I'm a sucker for the tragedies, could take or leave the comedies, and am intrigued by the problem plays.
As for the apocrypha...
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I'm a sucker for the tragedies, could take or leave the comedies, and am intrigued by the problem plays.
As for the apocrypha...
I love the 'tragedies' the very best; however, several of the 'histories' are a close second; my favorites being the Henry IV and V plays and Richard III.
I'd easily plump for tragedy - I love his comedies, but they just don't have the same emotive ability with me. I like the histories too.
Actually I love them all, but I have to admit the trajedies transcend.
Virgil, so it is with your spelling, transcends reality! :lol: tragedy is spelled with a g and not a j...:nod:Quote:
Originally Posted by Virgil
Indeed :)
The tragedies, definitely. Macbeth the most.
I'm going to have to side with the majority as well, the tragedies.
Although, I like Hamlet more than Macbeth.
I love Shakespeare's so called problem plays or the plays which defy their genre of which I like to include Romeo & Juliet for starting out just like a comedy but changing direction half way through. I also have a healthy appreciation for some of the apocrypha and an uncommon interest in the histories.
X
Yes, R and J does start out a bit like a comedy. Hamlet may be a tragedy but it has a lot of comedy in (most tragedies just have comic relief).
I like Measure for Measure :)
I really like his later Romance plays - The Tempest, The Winter's Tale. They have a mellowness and serenity which I enjoy very much. :as-sleep:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Janine
My feelings exactly, minus the admiration for Richard III. ;)
Asside from RIII, to your quick response I say - that was a no-brainer! I knew, soon as I saw you, Modi, had posted in here, that you would say 'tragedies!' or vote thus. :lol: Seems they are greatly leading in the vote!Quote:
Originally Posted by Modigliani
Those tragedies are so majestic it's hard not to vote for them, but I do find a quality in his comedies that's utterly delightful and perhaps equally profound but in a very different way to his tragedies. Those late Romances are irresistible too, and I have a lot of respect for the greatness of the problem plays. The Histories are hit and miss for me, really. I just wouldn't to be without his great tragedies and comedies. I'll vote for the tragedies, but if I was in a different mood I could easily take a few of his best comedies over anything else.
I see no-one has voted for the dreaded apocrypha
hahah...I don't even know what that is. Could someone fill me on that category? :confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by kelby_lake
Basically, plays linked to Billy Shakes with questionable authorship.
It would be a little nonsensical to list an apocryphal play as a favorite work of Shakespeare, non? ;)
Do you know specifically which plays they are? I have read in my books of some said to be questionable of Shake's authorship; but I am curious to know which ones you have read about.Quote:
Originally Posted by Modigliani
'Billy Shakes'..that's pretty good...really quite funny! I will have to dig up this Black Adder clip I saw on Youtube with Hugh Laurie playing Will. Just that long wig makes one laugh. They are editing the "to be or not to be" speech in Hamlet. It's truly hystercal.
Wikipedia has a list
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare_Apocrypha
The only ones anyone really thinks of as being Shakespearean are Pericles and The Two Noble Kinsman.Quote:
Originally Posted by Janine
Which genre of Shakespeare's plays do you prefer? This is, upon reflection, a rather thought provoking question and one not unlike which type of music do you prefer? The simple answer? Well, I’m not sure there is one. My preference in music often differs depending upon mood and provoked memory and to a degree I feel the same about Shakespeare. Let me think back – Ah yes at school…Julius Caesar – Not my cup of tea…A Midsummer Night’s Dream studied and along with a visit to the Birmingham Rep enhanced the written word, thus making a deep impression. Then, what about the influence of both stage and screen? Henry V, either Olivier’s or Branagh’s – prefer the latter – Ah but seeing it on stage at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, added further depth. So shall I say Histories? No wait a moment I’ve just thought, what about As You Like It, at the Globe along side the Thames in London. Rosalind was superb…I Stood as a groundling in the yard. The atmosphere electric, not least because we had to endure a downpour. So much so that the actors invited the groundlings on stage during the interval simply to get respite from the storm…But what a wonderful memory, and that, from my point of view is what makes choosing so difficult…It’s not simply words on paper, there are so many extenuating circumstances involved. So which genre shall I choose? It will have to be: Tracomhisproapo. “Ay Forsooth” - Merry Wives of Windsor [1, 4]