Your favourite Shakespeare

[chongjasmine]

What is it? Mine is Macbeth.

 

[paranoid marvin]

I do like Macbeth and Richard III is a particular favourite because of the subject material (plus Richard makes a wonderful villain). But having seen a few at the theatre, the one that stands out is Hamlet.

 

[Finch]

I have watched a couple of productions at the Globe in London. I would say that the Globe is the most uncomfortable Theatre in London and to see a Shakespeare play in its original form, a bit on the dull side. However, I would agree with the two previous posts, but I prefer modernized versions of Shakespear, my favourites being. Polanski's Macbeth, anybody remembers the Third ear band? , and Ian McKellen's Richard the lll .

 

[paranoid marvin]

I have watched a couple of productions at the Globe in London. I would say that the Globe is the most uncomfortable Theatre in London and to see a Shakespeare play in its original form, a bit on the dull side. However, I would agree with the two previous posts, but I prefer modernized versions of Shakespear, my favourites being. Polanski's Macbeth, anybody remembers the Third ear band? , and Ian McKellen's Richard the lll .

McKellen's Richard III was a good adaption of the play, but I do prefer the original. I've seen a number of Shakespeare plays in the wonderful 'pop-up' Rose Theatre in York, designed to look like the original Globe. I have seen them in the more expensive seats , and in the 'groundling' section where you stand (or find somewhere comfortable on the floor to sit). I have to say that I far preferred the groundling section, mainly because you feel like a part of the show. As well as occasionally coming out to chat to us in the interval, they would also use the audience as a part of the play (for example to represent Dunsinane Wood in Macbeth ) no doubt as they would also have done in the original Globe Theatre.

When Hamlet comes down off the stage and selects a random audience member to whom to deliver his 'What is a man?' speech adds enormously to the dialogue and injects much humour which is not discernible from the written text. This is why I firmly believe that to truly experience and understand Shakespeare, you have to see it being performed , rather than read from the text.

 

[Edoc'sil]

My favourite is midsummer's night dream. Even though it's not considered one of his best, and it definitely doesn't have the same dramatic tension. I've seen a fair few at the theatre. I most enjoyed that one, in the open air during summer.

 

[Finch]

The stage in the London Globe is not a permanent structure. It can be just a raised box. But sometimes it has steps at the side or front to allow the actors to join the audience. It is sometime in the shape of a T, so the audience can be on all sides of the cast. The globe is a doughnut-shaped building, so the people that stand in the middle get wet when it rains and the best seats, on the balconies are not seats, but are wooden benches. MaKellens Richard the lll was filmed in London and as Londoner, it was nice to see the steam engines in the gutted Battersea power station, and scenes like that.

 

[mosaix]

Richard III contains my most favourite line -

"Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this sun of York;"

How does any human brain come up with such a stunner? I suppose he started with the spelling of the word 'sun' and worked back from there.

 

[Pyan]

Interesting fact - if you Google the play, there's about a 50-50 results split on whether the first line is "Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this sun of York;" or "Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York;"
Personally I'd have thought that "son" made more sense, but...

Midsummer's Night Dream for my choice...

 

[tobl]

henry V movie with keith braganah

 

[mosaix]

Interesting fact - if you Google the play, there's about a 50-50 results split on whether the first line is "Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this sun of York;" or "Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York;"
Personally I'd have thought that "son" made more sense, but...

Midsummer's Night Dream for my choice...

My ‘Complete Works’ says ‘sun’, @pyan even though for years I thought it was son.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Interesting fact - if you Google the play, there's about a 50-50 results split on whether the first line is "Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this sun of York;" or "Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York;"
Personally I'd have thought that "son" made more sense, but...

Midsummer's Night Dream for my choice...

Yes I suppose it could go either way. I think the 'sun' refers to the 'sun in splendour' , Edward's symbol, which nicely contrasts with the 'winter' of discontent, the pun being that Edward is the son of (Richard of) York. On the other hand, he could be using 'son' with the pun being it sounds like sun.

I guess from Shakespeare's perspective it makes no difference, as both 'son' and 'sun' sound exactly the same when spoken aloud, and he never intended his work to be read from the text.

Yes MND is a wonderful play. Like Edoc'sil I saw it in the open air, walking on a trail through different locations in a wood. Really added to the atmosphere.

 

[Vladd67]

I've always enjoyed Macbeth ever since I did it for O level English Lit many years ago. I remember a production we were shown with Ian McKellen playing Macbeth and Dame Judy Dench playing Lady Macbeth. I must agree about the Globe theatre being uncomfortable, I surprised my wife one year for her birthday and took her to see Romeo and Juliet at the Globe, the three pounds we spent renting cushions was the best investment ever. Patrick Stewart's Macbeth is well worth seeing as well.

 

[Bagpuss]

Oh, good lord, where would I start with this. I love Shakespeare. I don't know, if I could pick a favourite - but a couple of points.

I think the 'sun' refers to the 'sun in splendour' , Edward's symbol, which nicely contrasts with the 'winter' of discontent, the pun being that Edward is the son of (Richard of) York. On the other hand, he could be using 'son' with the pun being it sounds like sun.

I think I disagree with your view. Richard III is the last king of the House of York, the last "son of York". Historically, Richard III died in the Battle of Bosworth Field and the House of York had no remaining legitimate male heirs. The opening of the play, which takes place before Bosworth, is a soliloquy by Richard III in which he refers to himself as "this son of York." It's basically a piece of self-promotion by a character to the audience - he's essentially saying: there's been a war (the winter of discontent), but I've created a peace (the summer) by just being me because I'm so fabulous.

The rest of the play is a tragedy to explain to him why he's not quite as fabulous as he thinks he is at the start.

I firmly believe that to truly experience and understand Shakespeare, you have to see it being performed, rather than read from the text.

In Elizabethan times the audience would go to "hear a play", not "see" it.

 

[Pyan]

The First Folio says “Sonne”, which is usually ‘son’.

 

[Vince W]

Overall I'd have to say MacBeth is my favourite Shakespeare. Merchant of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew, King Lear, and Richard III all come a very close second.

 

[Don]

Iago's pure evil forces me into a tie between Hamlet and Othello.

 

[hitmouse]

Hard to say which is my favourite, but of all the productions I have seen, the most fun was A Comedy of Errors at the Bristol Old Vic, around 1989. Completely accessible and very funny.

 

[Foxbat]

Titus Andronicus. A great play with fabulous characters. Aaron, I think, is a more villainous character than Iago.

I saw a production of it many years ago and it was so bloody that there had to be a break halfway through in order that the stage could be cleaned for health and safety reasons.

I once saw Hamlet performed as if in a quasi-medieval Japan. Instead of sword fighting, it was Kendo, using large bamboo poles - very spectacular on stage. This is a close second for me.

 

[Pyan]

I saw a production of it many years ago and it was so bloody that there had to be a break halfway through in order that the stage could be cleaned for health and safety reasons.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Henry IV, Part 1. First Shakespeare studied in school, then saw a version at the theatre by the English Shakespeare Company. Was brilliant, a mix of mediaeval fighting, political tension, and character humor.