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Post by Tim of Raventree on May 6, 2018 3:08:08 GMT
Some of us were talking about Shakespeare earlier so I thought about how I'd like to read (or reread) more of his work. I thought it might be fun to read a few as a group if anyone is interested, because Shakespeare's plays are not the kind of thing to read solo. Of course, if anyone could recommend good filmed versions that are easily accessible, thst would be good too. I know the BBC did some almost entirely unabridged versions years ago that are good but don't know how to get hold of them these days. Adaptations are of course welcome.
These would be my picks:
Tragedies - Antony and Cleopatra (unread), Titus Andronicus (read) or King Lear (read) Comedies - The Taming of the Shrew (unread) or A Midsummer Night's Dream (read) Histories - Richard III or King John (both unread)
Anyway, post here if you're interested and I figure we'll pick the most popular in each category.
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Post by Lucas of Brindlewood on May 6, 2018 3:37:02 GMT
Tragedies: Othello (read), King Lear (read) Comedies: Twelfth Night (Unread), Midsummer Night's Dream (unread) Histories: Henry V (unread)
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Taero of Myr
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Post by Taero of Myr on May 6, 2018 3:37:31 GMT
We could all just get on voice chat in Discord and reenact them.
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Harlan
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Post by Harlan on May 6, 2018 4:28:30 GMT
I have to say in all honesty, I’ve never fallen in love with any of Shakespeare’s work. Though I would be into doing something like this, it may help me appreciate him a bit more.
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Post by Tim of Raventree on May 6, 2018 9:12:19 GMT
We could all just get on voice chat in Discord and reenact them. You could....I'll steer clear of that.
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Boros
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Post by Boros on May 6, 2018 13:09:52 GMT
I could write down every play of his, since I haven't read jackshit. But here are some that I'd like to see on the list:
Comedies: The Merchant of Venice; The Tempest Tragedies: Macbeth
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The Raven
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Post by The Raven on May 6, 2018 14:30:36 GMT
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The Raven
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Post by The Raven on May 6, 2018 15:02:55 GMT
The Merchant of Venice: youtu.be/Hu4_hd2_sKoAs a rule of thumb, if Sir Laurence Olivier is in a production, it's going to be fantastic. This particular one moves the setting from Renaissance Venice to Victorian England, and reinterprets it as a straight up tragedy rather than a comedy. This play is very difficult to perform in front of a modern audience, which tends to sympathize far more with the intended antagonist than the actual protagonists, and this production comes the closest to handling this problem. I also recommend the BBC's adaptation as well, which is quite brutal in its approach to antisemitism in the 15th century.
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The Raven
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Post by The Raven on May 6, 2018 15:15:59 GMT
King Lear: youtu.be/1JylxvHvdtAThis is a radio recording featuring a lot of famous names. I think you'll be pleased by it. I also recommend the Olivier television adaptation if you can ever get your hands on it. I am told the McKellan version is excellent, but I have never seen it. You may also want to check out Ran, which moves the setting to feudal Japan. Akira Kurosawa directs and he is by far the best director involved on this list. Also check out Throne of Blood, where he does the same thing with Macbeth.
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The Raven
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Post by The Raven on May 6, 2018 15:30:28 GMT
The Histories: The trouble with the history plays (Henry VI, Richard III, Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V) is that they form a long sequence, and were written out of chronological order. Another problem is that in each cycle, the last written play is also the most famous. Richard III and Henry V are typically played without any context, which then means a good chunk always gets cut in order to avoid more confusion.
Still, all is not lost. The BBC put on excellent adaptations of all of them in the 1970s. They did another adaptation recently with The Hollow Crown, but the results were mixed. (Richard II, Henry IV, and Richard III are excellent, Henry V and Henry VI are a just disasters.)
There are also some excellent adaptations of individual plays. Laurence Olivier directed fantastic film adaptations of Henry V and Richard III. Kenneth Branagh has a much more gritty but excellent take on Henry V. And Orson Welles has a truly brilliant adaptation of Henry IV called Chimes at Midnight. (I lied, Welles is just as good as Kurosawa.)
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Post by Tim of Raventree on May 6, 2018 15:41:46 GMT
I never knew that the history plays were meant to be read as a sequence. But then, the only one I am personally familiar with is Henry V. I have a rather nice graphic novel of it, which is handy. I also have the graphic novel of Macbeth. If I remember rightly one of them has an abridged version of the original text and one is modernised, but I don't recall which without checking.
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The Raven
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Post by The Raven on May 6, 2018 15:53:36 GMT
I never knew that the history plays were meant to be read as a sequence. But then, the only one I am personally familiar with is Henry V. I have a rather nice graphic novel of it, which is handy. I also have the graphic novel of Macbeth. If I remember rightly one of them has an abridged version of the original text and one is modernised, but I don't recall which without checking. Oh yeah. It's like Star Wars. Henry VI/Richard III is the first cycle and deals with the Wars of the Roses. Almost the entire cast in R3 are recurring characters who were introduced in H3. The second cycle is Richard II/Henry IV/Henry V and deals with Henry Bolingbroke's usurping of the throne from Richard and his and his son's attempts to hold onto it. The entire reason Henry V was at Agincourt in the play is because he was trying to distract and impress England from focusing on how illegitimate his crown is.
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Boros
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Post by Boros on May 7, 2018 11:14:08 GMT
So... If we do this, how is it going to play out? Do we agree on a date and a number of Scenes to read until that, the we discuss it?
Never group read anything. I have no idea what I'm doing.
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Post by Tim of Raventree on May 7, 2018 15:43:40 GMT
So... If we do this, how is it going to play out? Do we agree on a date and a number of Scenes to read until that, the we discuss it? Yeah, I think that is the best way to do it. I'd suggest perhaps reading the first act of whichever play to start with, no more than that. First we need to agree on which play though. Personally I'd go with one of the tragedies because I think they are more straightforward.
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Boros
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Post by Boros on May 7, 2018 16:09:36 GMT
Cough cough MacBeth cough cough
I kid.
I agree we should start with one of the tragedies.
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