The Bard a Month Club discussion
Introductions
Robert wrote: "I've always wanted to read all Shakespeare's plays and I own them all but for whatever reason never made it past the few that are normally read in school.I noticed this group by chance and can't wait to get started"
Ditto!
Hi, I'm Camille.I have only ever read and studied Romeo and Juliet. We had a lecturer at university who would read chunks of it and he was amazing at reading out loud.
Like Robert, I actually own physical copies of all of Shakespeare's plays and have only read one. I always tell myself I need to read more but never get round it. So this group is the perfect opportunity to do so!
Reading out loud! I love to do this even by myself it adds so much and aids in understanding I find. I do it with Terry Pratchett's books.:-)
I definitely helps! I especially do it when I read plays or poetry.
Mod
I also created a Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/67579...
I've read off and on, but only a few plays all the way through. I'm finishing up a yearlong reading of War & Peace, so I figured this was the next natural challenge!
Hi everyone, I'm Elise. I've always loved Shakespeare, but it was just a few years ago I finally decided to read some of his plays that I'd never read in school. It's renewed my love of his work. GR tells me I've read 11 of his plays so far, but I'd like to read all of them. I think it would be great to read them with a group.I have Robert to thank for pointing this group out to me - thank you, Rob! And thank you, Adam for starting it. I love the idea.
I don't usually read out loud except poetry. That's a cool idea for some of these plays.
In another group I'm in, someone said she found audio versions of performances and listened while she read. I've found that idea intriguing but I haven't tried it yet.
I'm looking forward to enjoying these plays with you guys!
Mod
Great idea. I was looking for a 2016 Shakespeare project (since he passed away in 1616) and this budding 2017 journey showed up in the search. I was hoping to actually watch the plays simultaneously. There is plenty of material on YouTube.
HI Haaze! :-)OK so I'm pretty new to Shakespeare in the grand scheme of things, I've only read about 3 plays and I was wondering if there's any other members out there going to tackle this from scratch like me?
Robert wrote: "HI Haaze! :-)OK so I'm pretty new to Shakespeare in the grand scheme of things, I've only read about 3 plays and I was wondering if there's any other members out there going to tackle this from s..."
Hi Robert! I have read/seen most of the well-known plays, but I am going to view this as a Shakespeare Tower, i.e. to climb it all the way. :) Hopefully, I/we will be able to fit these readings into our busy lives. Watching performances will be a boon.
I have a question for the moderator of the group: I noticed that you have a Facebook group link on the main page. Are you planning to run the discussions of the plays here at GR or on Facebook (more of an ad)? I personally prefer the former (being more of a GR fan), but I really would like to know what you are planning. Thank you! :)
I've only read Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Julius Caesar. I quite liked all of them.
Romeo and Juliet always makes me cry...every time.... *bursts into tears*
Robert wrote: "I was wondering if there's any other members out there going to tackle this from scratch like me? ..."My name is Cleo and I just joined the group after being influenced by Haaze (watch her or she'll get you reading all sorts of things! ;-) ). I've read about 13 of the plays. I have a Shakespeare Project going on my blog and I'm hoping that this group will help me focus to get more plays read than the pitiful two I managed this year. I'm looking forward to starting!
Kevin here, I've never read any Shakespeare but have always wanted to. Looking forward to this!
For anyone who hasn't read any Shakespeare before, I highly recommend the Folger Shakespeare Library editions! The text is on the right-hand pages and definitions and other explanations are on the left-hand pages. I found them super helpful when I was reading Shakespeare in school, and they're the copies I'll be using for this challenge, too.
Cleo wrote: "I've read about 13 of the plays. I have a Shakespeare Project going on my blog and I'm hoping that this group will help me focus to get more plays read than the pitiful two I managed this year. I'm looking forward to starting! ."Being focused is a good thing....
Do you think the pace really will be a play per month? This will be a longterm project then!
Mod
I started with just a few people I know - one only does Goodreads and not Facebook. Another only does Facebook and not Goodreads. So I'm hoping to have discussions on both! I'll probably do a lot of double-posting.
Other than starting a thread each month, I'm not planning too much structure. I hope we'll be able to share thoughts and information we find as we go along. I'm a big movie buff, so I'm hoping to watch some of the adaptations I can find as well.
Robert wrote: "HI Haaze! :-)OK so I'm pretty new to Shakespeare in the grand scheme of things, I've only read about 3 plays and I was wondering if there's any other members out there going to tackle this from s..."
I have only read Romeo and Juliet plus some of his poetry for university. I remember having a literature exam where I had to write a commentary and study for a poem. To this day, I still don't know what this poem was about and I don't remember which one it was, but I passed!
Adam wrote: "I have a question for the moderator of the group: I noticed that you have a Facebook group link on the main page. Are you planning to run the discussions of the plays here at GR or on Facebook (mor..."Thanks for your quick response, Adam! You need to convert your friend to the dark side of GR! ; -) Thanks also for setting up this Shakespeare group!
I absolutely agree about Folger's. From my experience, some of Shakespeare's plays are easy to understand for a modern reader, without really needing much translation. But some others use language that can leave a modern reader pretty baffled without some explanation.Folger's is great for their annotations. I've run into some non-Folger's versions whose annotations contain spoilers, which I find extremely annoying.
For some plays, I've used several different sources at once to get a full understanding of what's is going on. Depending on the play, following interwoven themes might also be helpful.
I'm looking forward to checking out some adaptations, too. Amazon Prime has a bunch of movies and various performances, but I haven't investigated which might be free vs costing extra to watch.
Hi everyone! My name is RJ (or Rae of you like) and I've loved Shakespeare since I was a kid and used to go to the theatre all the time to see live shows. My favourite comedy is Taming of the Shrew and my favourite tragedy is Coriolanus (with Macbeth close behind it). I look forward to being a part of a group!
Hi everyone! I'm Stacey. English major in college with a focus on British Lit and I've studied Shakespeare but not extensively (there are quite a few of his works I have never read). He is my #1 favorite though and I had just told one of my book buddies last week that I want to read all his works (to which she crinkled her nose). How can anyone not love Shakespeare?!? The histories are my favorite but it's been more than 10 years since I've read any of his works, so I'm really looking forward to this group and this challenge! Thank you for starting this group and providing the reading order. I can't wait to dive in with you all!
Hello everyone. I'm Mark and I'm looking forward to reading and conversing on Goodreads with you about Shakespeare's plays. I have read 9 or 10 of the plays, and seen a couple, but it has been a while. King Lear was always my favorite -- we'll see if that holds up! I also remember really liking the Richard III through Henry V cycle. I've been mostly reading living authors for the past few years -- mostly fiction, poetry, baseball, nature -- but got interested in this group in part because of the pace (I think I can keep up with one play per month) and because I do believe Shakespeare is truly one of the greats, so worth delving into. Thanks for getting this started, Adam!
Hello Kayla, Stacey and Mark! Welcome :-)
Mod
I have always wanted to read all of Shakespeare's works, so I'm really looking forward to the group!
Hi Maggs, welcome :-)Hope you enjoy, I'm nearly through the comedy of errors and it was pretty fun!
Hi everybody, I'm Johanna, and I love Shakespeare. I've read 14 of the plays so far, mostly in college as an English major, and seen 25 of them, mostly because I am lucky enough to have a Shakespeare festival in my hometown that's going into its 14th season. One of my life goals is to eventually see live productions of them all. But why not make sure I read them all while I'm at it, too, though, right? Definitely a little easier to achieve. I'm looking forward to getting into the plays I've seen but never read, and especially the ones I've never seen, read, or even seen a movie of. I think it will be really interesting to see what insights come from following this reading order, too.Thank you to Mark for inviting me to this group and to Adam for starting it. What a great idea, and I really appreciate the very manageable pace of one play a month. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's always trying to read too much at a time.
Hello fellow Shakespeare lovers.... I am Teri and am new to Good Reads and delighted to have found this group. Like Johanna mentioned in her post, I have a bucket list goal of seeing all Shakespeare's plays performed live. I've seen 4 and a 5th will happen next weekend. I've found that I get much more out of the live performance if I have read and studied up on the play beforehand. I've never seen Comedy of Errors live so I'm looking forward to learning with the group for when I get the chance. I have a great book I found on amazon.com for about $25 that I'd recommend to you all. It is: Shakespeare-The Essential Guide to the Plays, chief consultant Professor A.D. Cousins. It gives a summary of the plot, a list of characters and how they are related to each other, commentary on the themes in their historical context and a brief list of theatrical productions/movies that are possibly available to view on DVD.
I've read (and seen) Hamlet; Taming of the Shrew; Twelfth Night and Much Ado About Nothing. Up next weekend is As You Like It.
Hi everyone. I too am delighted to have found this group and hope that we have some lively discussions. I've been reading Shakespeare for many, many years, and am inclined to think that the the only real way to read Shakespeare is to re-read him. And I've re-read some of the plays, my favorites, many times. I'm also a big fan of listening to good audio productions of the plays--not as good as seeing a stage production but better (I think) than a filmed production. If anyone knows of a particularly good audio production of The Comedy of Errors, please let me know!
I don't think I've introduced myself. I've read all the plays but I love to reread and to see as many productions as I can. I really love the Kenneth Branagh uncut HAMLET.
Natalie wrote: "I really love the Kenneth Branagh uncut HAMLET."I love Kenneth Branagh anything. For this challenge, we can watch him in Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, Hamlet, Love's Labour's Lost, Macbeth, and The Winter's Tale. He's also directed As You Like It.
Branagh also made a film called Discovering Hamlet:https://www.amazon.com/DISCOVERING-HA...
Not sure if this is the same thing (on YouTube):
https://youtu.be/gPl7Va8Hoqk
David wrote: "Branagh also made a film called Discovering Hamlet"Nice! I must have skipped over that one on IMDb.
Hi all!I am definitely a little late to the party, and GoodReads in general, but very excited to read and discuss Shakespeare. I am a former English and Theatre teacher who moved into academic coaching. I miss the kids and digging into some of the grittier aspects of Shakespeare. I can't wait to discuss here
Hi Leah and welcome! Your right on time! :-)
Hi my name is Loretta. I am SO happy I came across this group this morning on another member's profile! I adore William Shakespeare! Like some of you, I had only read Romeo and Juliet and that was way back in the Stone Age (high school, lol!!). Last year I made a commitment to myself to read more Shakespeare and did read five plays, with Hamlet being my all time favorite, at this point and his sonnets which, were fabulous!I'm thrilled to see the play that was selected for this month since I haven't read it yet. Can't wait to get started and to meet you all!
Happy reading everyone! :)
*waves* I'm Stephanie. I also own all of Shakespeare but have yet to really venture into them. I know I'm a little late to the game but I am eager to start. :)
stephanie • ripetomatoes wrote: "*waves* I'm Stephanie. I also own all of Shakespeare but have yet to really venture into them. I know I'm a little late to the game but I am eager to start. :)"Hi and welcome Stephanie! Not sure if anyone reads these introductions, as you can see, I joined in February and no one has welcomed me, but, please let me welcome you! Enjoy and happy reading! :)
Loretta wrote: "stephanie • ripetomatoes wrote: "*waves* I'm Stephanie. I also own all of Shakespeare but have yet to really venture into them. I know I'm a little late to the game but I am eager to start. :)"Hi..."
Aw well thanks :)
stephanie • ripetomatoes wrote: "Loretta wrote: "stephanie • ripetomatoes wrote: "*waves* I'm Stephanie. I also own all of Shakespeare but have yet to really venture into them. I know I'm a little late to the game but I am eager t..."Aw, it's my pleasure! :)
Hello! I'm River. I know I'm late to the party, but I'm truly eager to join. I've added the FB group as well. I love Shakespeare and it's my focus in theatre. I've already read many of the plays. (The histories are what I've missed.) I hope you all don't mind my joining in.
River wrote: "Hello! I'm River. I know I'm late to the party, but I'm truly eager to join. I've added the FB group as well. I love Shakespeare and it's my focus in theatre. I've already read many of the plays. (..."The more the merrier River! Welcome! 😊
Mod
The Bard a Month Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Richard II (other topics)Romeo and Juliet (other topics)
Hamlet (other topics)
I noticed this group by chance and can't wait to get started :-) I'm looking forward to reading these with other people.
Cheers