Forum: William Shakespeare

As a lot of you seem to like Shakespeare in some shape or form, I just wondered whether you have favourite productions of plays that you've seen? Here are some of mine: Hamlet - RSC 2004, of the three Hamlet's I've seen, Toby Stephens is still my favourite for all his swagger, excellent...

Was Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida pro or anti-war? What are some quotes, and solid reasons to back up each case?

EVERYONE: what is your view on the authorship & identity question in relation to Shakespeare and de Vere? Do you believe Edward de Vere wrote the sonnets, poems and plays?

what's your favorite of shakespeare's works, mine are the taming of the shrew and hamlet, i find it amazing that he can write both comedies and tragedies so well, i really liked a comedy of errors as well.

I haven't seen a thread on Shakespeare's sonnets, so here's a bit to start. I read about half of them during the autumn, and read the rest the last 2 days. They were more difficult for me to appreciate at first since they are denser than the plays. I highly recommend reading them in order....

Sincerely, i dont get what have we been trying to achieve in last 500 years. I mean, guys, knock it off, give up literature, give up reading, writing, everything... Thats all i can say after reading Richard the third! Goddamn, that lunatic lived in 16th century and he wrote like nobody ever...

I was inspired to start this thread by a recent gem posted at McSweeney's: Hamlet (Facebook News Feed Edition) Does anyone else have any favourite reinventions of the bard's work? There are many movies "based on" his plays, spoofs, and investigations. Plus, that FB Hamlet is hilarious!

I was given 4 thorough study passages for King Lear. In hese passages I am suppossed to identify figures of speech and other techniques Shakespeare uses to "paint word pictures" The passages are Act 1 scene 1 lines 37-106 (1.1:37-106) Lear/ Goneril/ Regan/ Cordelia "meantime we shall..." Note...

I have to read King Lear in my Great Books II class, its kind of hard. Do you have any tips for reading his works? (that have helped you).

I think everyone knows how genius he is, it shows in his writings and poems, he managed to merge and mix things that couldn't be mixed, Thus he earned the title genius, if you have anything you could add to this it would be great addition to the Shakespeare thread. I have gathered some...

My initial attempt to start drama/play club failed because there was no time I could read the Death of a Salesman. It might take years for me to get time to read that book.. heh. Anyway, skipping that, I decided to pick up The Tempest and read it. Now, since I'm not good at Shakespeare stuff at...

I would like to ask you guys' inputs on what you think are important on following questions. I'll add my answers to all the questions so feel free to add/modify them. I have a huge test on them on Monday... 1. The order and importance of the main events that occur throughout the play My answer...

Howdy guys I have to write an essay on Troilus and Cressida, a play by good ol' Bill Shakespeare... I know Chaucer wrote about Troilus and Cressyde, but I can't find anything about where the story originally came from... I assumed it was an ancient greek classic, maybe Homer. If anyone...

Any ideas on significant issues Shakespeare is asking the audience to wrestle with in King Lear? I am suppossed to discuss his success in causing these issues to come into sharp focus. What does Shakespeare achieve in juxtaposing the Lear and Gloucester families? Why must Gloucester lose his...

I am trying to find the two most significant issues Shakespeare asks his audience to wrestle with in henry V. I am suppossed to discuss his refusal to answer any simple questions with easy answers and the issues revlevence in today's world. Also these three questions. 1. Discuss the role played...

I was assigned these through study passages from Henry V : Act 1 scene 1 lines 24-66 (1.1:24-66) Canterbury/ Ely "The courses of his youth...." Are these 2 gentlemen seriously examining the King's issues with France or are they looking rather intently at their own interests? What are they...

We were discussing in my English literature class the death of Portia (Brutus' wife). We were wondering why she chose to take her life by swallowing hot coals. We really didn't come up with anything good, and since it seems like there are quite a few people here who may know a thing or two...

I have heard all sorts of theories on Iago's motives, I was wondering what the good people of LF thought. I won't give any opinions of my own, basically let's say that having studied it all year I know all the theories but can't really decide...although I like the idea that he may have been...