I haven't read enough of Shakespeare to pick a favorite, I like all the ones I've read so far. But I just wanted to say that I recently saw a version of Midsummer Night's Dream where Benny Hill plays Bottom. Hilarious!
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I haven't read enough of Shakespeare to pick a favorite, I like all the ones I've read so far. But I just wanted to say that I recently saw a version of Midsummer Night's Dream where Benny Hill plays Bottom. Hilarious!
Bottom is such a cool character. Total show stealer.
I agree he's the funniest character in A Midsummer Night's Dream. This is definately my fave.
My favourite play is Mcbeth ecause i did the play in year 6 to the queen and i studied it in English
Loved a Midsummer Night's Dream. Also, got to see it at the Geary Theatre in San Francisco. So! wonderful
Hamlet is by far my favorite. It is a very compelling piece of work that always gets me.
Heya
Hamlet - incredibly complex play. Some say it's more interesting for what is not said than what is said. Some of the best soliloquies ever.
Love the 'There's a willow grows askant a brook' speech.
I love Midsummer Nights Dream. As a child, I always wanted to enter the worlds of the fairies, and now, as an actor, I have! We performed it last year, and it was magical!
I'm directing it right now.
Hmmm... I'd have to say Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing (although I'm on board with the earlier comment about Hero), and A Winter's Tale - which I don't believe anyone has mentioned yet. I like it, in spite of its problems (or, more likely, because of them).
Cheers!
Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Hamlet. Has anybody seen the 5 minute Hamlet or the Shakespeare Reduced Stage Production, it is hilarious, turning the tragedies into great comic works due to their fast pace.
I don't think so, but I've seen the "Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr" -- I think that's what it's called. Where they do a whole bunch of the comedies and tragedies together pell-mell? It was definately the funniest Shakespeare I've ever seen!
I saw the Reduced Shakespeare Company do a comic Julius Ceaser. That was great. They perform in London now and are running The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), The Complete History of America (abridged), and The Bible: The Complete Works of God (abridged).
Yeah it was something like that, whatever it was called, I recomend it to any avid fans of Will for kicks.
Ooh ooh ooh! I saw the Complete Works (abridged) in London Mar or Apr 1998. All I knew about it was a poster in my English teacher's class, and I absolutely died laughing. One of the actors got hit on the head with a pound coin when people threw money onto the stage at one point, and he really got whacked hard. It was so sad.
My favorite play is either Much Ado or Twelfth Night. Titus is by far my favorite movie of a Shak. play, though -- Hopkins and Alan Cumming are so great.
Midsummer Night's Dream and Shrew are definitely, no contest, my LEAST favorite of the plays. I don't think Taming of the Shrew should even be produced anymore, although I heard of one interesting version where the director had Kate break down in bitter tears at the end of her last monologue. IMO, that's the only way to perform it within the bounds of good taste.
"Much ado about nothing" and "Hamlet"
I saw old Russian movie "Hamlet", it impressed me a lot.
Espesially this scene : (Act III, Scene II)
"O! the recorders: let me see one. To withdraw with you: why do you go about to recover the wind of me, as if you would drive me into a toil?
Guil O! my lord, if my duty be too bold, my love is too unmannerly.
Ham. I do not well understand that. Will you play upon this pipe?
Guil. My lord, I cannot.
Ham. I pray you.
Guil. Believe me, I cannot.
Ham. I do beseech you.
Guil. I know no touch of it, my lord.
Ham. Tis as easy as lying; govern these ventages with your finger and thumb, give it breath with your mouth, and it will discourse most eloquent music. Look you, these are the stops.
Guil. But these cannot I command to any utterance of harmony; I have not the skill.
Ham. Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing you make of me. You would play upon me; you would seem to know my stops; you would pluck out the heart of my mystery; you would sound me from my lowest note to the top of my compass; and there is much music, excellent voice, in this little organ, yet cannot you make it speak. -Sblood, do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe? Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me."
I know my favorite scenes of Romeo and Julieta by heart, but in my native language.
That is such a great speach. Shakespeare was the man.
Em, Shrew is a great play. Both Kate and Petruccio were horrible to each other, so my heart isn't going to bleed for Kate. The production that I saw (with an all female cast btw) did a great job of showing how every time Petruccio was about to give in, Kate would go and do something *****y and ruin it. Its not a cheuvenist play about a tyrant husband. Its about a jerk of a guy trying to fix his ***** of a wife.
That's a good point, Kik. But though I'm usually the last person to complain about "womens issues," I can't help wincing at some of the lines in that play. It's so... "The Quiet Man"-ish. Not denying they're still both creeps -- that's why it stays at the bottom of my list. Socio-political issues aside, I just find it unenjoyable.
fair enough. I think its great.
Macbeth is my fave, it was the first one I read by him and I was 12 or 13 and I've read it a few times after that...but they are all so good and every time I finish one I think it's the best one by him...
I like almost everything by Shakespeare. Believe or not in Poland we devote some 15 minutes to Shakespeare during literature classes. A pity because he's fantastic. I especially like Midsummer Night's Dream, Tempest and Othello.
I Agree With J Banks.I Do Have Several Also-Macbeth,Hamlet,Romeo And Juliet,Julius Caesar,Anthony And Cleopatra,Othello.All Of Them Are Really Good,I Can't Honestly Pick A Favorite.Iago From Othello Is My Favorite Villain Tho Bar None.I Read An Agatha Christie Which Had A Tie In To Iago So I Read The Play To See What She Was Talking About.Thats How I Got Turned On To It.I Thank Agatha For Othello.The Rest I Found On My Own.
Othello Is An Easy Read And Highly Enjoyable Too.Good Luck.I Read The EBible One Summer Too.Ambitious Project.Wish You Luck.
Favorite historical: King Henry IV
Tragedy: Either Macbeth or Titus Andronicus
Comedy: Either Comedy of Errors or A Midsummer Night's Dream
Lets see... all of them *L* though If I have to choose favorites...
Historical : Richard III
Comedy: its a tie between Taming of the Srew and Merchant of Venice
Tradgey: Tie between Hamlet and Macbeth
I haven't read a lot of Shakespeare, although I have read a decent amount, but my favorite so far has been King Lear.
hard to beat old Lear, but would highly recommend Hank Cinq ... very visual!
Richard II
TITUS
followed by Julius Caesar (although it's been quite a while since i read it).
has anyone watched the Titus film starring Anthony Hopkins?
is there a thread for Shakes films somewhere? sorry, just joined and haven't had a look around yet...
Hurray for Titus Andronicus - my personal favorite Shakespearean tragedy too. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by SleepyWitch
Here: http://www.online-literature.com/for...ead.php?t=3703Quote:
Originally Posted by SleepyWitch
Welcome to the forum!
The tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice is my favourite play.
My favourite Shakespeare play of all is Hamlet, perhaps because of the philosophical treatment of the plot. Though a tragedy, it still has a bit of comedy to make the balance, though it is - of course - rather black comedy.
Quote:
Hamlet: Whose grave is that, sirrah?
First Clown: Mine, sir.
Hamlet: I think it be thine indeed...for thou liest in't!
First Clown: I lie not in it, and yet it is mine.
----
Hamlet: Do you think Alexander looked so in the earth?
Horatio: Even so, my lord.
Hamlet: And smelt so? Pah!
Favorite play is Macbeth, events are dramatic and on stage if portrayed properly leaves a lasting image on viewer about ambition and reversal of nature (Lady Macbeth having a masculine approach when she tries to manipulate Macbeth)
hmm i think Hamlet...although i find Macbeth one of the greatest plays ever...But i dont know Hamlet's character is so fine and the way he always blame himself.Macbeth is wonderful as well in sense of showing the fall of a great man, and how vaulting ambition can turn harmony into chaos.
Othello
Macbeth
Hamlet
A midsummer night dream
MacBeth
The Merchandice of Venice
Hamlet
Midsummer Night's Dream
MacBeth
The Merchant of Venice :D
P.S.- SleepyWitch I absolutely love your avatar.
hallo
I need help someone tell me about the mid summer night dream
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!
1000000000000000000% much ado about nothing!!!