Old Books, New Readers discussion

Shakespeare! Who has read his plays? Who liked them? Who didn't? Which was your favorite?

Personally, I love his writing! It takes some time for me to read his plays, because I have to figure out the vocabulary and the jokes and all that, but I have liked everything of his that I've read. Othello was probably my least favorite, and I'm in the process of reading the Twelfth Night. And A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet are probably my favorites (though Romeo and Juliet my be partially due to the movie Shakespeare in Love...).

I like Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Romeo and Juliet.

I must admit I have never read anything by Shakespeare. I want to but I can never find any of his stuff. My sister is a big fan. I haven't ever read one of his plays or seen any of the movies based off his works, and I don't know the plot to any of his stories except they both die in Romeo and Juliet but I am not sure how.

What I know about that I got from a very unreliable source. (The movie "Hot Fuzz")

They do both die, that's the one thing most people know about that play :) it's actually a really good play, despite how often it's talked about and referred to (most things like that don't live up to the hype). If you can ever find his works Christa, you should definitely read them. It's probably best to find a version with some kind of translation/footnotes otherwise he's tough to understand.

And I liked Hamlet too, I'm just not sure it makes it onto my favorites :) Have any of you (who have read Hamlet) heard of the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead? It's so good!

I've read four of his plays. Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado about Nothing, Twelfth Night, and Midsummer's Night Dream.
My favorites would have to be the last two.

I am pretty sure I can find some of his works at a thrift store so I will look next time I go. Even if I don't read it, it will be on my book shelve and people will think "Wow she reads Shakespeare's, she must be smart".

Hahaha, I do that sometimes! Some of the books on my bookshelves are only there because (though I plan on reading them someday) I look like I read an awesome variety of classic literature, when in reality I've read maybe half of the classics I have :D

Lol likewise.

The only one I have read is Romeo and Juliet (I am reading that on my kindle now) and I like it

Romeo and Juliet is really good! If you like it, you should watch the movie Shakespeare in Love someday, it's about that play

I've never read anything of Shakespeare.
I have several of his stuff, but I don't have good mood to touch it.

I prefer to start by watching the movie such as Romeo and Juliet or Shakespeare in Love. Or maybe it'll be great to know your review so I'll have some interest to read it one day.

Shakespeare! Squee!!!

Alright, well, here's the thing: I'm a fan of the darker Shakespeare plays. Macbeth, Othello, Titus Andronicus, King Lear, Hamlet, that sort of stuff. I love those tragedies, but especially the pathos of the characters and everything.

I get the vibe most of you will hate me for this, but I REALLY didn't care for Romeo and Juliet until I thought of it ironically. It isn't really a romance so much as the story of foolish love, I think. After all, the full title is the Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, not the Romance of Romeo and Juliet. Their tragic flaw is their haste and lack of foresight.

At least, that's how I see it.

Haha. You should know that the group you've just joined is chalk full of opinionated people who are not afraid to say it, so don't worry about that. We'll just argue with you about how our opinions are right :D

I didn't like Romeo and Juliet the first time I read it, as a freshman in high school. I thought it was dumb, honestly. but the more I thought about it, and then after seeing Shakespeare in love (it really did change my opinion of the play, that's why I keep bringing it up), and then rereading the play, I loved it. So I'm not entirely sure what changed, I guess i just had a new perspective on it.

And Anthony, if you like those tragedies and enjoyed Hamlet, you should read the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard. It's brilliant!

lol! Fair enough. You've been warned. =3

Honestly, I've never seen Shakespeare in Love. I always wanted to, but I kinda pushed it back continually. I kinda also want to watch Anonymous, though less because I think I'd like it so much as because I love watching bad movies. ^_^

YES!!! I saw the film version with Gary Oldman, and that was good.

Oh my gosh, the movie was amazing! I loved it. And Gary Oldman being in it only helped :D I've been trying to find it so I can buy it, actually, but it appears other people did not like it was much as I did because it is nowhere. And I highly recommend Shakespeare in Love, but recognize that it might not be to some people's taste. I thought it was brilliant and its totally my sense of humor.

I keep meaning to watch Anonymous but haven't. And I don't know anyone who saw it. So it's kind of up in the air right now. it could be great and it could suck

You can always torrent it. Torrenting solves all issues with obscure films. ^_^ I'm sure I'll enjoy Shakespeare in Love. I mean, I enjoyed Amadeus and some other films that took a few liberties with history. Plus, I hear everyone loves the film.

I remember what my Shakespeare professor said when asked if he saw it. He just looked at the student who asked it with this sad look in his eye, as if he was being forced to recall some horrible war scene. It looked painful for him...it just made me want to see it more. =3

Amadeus is so good! But Shakespeare in Love... I'm sure your teacher's look said it all. It's not a happy ending, but it is SO well done. I never get tired of it. It's this amazing mix of hilarious and meaningful and exciting and heart-breaking and you hope (even though you know it's not) that that's what Shakespeare's life was really like :D It's just... yeah. Plus the cast is incredible. The guy who plays Shakespeare, Joseph Fiennes (yes, Voldemort's brother) is unbelievably good. The emotions he can get across just with his eyes is amazing. Please tell me if you ever watch it!

I'm sorry, I meant that was my professor's reaction to seeing Anonymous. That meant that he was so bothered by the film's existence that he felt as if it was an attack on Shakespeare's life.

Still, he liked Shakespeare in Love as a film. Ralph Fiennes' brother? He has a brother who's an actor? That alone is encouraging, since Ralph Fiennes is great. (He was AMAZING in Schindler's List and Red Dragon, too!)

I haven't seen Red Dragon! He's in that?! I saw Silence of the Lambs and thought it was crazy, though whether I liked it or not is hard to say (BTW, hoping this is the same Red Dragon I'm thinking of, otherwise ignore the Silence of the Lambs comment because it won't be relevant)

And my bad. But I don't need Anonymous to be historically accurate. Goodness know Shakespeare in Love isn't. I just want it to be intriguing and not a waste of my time

No, it's the same Red Dragon you're thinking of. he plays the main villain in that, and is just amazing at it! You really feel bad for him while watching it, but--my God is he great...

lol, I hear it's interesting, but it's made by the guy who directed Independence Day. His films tend to be silly, but awfully more fun than they should be.

Anthony Hopkins is the same way in Silence of the Lambs. You don't feel for him necessarily, because he's crazy and sick, but he is so good at it.

Oh really? I didn't know that. Well yeah, it's probably not that wonderfully or historically accurate, in that case... But the possibility for entertaining is still there, so I'll hold on hope.

lol, well, it's kinda different, though. With Anthony Hopkins, he was always just so awesome. You knew he was sick, but he was so affable you just kinda started to like the guy. With Ralph Fiennes' character, he's just really tragic, and, even when he's doing horrible things, you can feel his pain and suffering. It's really great.

lol, it certainly will be entertaining. ^_^

Interesting. I'm always curious to see how actors play villains because they have so many options in how they can portray them, and they're always different.

And what's really funny, if an actor who usually play good guys plays a villian. Whenever I see that, I just can't help seeing the good guy's he'd played before under all the villianry...lol.

Maybe that is why there are career bad guys who like never play a good guy. Like Sean Bean who always dies.

Sean Bean is a walking spoiler. The spoiler being...he dies.

Actually, that's why I liked the Lovely Bones, where Stanley Tucci plays a villain. I mean...the guy always plays the nice guy you just love, and then he plays a murderous pedophile...and he's awesome!

I know! Like this guy who usually plays the romantic hero...in Transformers 3 he was the bad guy. And he did a good job too, fir a guy who's usually the swoony character. ;)

Oh, you mean the guy from Grey's Anatomy and Enchanted? Patrick Dempsy or something. He was probably the best part of Transformers 3. I wasn't a huge fan of that, especially that Leonard Nemoy (another example of this, since he's famous for playing Spock on Star Trek) played a character that was essentially overshadowed by everyone else...

Yeah...that's him! I forgot his name...but yeah, that's him.
I know...I like Spock...in both the TV show and new movie.

Oh yeah the bad guy in transformers 3 was really good.

Wow we went from Shakespeare to Transformers. Nice.

The other day I watched this video on youtube of all of Sean Beans death scene. And he seriously dies in every movie, excepting Roan where he is simply kicked out of the group 20mins into the film and never seen again. But basically the same thing.

Spock is great! Always loved him. Yeah, this thread has spiraled out of control, but that's always the fun type of topic.

Yeah! A friend of mine forced me to watch it, so it was really hilarious. I think someone mentioned it after we were watching LotR or something.

I'm sure if we tried we'd be able to connect LOTR, Star Trek, and Shakespeare, so it's not that off topic.

He doesn't die in Percy Jackson...he plays Zeus in that...;)

He doesn't die in National Treasure either. He does get arrested though

Yeah...:)

Good point. I forget he played in National Treasure.

Me too, until she said it. ;)

Oh yeah! In fact, the only guy in National Treasure who dies is that random dude who falls down the shaft...did he even have a name?

Well then you're all welcome for the reminder! And I'm sure they yelled his name while he was falling, but I doubt anyone knows it. I don't. How sad for that actor.

Indeed...so when will services for this man be held? All fictional characters need their period of mourning...

I took a course in Shakespeare about a year ago, so I read quite a bit (besides the readings in h.s. English and drama). I loved Taming of the Shrew. I absolute dread and can't stand and hate and . . . (you get the picture) King Lear. I'm not horribly fond of his sonnets, but I can handle them if I take them in short doses. Have you ever seen the Brit Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare Re-Visited (I think that's what it's called). They twist it slightly to modern day ideas. Moaning Myrtle (from Harry Potter) plays Kate (the Shrew). It's really cute. YouTube used to have them, I hope they still do :)

You missed his funeral service?! I must have forgotten to invite you... Whoops.

And, I haven't read Taming of the Shrew or seen the movie, but if you liked it that much I'll have to read it! As soon as I'm done with the Twelfth Night. I haven't read King Lear either. I might someday, but I'm not expecting to love it.

I know! I think I was attending the funeral to all the people who died in the last Roland Emmerich film. Those services take awhile...

I know what you mean. The service for 2012? Longest. Funeral. Ever.

I have always love A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet ! <333

A Midsummer Night's Dream is wonderful! I went and saw the play earlier this year. Char, do you ever read/like YA fantasy books? Because there's a series (which you might have heard of so sorry if I'm telling you something you already know) by Julie Kagawa called the Iron Fey, and the characters are loosely based on A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Really? AWESOME! I wish there'll be Shakespeare plays in the Philippines! :(
I love YA Fantasy books! XD It's alright! I've never heard it before. I'll check it out! :) Thanks for the recommendation! It's very nice of you to do so! I really hope I'll like it! :)

Yeah, the Iron Fey is an AWESOME series....definitely recommend it to Midsummer Night lovers....
Has anyone seen Twelfth Night? The one I'm thinking of has Ben Kingsley in it as the joker guy.

Haley wrote: "You missed his funeral service?! I must have forgotten to invite you... Whoops.

And, I haven't read Taming of the Shrew or seen the movie, but if you liked it that much I'll have to read it! As so..."

OMG the movie "Taming of the Shew" with Elizabeth Tyler is sooooo funny. I seriously almost died! If you can find it anywhere you should see it.