Literature William Shakespeare:

[Amy SF]

It's okay, Brits. William Shakespeare is a GOD. You can puff out your chest and be proud to claim Will as one of your own.

To everyone:

1. Which plays have you read?
2. Which plays have you seen?
3. Which movie versions of his plays have you seen? (Both the regular ones and the "modern" retellings such as West Side Story and 10 Things I Hate About You)
4. Which plays are your favorites?
5. Do you agree that the conspiracy theories and claims that Shakespeare didn't write his own plays are silly?
6. Olivier as Hamlet vs. Branagh as Hamlet. Who wins?

 

[Envy]

Put that in the "Unpopular opinions"-thread and watch the drama unfold.

Because he really isn't.

I've seen West Side Story though, as a real life play if I remember correctly.

 

[cornsail]

I've read Romeo and Juliet and Othello. I enjoyed both of them, but Othello a bit more.

I can't remember which plays and movies I've seen other than I know that I've seen two movie versions of Romeo and Juliet and several others plays/movies whose names elude me. It's been a long time. I know I liked them though.

Never heard the conspiracy theory.

 

[cornsail]

Put that in the "Unpopular opinions"-thread and watch the drama unfold.

Because he really isn't.

 

[Amy SF]

Envy is just upset because the various Swedish translations of Shakespeare's works don't stand up as well as the various English translations of the Pippi Longstocking books.

 

[nigel1]

It's okay, Brits. William Shakespeare is a GOD. You can puff out your chest and be proud to claim Will as one of your own.

To everyone:

1. Which plays have you read? Hamlet, King Lear, R&J, Macbeth, Othello, As You Like It, Merchant of Venice Midsummer's. I may have read the Cliff Notes on some of these. High School was a long time ago.
2. Which plays have you seen? Hamlet, R&J, Macbeth
3. Which movie versions of his plays have you seen? (Both the regular ones and the "modern" retellings such as West Side Story and 10 Things I Hate About You) West Side Story
4. Which plays are your favorites? none. I'm with Envy, I think. Shakespeare doesn't do much for me. I did like West Side Story, though. Rita Moreno could have made Police Academy 17 look good.
5. Do you agree that the conspiracy theories and claims that Shakespeare didn't write his own plays are silly? No. As a matter of fact, I think Compassionate1 from the older VB days wrote them all.
6. Olivier as Hamlet vs. Branagh as Hamlet. Who wins? neither. I remember a thing on NPR several years where historical linguists were calling out the fact that English as a language back in Shakespeare's day probably sounded as far from modern England's English as it would from modern America's or Australia's English. The claim is that it was nasally, pinch and would be found annoying by most of the modern English-speaking world. Nothing like Olivier.

All that having been said, I do believe we are better off for having had him.

 

[kazyeeqen]

Not a fan. I've read several and acted in one for school.

 

[thefadedone]

Not a fan either. I did see the 90s version of Romeo and Juliet. I also read some of the plays in high school, but the only one I can remember (vaguely) is Macbeth. However, I am excited about this: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2094064/ but only because it's Joss Whedon and some of my favorite actors.

 

[das_nut]

William Shakespeare is great like "Friends" is great.

(Seriously - look at how both relied on misunderstandings and love plots for comedy.)

 

[kazyeeqen]

Not a fan either. I did see the 90s version of Romeo and Juliet. I also read some of the plays in high school, but the only one I can remember (vaguely) is Macbeth. However, I am excited about this: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2094064/ but only because it's Joss Whedon and some of my favorite actors.

****.

Well, I'll watch it, and I'll love it, but I won't like it!

I liked Scotland, PA, and that was based on Macbeth, but didn't use the language. And of course 10 things I hate about you!

Shakespeare's comedies may be like Friends, but there's also the tragedies, which are more like teen slasher clicks (everyone dies).

 

[Mr Crunchy]

I saw Macbeth on the stage back in 1975 starring Charlton Heston and Vanessa Redgrave. I was never quite the same afterward.

 

[nigel1]

I saw Macbeth on the stage back in 1975 starring Charlton Heston and Vanessa Redgrave. I was never quite the same afterward.

Charlton Heston as a prelude to the disco era should never be expected to turn out well.

 

[cornsail]

William Shakespeare is great like "Friends" is great.

(Seriously - look at how both relied on misunderstandings and love plots for comedy.)

Just because two things use similar plot devices doesn't make them similar in quality. Comparisons like this boggle my mind, because Shakespeare's writing just seems to be obviously way better than Friends to me. But taste is taste I guess.

 

[thefadedone]

****.

Well, I'll watch it, and I'll love it, but I won't like it!

I liked Scotland, PA, and that was based on Macbeth, but didn't use the language. And of course 10 things I hate about you!
Shakespeare's comedies may be like Friends, but there's also the tragedies, which are more like teen slasher clicks (everyone dies).

Exactly.

I've never watched 10 Things I Hate About You. Am I missing out?

 

[kazyeeqen]

Exactly.

I've never watched 10 Things I Hate About You. Am I missing out?

Teen romance with Julia stiles and heath ledger, and young Joseph gordon levitt, it was cute at the time. I'd watch it again.

 

[Amy SF]

I've always liked Julia Stiles and thought she was well cast as Katarina. I'd like to see her take on the role again in an "official" version of The Taming of the Shrew. (I love the play all the way up until the end, for obvious reasons.)

 

[RabbitLuvr]

I liked that movie.

Not a big Shakespeare fan, though.

 

[Renee1]

Big fan. Beautiful word play. Changed the English language forever. Hilarious insults. Truly understood human nature, which is why his work survives and thrives still.

I've read lots of his plays and seen more adaptations than I can list here. I'm a big fan of Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet and 10 Things I Hate About You. A Midsummer's Night Dream is my favourite play to read. So, so funny.

 

[Alice-Bee]

We watched the Baz Lurhrmann R&J at school whilst studying the play and the teacher had to keep reminding the class that the guns represent swords because they didnt have guns in those days.

Yes my class was THAT dumb.

 

[cornsail]

Big fan. Beautiful word play. Changed the English language forever. Hilarious insults. Truly understood human nature, which is why his work survives and thrives still.

Yes, this. I'm not good at explaining why I like things, but I think that summarizes my own feelings pretty well.

We watched the Baz Lurhrmann R&J at school whilst studying the play and the teacher had to keep reminding the class that the guns represent swords because they didnt have guns in those days.

Yes my class was THAT dumb.

Hah. It was clever how they made "Sword" a gun company in that film.