Author: William Shakespeare
Pages: 208
Published: 2010 (originally published 1601)
Challenges: The Classics Club
Genre: Drama
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library
Description: A pair of twins are separated by a shipwreck, each believing the other has drowned. A lovesick duke woos a countess deep in mourning for her brother, while her rowdy household plots the downfall of her puritanical steward. Disguise, confusion, and mistaken identity follow in Shakespeare’s great comedy of love in all its manifestations.
Thoughts: Besides Romeo & Juliet, this has to be one of my favourite Shakespeare plays. I think part of it has to do with the fact that it was one of the first plays that I did read and seeing it performed through a video in my English 12 class made the story come alive and made me realize how relatable his plays are. I think it also speaks to how his plays have never really lost their popularity and why they are visited over and over again.
One thing I liked about the play is that the pacing is fairly even and one can see the maturity of Shakespeare's writing and you can also see how his writing is slowly becoming a bit darker (most of his plays after this one are mainly tragedies and histories). I also saw the play performed recently and the ambiguity that lies within the play speaks to what makes us who we are and makes us question if things like gender or class are set in stone.
Bottom line: It is a play that while it is funny and full of humour, it is also a play that allows one to think about who we are and makes us wonder if we can change who we are. Highly recommended.
Rating: 4.5/5
Pages for 2013: 9068
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