The Tempest - William Shakespeare

Title: The Tempest
Author: William Shakespeare
Pages: 92
Published: 1610
Genre: Drama
Edition: E-book
Source: Serial Reader

Description: Prospero—a magician on an enchanted island—punishes his enemies, brings happiness to his daughter, and comes to terms with human use of supernatural power. The Tempest embodies both seemingly timeless romance and the historically specific moment in which Europe begins to explore and conquer the New World. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: Not my favourite Shakespeare play.  Thought it was okay; probably would have thought better of it if I had read it more regularly or had taken the time to read it along Sparknotes.

Bottom line: It's a preferential taste as to what play you like.

Rating: 2.75/5

Twelfth Night - William Shakespeare

Title: Twelfth Night
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

The Taming of the Shrew - William Shakespeare

Title: The Taming of the Shrew
Author: William Shakespeare
Pages: 304
Published: 2003 (originally published 1590)
Genre: Drama, Classics
Challenges: Support Your Library, The Classics Club
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library

Description: Lucentio falls in love with Bianca, the apparently ideal younger daughter of the wealthy Baptista Minola. But before they can marry, Bianca's formidable elder sister, Katherine, must be wed. Petruchio, interested only in the huge dowry, arranges to marry Katherine -against her will- and enters into a battle of the sexes that has endured as one of Shakespeare's most enjoyable works. (via Goodreads.com)

Thoughts: I saw this play in September and quite honestly this play reaffirmed my belief that Shakespeare's plays are better watched than they are read, but there are some where I could read and see them and they would be effective both ways and this isn't one of them.  It should be noted that I am writing this when I am really tired and am unable to concentrate really well and quite honestly all I can remember is that while it was a quick read, it wasn't exactly a memorable one, as the play has a lot of innuendo that is put to better use on the stage.  If you are of a certain age, you may remember a movie called 10 Things I Hate About You; this is the play that it is based.

Bottom line: I would haven't read the play but because I was going to a production of the play, I was reading it. Its probably not one of Shakespeare's greatest plays and its a play that can easily be forgotten in the midst of the various other plays that Shakespeare is more well known for.

Rating:  3/5

Pages for 2012:  21356

Henry V - William Shakespeare

Title: Henry V
Author: William Shakespeare
Pages: 352
Published: 2004 (first published 1599)
Challenges: The Classics Club, Reading Shakespeare
Genre: Drama, Classic
Edition: E-book
Source: Free download from Kobo

Description: After the turmoil and uncertainty of Henry IV a new era appears to dawn for England with the accession of the eponymous Henry V. In this sunny pageant, the Chorus guides us along Henry's glittering carpet ride of success as the new king completes his transformation from rebellious wastrel to a truly regal potentate. Of course, there is an underlying feeling that the good times won't last, and this is all the more reason to enjoy the Indian summer before the protracted and bitter fall of the house of Lancaster. (via LibriVox)

Thoughts: I put this one off for quite sometime and probably should have read this one pretty much right away, as I could have read the play in a few hours and for some reason, this one just kept being pushed to back of the ever increasing book pile, so my thoughts are pretty much muddled and honestly I really don't know what to think of the play, except that probably a bit of a read on Wikipedia on Henry V or even reading the summary of the play on Sparknotes would have helped with my understanding of the play.  Basically I don't know what to think of the play and maybe a re-read should be in order for this play.

Bottom line:  Probably would recommend this play for those that are diehard Shakespeare fans rather than those of us who are fans of his comedies and tragedies; the history plays are more dense and do require a bit more background reading before you do actually go ahead and read them.

Rating: 3/5

Pages for 2012: 15815

Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare

Title: Romeo & Juliet
Author: William Shakepeare
Pages: 283
Published: 2004 (first published 1595)
Challenges: The Classics Club, 2012 Back to the Classics
Genre: Drama, Classic
Edition: E-book
Source: Free download from Kobo

Description: Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young "star-cross'd lovers" whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. 


Thoughts:  This is one of my favourite plays but for some strange reason, this took me awhile to actually read.  Part of it had to do with the fact that I didn't feel like reading and that I had other things to read in the meantime.  Anyways, I quite enjoyed it and still remains one of my favourites.  I think what struck me was how complex the play is and even though I have seen the Leonardo Dicaprio and Claire Danes version of the play (yes, I realize that its a modern version of the play) on a number of occasions (yes, I did see it when it came out in theatres), I have seen the play performed live.  I think what takes me aback is how complex the play is and also how much humour is incorporated into the play, even thought it may only be slight.


Bottom line:  If you have read any of Shakespeare's plays or have watched the movie version of this play, I recommend the play highly.


Rating: 4/5


Pages for 2012: 9500

Macbeth - William Shakespeare

Title: Macbeth
Author: William Shakespeare
Pages: 272
Published: 2011 (first published 1606)
Challenges: 2012 Reading Shakespeare: A Play a month
Genre: Drama, Classic
Edition: E-book
Source: Downloaded for free

Description: This drama is one of the great tragedy themed plays by William Shakespeare. The themes illustrated in the play include ambition, fate, deception and treachery. Three witches decide to confront the great Scottish general Macbeth on his victorious return from a war between Scotland and Norway. The Scottish king, Duncan, decides that he will confer the title of the traitorous Cawdor on the heroic Macbeth. Macbeth, and another General called Banquo, happen upon the three witches. The witches predict that he will one day become king. He decides that he will murder Duncan. Macbeth's wife agrees to his plan. He then murders Duncan assisted by his wife who smears the blood of Duncan on the daggers of the sleeping guards. A nobleman called Macduff discovers the body. Macbeth kills the guards insisting that their daggers smeared with Duncan's blood are proof that they committed the murder. The crown passes to Macbeth. More murders ensue and the bloodied ghost of Banquo appears to Macbeth. Lady Macbeth's conscience now begins to torture her and she imagines that she can see her hands covered with blood. She commits suicide. Macduff kills Macbeth and becomes king. (via http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100906200721AAtWKz3)


Thoughts: I have seen Macbeth performed, but I had never read it and this was something that I did enjoy but was not necessarily something that I just wanted to pick up for the sake of reading and honestly felt it was hard to find the motivation to read it.  Overall, the play was really good, but it wasn't something that I liked.  It felt like it was dark and morbid and maybe Shakespeare was playing with those themes as he was about 10 years away from dying when he wrote this play.  I think the most enjoyable scene was the witches scene in which they go "Double Double toil and trouble.  Clearly this play has a threshold quality to it, as Shakespeare companies and schools put on this play time and time again and clearly attracts people to come and see, but not necessarily read it.  I don't think that reading something like this is exactly popular (but neither is Titus Andronicus, which I never want to ever read again; trust me, its horrible).


While this is an excellent play, it didn't have the addictiveness that I have found with most of his plays that I have read beforehand (there are a number that I have read before that are good that aren't that addictive) and I also didn't feel that the themes were particularly strong in this play, especially when compared with Hamlet, which I find was a little more original and a little more addictive than Macbeth, but then that's me.


Bottom line: Overall it is pretty good and I was quite impressed with the play and the language and if you are a big fan of Shakespeare or of classic literature, I would highly recommend this play.


Rating: 4/5


Pages for 2012: 7701


If you have read this play, what did you think of it? Anything about this play that piqued your interest in maybe finally picking it up?

A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakespeare

Title: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Author: William Shakespeare
Size: 66 KB (copy used on Goodreads had 256 pages)
Published: 2009 (First published 1595)
Challenges: Reading Shakespeare: a play a month in 2012
Genre: Drama, Classics, Shakespeare
Edition: ebook
Source: Free download
Rating: 3/5

Shakespeare's intertwined love polygons begin to get complicated from the start--Demetrius and Lysander both want Hermia but she only has eyes for Lysander. Bad news is, Hermia's father wants Demetrius for a son-in-law. On the outside is Helena, whose unreturned love burns hot for Demetrius. Hermia and Lysander plan to flee from the city under cover of darkness but are pursued by an enraged Demetrius (who is himself pursued by an enraptured Helena). In the forest, unbeknownst to the mortals, Oberon and Titania (King and Queen of the faeries) are having a spat over a servant boy. The plot twists up when Oberon's head mischief-maker, Puck, runs loose with a flower which causes people to fall in love with the first thing they see upon waking. Throw in a group of labourers preparing a play for the Duke's wedding (one of whom is given a donkey's head and Titania for a lover by Puck) and the complications become fantastically funny. (via Goodreads)


Thoughts: Its been a couple of days since I last read the play, as I read it in one sitting, but overall I felt that the book flew me by pretty quick to form a complete opinion.  Certainly not one of my favourite plays by Shakespeare, but even then the play is pretty good.  Reading a play by Shakespeare does not do it justice and one really has to see the play in order to get a better sense of the play and quite honestly I can see why.  The language, especially in regards to this particular play, is action oriented.  What I basically mean is that the language indicates the action and is predicated on somebody on seeing what is going on, not somebody just hearing the action or reading it on a page.


Bottom line: Not one of my favourites, but definitely worth the read.    I will have more to say on the play in the next couple of weeks.


Page total for 2012: 608