any more recommendation of his works?
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Facennagoss
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Post by Facennagoss »

Lgs1089 wrote: 11 May 2018, 10:02 I find Shakespeare redundant and bland like unsalted nuts. He's probably good for your literary health but meh. I'd like to know your favorite classical plays. What makes them your favorites? You can go Shakespeare on me if you must. A few of the most influential plays that I've read are as follows:

1. The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
2. A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
3. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
4. Oedipus Rex by Socrates

Each of the above plays acts as a metaphor. Sure, they can be read for pleasure but once the surface is penetrated, there's more. Just from my list, there are underlying abstractions such as the death of the American Dream, women's sacrificial roles in society, appearance verse reality, blinding truth... I've shown you mine, now show me yours. :lol:
I find this really refreshing! I was made to feel like a bad teacher because I hated Shakespeare even though my students achieved repeatedly good results. It seemed as though there was an unwritten rule that you must love Shakespeare to dare to teach English. My favourite play to study with the older students was Aphra Behn’s The Rover and with the younger ones, Our Day Out by Willy Russell.
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jesscat304
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Post by jesscat304 »

I love Shakespeare I find his storyline’s very intriguing. I love his writing style and complex characters and there are very few of his plays that I do not enjoy.
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Zenfira
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Post by Zenfira »

Shakespeare is one of my fav writer,because i think only very inloved,emotinal person could write such a works ,where love is the highest top,where everything begin and end with love,that love can solute each problem,can become a sense of life,,He is great in his works ,,and the most talented love writer ever <3
VAwkOb12
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Post by VAwkOb12 »

Shakespeare's works to me are yawn-inducing. I would advise any one who wants to read them to do so in groups that way when someone gets sleepy the others can shake him awake. It's not worth putting up the great effort it takes to get through his writings (Hamlet, romeo, tempest etc). Instead you can check out works like lion and the jewel by wole soyinka, Luanda magere by okoiti omtatah and three suitors one husband by Guillaume oyono-mbia which are better works than those of Shakespeare and they have a bonus of being in a simple and straight forward language.
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Shreeyat
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Post by Shreeyat »

You should try edward 2 by christopher marlowe
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Dunstan Brooks
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Post by Dunstan Brooks »

When I was in junior high school and high school, I, basically, hated Shakespeare because I didn't understand the old English way of speaking. My mother was a high school teacher of English and drama. I think, perhaps, she was disappointed that my brother and I weren't into Shakespeare. When we were 12 and 13, she did take us on field trips with her high school classes to the North Shore Music Theatre in the round to see some plays. I don't know about my brother, but I liked the sword fights and murder scenes. Anyway, I enjoy Shakespeare now. My favorite is King Lear, but I also like Hamlet, As You Like It and The Merchant of Venice . I also enjoy Ibsen's plays.
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