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It's Shakespeare Week on Goodreads!
But, soft! What light through yonder internet browser window breaks? It's our Shakespeare Week celebration on Goodreads—and you, fair reader, are invited!
April 23 is the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death. To mark this momentous anniversary, we're pulling out all the stops for the Bard this week—just take a look at our logo! We'll be featuring Shakespeare-themed quizzes, book lists, writing prompts, and games. In addition, amazing authors who have written books based on the Bard's plays are taking your questions about comedy and tragedy…and everything in between. (Bonus points for questions in iambic pentameter.)
To kick off the festivities, we asked six authors to write a deleted scene from one of the Bard's plays. (Check them out below!) On Tuesday, we helped you answer the question, Which Shakespeare play should I read next?; on Wednesday, we took a look at famous book titles based on Shakespeare lines; and on Thursday, we investigated the writers who influenced Shakespeare. What's up next? Come back to find out!
Ian Doescher, author of William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope:
Jasper Fforde, author of the Hamlet-inspired Something Rotten:
Margaret Atwood, author of Hag-Seed, a retelling of The Tempest:
Malorie Blackman, author of the Othello-inspired Chasing the Stars:
Elizabeth Nunez, author of Even in Paradise, a retelling of King Lear:
Christopher Moore, author of Fool, a retelling of King Lear:
Now it's your turn! Write your own deleted scene from a Shakespeare play in the comments and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for #ShakespeareWeek updates.
Comments Showing 151-200 of 201 (201 new)
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Suzanne
(new)
Apr 20, 2016 06:29PM
A brill week ahead of us. I have Romeo and Juliet on TBR list, ready to go :)
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I read The Tempest for school and it is a really good playright. The fun bit was playing a part on the play.
Love the logo - and the deleted scenes! Well done!
I hate the new logo. It looks like a vegetable patch, and one cannot even read the word "goodreads".
In for a penny...Lady M. Out, damned spot! out, I say!
Dick and Jane: See spot run!
Just logged in to update my books. This is a great idea. It's also the 400th anniversay of Cervantes' death. I'll look out for social network updates. St George's Day too on Saturday for the Brits among us.
logo is indeed poor idea..looking more like a google search engine.
Masooma wrote: "logo is indeed poor idea..looking more like a google search engine."Agreed! Not really needed
Betsy wrote: "April 23 is most likely his birthday too although it is known he was baptised on the 26th in 1564."Don't know when was his birthday, but he died in 1616, 400 years ago, so I'm pretty sure this is about his death rather than birth.
L'arnacouer wrote: "I love all the things about Shakespeare! Well, such an amazing idea! :')"yes and purvi is a poop
Joy wrote: "I would just like to point out that you can in fact rap "Sigh no more, ladies" from Much Ado About Nothing to "Walk this Way" by Aerosmith (with some "hey nonny"s added in for the "walk this way" c..."The original version or the crossover version with Run DMC?
Lilo/Masooma: This blog is NOT the place to disparage the theme of the logo!
Another example of how NPR's getting into it for Shakespeare week: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2...
Lunanima wrote: "Megan wrote: "Can we all agree to read one of his plays on Saturday?"I'll be reading all of his works this Saturday."
Wait, all of them? Is it even humanly possible to read every single play he wrote in 24 hours?
MacBeth forever changed my perception of what women could be in literature.
We shouldn't forget that 22nd and 23rd April are the 400th anniversary of genius Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra' death as well. In fact, even the importance of William Shakespeare can't be put into doubt, Cervantes actually wrote the greatest and most famous book ever written in literature history: El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha.
Thee is borneth the day of the death of Shakespeare.
Lunanima wrote: "Hermionously wrote: "Lunanima wrote: "Megan wrote: "Can we all agree to read one of his plays on Saturday?"I'll be reading all of his works this Saturday."
Wait, all of them? Is it even humanly ..."
That makes way more sense. XD
Jehona wrote: "It's so cool that it is Shakespeare week cause I bought a whole bunch of plays by him a few weeks ago and I started reading them like, 2 days ago, so when I see a Shakespeare looking guy on the Goo..."Same here! I just saw Richard III a week ago, my first exposure to Shakespeare, because me and my girlfriend are subscribed to a local theater and get free tickets for all their shows. It was incredible! So incredible I immediately bought the Norton Shakespeare on amazon. Can't wait to dig in!
David wrote: "Jehona wrote: "It's so cool that it is Shakespeare week cause I bought a whole bunch of plays by him a few weeks ago and I started reading them like, 2 days ago, so when I see a Shakespeare looking..."Lucky you! I've actually never finished reading any of his plays, but I've seen Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night (twice), Macbeth, and the Taylor/Burton film version of The Taming of the Shrew. I really prefer watching the plays to reading them, to be honest. I feel like they work a lot better in the format in which they were intended to be consumed.
Does anyone else have opinions on reading vs watching Shakespeare?
I was in the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream." It was so fun!
Harold Blooms book The Western Canon is perfect for this day!
I love the history of Shakespeare, the legand, his life! I will be in Stratford - Upon - Avon on Saturday to see the parade, it is a wonderful event ! I was born just outside Stratford in Warickshire so have great memories of playing by the River Avon and then later growing up going to the theatre, I now take my granddaughter most Saturdays to Stratford just so she will absorb all that is William Shakespeare.
"And above all, every great platitude begins with a cliche." - Polonius
Hermionously wrote: "David wrote: "Jehona wrote: "It's so cool that it is Shakespeare week cause I bought a whole bunch of plays by him a few weeks ago and I started reading them like, 2 days ago, so when I see a Shake..."Watching makes more sense than just reading it.
jackie: It's "legend," NOT "legand."
Good!But not a single mention to Cervantes? you know... the guy who wrote the first modern novel...just saying
Lines on the Four Hundredth Anniversary of the Death of William ShakespeareFour hundred years,
that is one hundred years less than half a thousand,
that is a long time to be absent from the stage,
a long time for your plays to go on and have no equal,
still be performed, that first you wrote with your quill,
to scratch the letters in ink on the page.
You nailed the sonnet, remain the master of blank verse drama.
In honour of your name they should
plant four hundred oaks, fire four hundred cannons,
shoot four hundred arrows, race four hundred horses,
ring four hundred church bells.
Over the top that may seem,
but not enough for the one who gave us
Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, The Tempest,
A Midsummer Night's Dream,
to name of your works only a few.
In my mind, when I think of you,
I see you sat in an inn, near the Thames,
by your theatre, the Globe,
drinking with your acting company,
no doubt partly discussing your latest play.
Strangely, you alone seeming not to be an actor,
aware of all you can see and hear around you,
with the genius to do what only you could do,
that is, put it all into words,
able as you were to give words to king and queen
as much to beggar, drunkard, thief.
All's Well That Ends Well, as you wrote.
They joke now that your works are full of quotes to quote.
Writers cannot write like that now,
for people do not speak like that now,
not even in monologue.
Strange to think that Hamlet does not exist on the page,
like a character in a novel.
What we read are but the lines
for the actor to say in his way on stage,
guided by the play's director.
And what we see on stage is not Hamlet,
but one interpretation of him
by one actor and director.
The words remain the same, however,
and it is them we remember.
"To be or not to be, that is the question."
Hamlet understood that there was a choice,
when the root was found,
the skin shed from the bone,
when truth made you outcast,
and on the bare stage you found yourself alone.
This April is chilly, wet, grey.
On its twenty third day
will be the four hundredth anniversary of your death,
William Shakespeare, Bard of Avon,
word smith of Warwickshire.
Love this idea!! They should do a J.K Rowling week next!!
Sara wrote: "Love this idea!! They should do a J.K Rowling week next!!"
Agreed!! (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o))) *thrilled*
Great! But what about Miguel de Cervantes, Author of Don Quijote? The greatest Spanish writer. Today is also the 400th Anniversary of his death. Yes, yes both Shakespeare and Cervantes died the same day. What a coincidence! In Spain April 23rd is the Book's Day with a lot of celebrations and events about literature. Today is the day of all of us who love reading!!
I really like this idea , and I do love Shakespeare so its a win win for me .
Ode to Shakespeare! Loveeee it!!! Love Christopher Moore's excerpt from Julius Caesar! My favorite Shakespeare play!
If it was not my birthday ^_^................i'll not read it anyway happy reading everyone ;)
Hi guys i have a questionare his books and plays easy to read ? I mean english is not my native language and i want to try some of his books but im afraid i wont be able to understand so many things
But iv read some classics like George orwells's and one of jane austen's books and more , i did not find it that hard to understand them will it be the same for his books ?
This has been an unusual week of Shakespeare comments. I, personally am ready for different. Anyone with me?
Susan wrote: "Yawn, yawn, yawn. What drool was all that?"You're a Philistine.
Melody: No. She doesn't deserve it yet. We have yet to see if Harry Potter will stand the test of time the way characters like Don Quixote (Cervantes), Prospero (Shakespeare) and Darth Vader have.
NNQ: I just mentioned Cervantes.
Esraa: It'll be harder to understand Shakespeare than Orwell since Shakespeare's English is over 400 years old and Orwell's is basically the same as today's English.
NNQ wrote: "Great! But what about Miguel de Cervantes, Author of Don Quijote? The greatest Spanish writer. Today is also the 400th Anniversary of his death. Yes, yes both Shakespeare and Cervantes died the sam..."My point exactly, but you know, if it's not an english language writer it doesn't exist for Goodreads. Odd that a place that is 99,9% based in novels doesn't celebrate the inventor of them.
It's like Goodreads Doodles! Can we make this a regular thing... please?
Let's not forget that according to a STAR TREK movie, even KLINGONS know Shakespeare.
What a great idea. It would be great if do it more often for different authors.
What a great idea. It would be great if you do it more often for different authors. There could even be a competition about the logos.
you say you love rain, but you open your umbrella.you say you love sun, but you find shadow spot.
you say you love the wind, but you closed windows.
this is why i afraid,
you told you love me too..
William Shakespeare
Akhil wrote: "you say you love rain, but you open your umbrella........
William Shakespeare"
Doesn't that quote belong to a Turkish poem, "Korkuyorum"? (◕‿◕)
CMIIW-please |ʘ‿ʘ)╯
