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Encountering Shakespeare- Five Best Pl

Encountering Shakespeare- Five Best Plays

to Read or Watch
Aug 24, 2010 Theodore Haddad

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The thought of reading Shakespeare can be daunting, so here is a list

of five plays to start with, including Hamlet, Macbeth, and Henry V.

Shakespeare- The World's Greatest

Playwright - Unknown

To encounter
Shakespeare, either
reading the plays or
watching them performed
on stage or in film, can be a
daunting task. But despite
the difficult language and
obscure references and
symbols, including a great
amount of alchemical
symbolism, reading or
watching Shakespeare is
worth the time.
Shakespeare was a prolific
writer having left for
modern man almost 40
plays and more than 150
sonnets. It is
understandable that unless
an individual is an avid
scholar of Shakespeare
they will never find the time
or energy to examine all of
his work. For this reason it
may be useful to have a
guide in ones quest to
discover Shakespeare and
for the individual who is
just starting out, here is a
list of five plays worth
watching or reading.

The Life of
Shakespeare
Before delving into the task
of finding five plays that
should make the list, it may
be important to develop a

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brief understanding of
William Shakespeares life.
Shakespeare was born in
1564, though the exact day
and month is debatable it
was most likely that the
day was 23, April as he
was baptized at the Holy
Trinity Church on 26,
April; traditionally children
were baptized a few days
after their birth.
Shakespeare was educated
at the Stratford Grammar
School, which was located
about 85 miles from
London, where he was
exposed to the Greek and
Latin classics which later
had an influence in his
work. In 1582,
Shakespeare married Anne
Hathaway and until 1594,
there is little record of their
life together.

Read on

Overture Films Announces New

Version of Hamlet
Shakespeare Stories for Children - A
Review
Introduce Children to Shakespeare
Books to Read Five Plays as
Enjoyable on Paper as on Stage
Branagh's 1992 Film Adaptation of
Much Ado About Nothing:A Review
A Timeline of Shakespeare's Life and
Plays
Kenneth Branagh's Adaptation of
Henry V
Shakespeare's Ideas: What Have They
Done to the Bard?
more in shakespearean theatre

Books to Read
Five Plays as
Enjoyable on Paper
as on Stage
A Timeline of
Shakespeare's Life
and Plays
Overture Films
Announces New
Version of Hamlet

It was in the early 1590s

that Shakespeares plays
began to emerge though he
may have been writing as
early as the mid 1580s.
Many of his plays were performed at the Globe theatre which was built around 1599, and
Shakespeares success grew exponentially as he received commissions from Queen Elizabeth I and
later from James I.

Five Plays Worth Watching (or Reading)

Though it is difficult to select only five of Shakespeares plays, it is beneficial to have a good starting
point with which to embark on the sometimes intimidating road to encountering Shakespeare. These
plays may not always be considered Shakespeares best, but they include a variety of genres and
complexities.
1. Perhaps the most important of all Shakespeares plays (and what is often considered his best
as well as one of the greatest pieces of literature in the English language) is Hamlet. One of
the great tragedies, Hamlet has become one of the best known of the plays containing many
popular lines including the To be, or not to be... soliloquy. Hamlet is inundated with
symbolism but the plot is easy to follow and the characters are memorable. While reading or
watching Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh starred in and directed a stunning adaptation in 1996), it
is important to note the language surrounding death and dying as well as to observe the

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parallel between the characters of Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras.
2. Another tragedy that should be considered is Macbeth. Like Hamlet, it is a play deep in
symbolism but may come across much darker than Hamlet. Also, the theme of Macbeth
differs in that is it a play of misplaced ambition rather than revenge. Things to be conscious of
in Macbeth are Macbeths internal struggle and the concept of divine retribution.
Controversial director Roman Polanskis 1971 film adaptation of Macbeth captures the
essence of the play quite well.
3. Moving from tragedy to history, Henry V may be the best to read or view if only one history
play were to be considered. Henry V contains much of the drama and complexity of many of
Shakespeares tragedies, and the historical elements are presented well. Though
Shakespeare had a habit of changing history to favor the English, Henry V may be read with
some historical confidence. Kenneth Branagh also has an excellent adaptation of this play,
filmed in 1989.
4. Making the leap from tragedy to history may not seem drastic, but often times Shakespeare
also attempted to blend tragedy with comedy as he did in Much Ado About Nothing.
Though it combines tragic elements, the play is humorous nonetheless and does not become
overly complex and ambiguous as such plays as Measure For Measure. There are several
enticing subplots and parallel stories which create an enjoyable comic tension. Kenneth
Branaghs 1993 film adaptation in which he stars along with Denzel Washington, Kate
Beckinsale, and Keanu Reeves is an entertaining way to enjoy the play.
5. The last play on the list is another comedy but with far fewer elements of tragedy as are found
in Much Ado About Nothing. The fanciful play A Midsummer Nights Dream takes the
audience from the reality of the human comedy into a world of fairies and magic. A
Midsummer Nights Dream is an easy play to watch or read and has many humorous and
memorable characters such as the mischievous fairy Puck, and local weaver, Bottom.
Perhaps the best film adaption of the play is Peter Halls 1968 film starring Ian Holm, Judi
Dench, Ian Richardson, and Derek Godfrey.
Sources:
Bloom, Harold, Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human; Penguin Putman, New York.
2003.
New Standard Encyclopedia; Ferguson Publishing Company, Chicago. 2002.
Copyright Theodore Haddad. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
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Shakespeare- The
World's Greatest
Playwright -

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