A few months ago I announced that I would be trying to read all of Shakespeare’s plays at some point, and so today I’m here to share with you a couple that I’ve read since and my thoughts on them. So let’s go.
The Tempest
I remembered having fonder memories of this one when I read it for the first time, but according to Goodreads I only gave it three stars. I’d stay with that rating from this time around too. In theory, I think this is a really interesting play but I just struggled to follow along with it—I kept getting confused with who was who and things like that. I’d be really interested in seeing a staging of this one to see if I enjoy it more that way or whether this just isn’t one for me full stop. I’m lucky that my University library often has links to stagings of Shakespeare’s so I’m going to have a look on there for sure.
Antony and Cleopatra
I was obsessed with Cleopatra when I was a kid, so I figured I’d probably really enjoy this one. I didn’t. I don’t really know why I didn’t like it, it just didn’t really interest me once I’d actually started it. I didn’t hate this one either, I just expected more…drama.
The Merchant of Venice
I feel bad, but I genuinely hated this one. I was hoping that I’d have one to rave about for this post, but instead, I have three I didn’t really like. This one I found really boring but also just kind of weird. I feel like everything happened really quickly, even for a play, but there was also a lot of stuff that didn’t make sense. Portia and Nerissa are icons though.
What’s Next?
I think I’m going to try and squeeze in one more play before the end of the year, if I read more then that’s great but even just to get one done is good. I’m not really sure which one to go with, but I am kind of leaning towards rereading Macbeth—I know it’s one I really liked the first time around, and I can only see myself liking it more this time around. I just really feel like I need something good to remind me how much I love Shakespeare.
That’s all from me today. I’ll see you all tomorrow with my next post.
Earl Grey Books 