Where to Begin in Shakespeare's Plays

[Vladimir777]

So recently I've been inspired to get more into the classics of literature. Although I just graduated from college and was an English major, the grind of reading multiple books per week really burned me out on reading as a whole, and I didn't get nearly as much out of the many books I read as I would have liked. However, now that I have more time now that I graduated, I'd like to go back and read all the stuff I've missed. Currently I'm reading Lattimore's translation of Iliad, which is good stuff.

However, tackling Shakespeare seems pretty mandatory if you want to get into the history of great literature. I have never read any of his plays, and I would like to ask the opinion of this board as to where I should begin. I have no idea of the order I should go in through his plays, and although I know that there is no set order one should go in and that all of the great ones are great, it's a bit intimidating to know where to start and to know where to go from there. I've heard some say that you should read his histories in order--that they make more sense this way--and I tend to think I will do that, but I doubt I should read all of his big ones in order (or should I?). It'd be nice to have some sort of path to follow along, although I do realize that almost everyone is going to say, "There is no ideal path!" But it can't hurt to ask. I've heard a lot say Hamlet is the best, but it also seems like one of the most challenging, and I'm not sure I'd be up to that (I'd be up for it, but I don't want to be so unversed in Shakespeare that I miss a ton in one of his most brilliant plays). Anyways, hopefully you guys have some suggestions.

[mayneverhave]

You have a degree in English and haven't read any thing by Shakespeare?

That aside. Honestly anywhere is nice to start. Obviously there is recurring "stuff" throughout the plays, but that is not to suggest that the best place to start is the beginning of his career.

If I were you I would sample the best of the different genres: Hamlet/King Lear, As You Like It, and Henry IV, saving the later romance/tragicomedies for after.

[Vladimir777]

Well, I've read some Shakespeare, I just never made it through one of his plays completely to the best of my memory--I was a slacker in college because I could never read fast enough while doing other stuff, and then the teacher would move on to the next book, so I would just give up trying to keep pace. I am not the fastest reader ever, so like I said, being an English major burned me out. I've read most of Lear and Othello (Othello in high school), but I don't believe I finished either. Read some of his sonnets, too.

Also, another question, if one was to buy his complete works, is the Riverside version generally the best one to purchase?

[mayneverhave]

Well, Shakespeare's not going anywhere so: better late than never.

Personally, I would recommend the Norton Ed. of his complete plays and poems (which feature very nice introductions to each play), and the Arden Ed. of whatever individual plays you want to look at with particular scrutiny.

[dfloyd]

because I was an engineering student. So I was in a worse conditon than you, but here's how I read them.

Read the histories in chronolgical order.
Read the tragedies in any order you want with Macbeth and Hamlet being near the rop of your list.
Read the comedies in any order.

Two things will help. 1) The BBC has performed all the plays and they are available on dvd. Most good libraries have these and they will help considerably in understanding Shakespeare. 2) I don't like to read the plays in a few volumes. Shakespeare is best read with each play being in a separate volume. Maybe a few like Henry IV will be in two volumes. Shakespeare is a lifetime investment so buy good editions. You are out of college now and presumably you have a job. The Easton Press publishes all the plays in leather bound volumes for about $50 per volume. I think the total is about 39 volumes, including the sonnets. You can buy them one per month on a subscription basis. When you pick up a play, having it in a single volume doesn't make the task so daunting. You will have the thrill of receiving a new play every month, and if you keep at it, you will read them all before you know it.

[Scheherazade]

I would like to ask the opinion of this board as to where I should begin.

The first act?

[kelby_lake]

The tragedies are the most interesting. Titus Andronicus is nicely gory although some critics don't like it.

Julius Caesar is brilliant- I'd start with that. Then maybe Macbeth.

[prendrelemick]

Julius Ceasar is astoundingly good, but I'd start with something lighter, Troilus and Cressida, simple and on a human scale.

[xman]

I'd have to recommend Romeo & Juliet and Macbeth as staples as well as great places to start.

[Modigliani]

Julius Ceasar is astoundingly good, but I'd start with something lighter, Troilus and Cressida, simple and on a human scale.

Troilus and Cressida should be saved for later, in my opinion, to be truly appreciated. It's actually structurally very different from the others and has some very (dare I say) post-modern aspects. It might be better to first familiarize yourself with the norm. But to each his own! To each his own.

I'm going to be a little annoying and reiterate the Hamlet suggestion and will attempt to give you a brief rundown of what I call my spiel. A good reader of Shakespeare is more or less an actor of Shakespeare and every actor of Shakespeare finds a part of himself in this play. There's a reason most Shakespeare companies' virgin productions are productions of Hamlet (Like LitNet Theatre's!). Yes, yes, yes, it's a masterwork of literature and nuances abound, but I would like to underline the fact that it's also very personal and personable. It speaks to almost everyone. Yeah. That's it. Carry on.

[Vladimir777]

Thanks for the suggestions, all. Yes, I do have a job, but at the moment it is merely working at Borders bookstore, so I don't get the biggest paychecks ever. I somewhat wanted to buy him in one volume, because this would be the most cost-efficient (although hopefully one day soon I will find another job). I am beginning to lean towards reading one of these as my first play: Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Romeo & Juliet, or Hamlet. I definitely want to read the histories in order, though. Everyone says Henry IV (both parts) is the best.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Macbeth, definitely Macbeth: shortest play, no sub-plots (which is very rare), fast paced action, one of the four great tragedies - great place to start. As for what version, I would definitely recommend the RSC version of the complete works, I have just bought this to update my complete works, as my old one was getting tatty, and it is very good. Good introductions and stats, and more importantly, notes on every page of obscure words, great for the beginner and the experienced alike, it will stand you in good stead throughout, what's more it only cost £10 inc delivery from amazon, what could be better value than that? Also the Arden is very good too. Happy reading!

[mayneverhave]

Julius Ceasar is astoundingly good, but I'd start with something lighter, Troilus and Cressida, simple and on a human scale.

Hah, yeah I hope you're being sarcastic here. Troilus and Cressida is easily one of Shakespeare's most complex plays, and one of the most cynical.

I find it funny that you compared it with Julius Caesar as the more human play, considering the fact that Troilus and Cressida deals with a subject matter that is largely mythical, while Julius Ceasar at least dramatizes historic events (albiet obviously in a fictionalized way).

[Vladimir777]

I'm slowly but surely leaning towards Macbeth. Maybe I should read one of his tragedies first, then a comedy (perhaps Twelfth Night?), then a history, and once I've read a fair amount, begin work on his romances? You guys are great at giving fast feedback, by the way. Thanks. How many on here have read all of his plays?

[mal4mac]

Also, another question, if one was to buy his complete works, is the Riverside version generally the best one to purchase?

I prefer the RSC Complete Shakespeare edited by Bate and Rasmussen

Thanks for the suggestions, all. Yes, I do have a job, but at the moment it is merely working at Borders bookstore, so I don't get the biggest paychecks ever. I somewhat wanted to buy him in one volume, because this would be the most cost-efficient ...

Why not just get the RSC Complete Shakespeare and read it from beginning to end? The history plays then come in order, and you get a light-hearted start with the comedies. The first play is "The Tempest", one of his greatest, so you get a great kick start.

The RSC complete is *better* than any single version I've read because the scholarship is cut down to the essentials. So you get all the help you need, but no boring scholarship to weigh you down (you probably had enough of that doing your degree

Merely working at Borders? Is there a more worthwhile job...