What Shakespeare play should I read?

Bit of a random question, but I'm wanting to get back into reading more difficult texts in preparation for doing english in uni in september.

Was just wondering if there are any Shakespeare plays that aren't too difficult to get your head round, but are still challenging? I've read Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet, but that's it :smile:

Reply 1

The Empire Odyssey

21

Erm, read something like The Merchant of Venice or Antony and Cleopatra. Those plays are not too difficult but are still challenging.

Perhaps go for one of his history plays as well.

Reply 2

BeccyW

5

Hamlet and Othello are both definitely worth a read. :smile:

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Reply 3

username938249

10

The Tempest - at first I thought it was nothing special, but it turns out it is one of the best Shakespeare plays. And it's not too difficult, I think. :smile:

Reply 4

writeratheart1990

One of my personal favourites is King Lear. It's not one of the most obvious ones like Macbeth or R&J, but there a lot of themes that have influenced many contemporary works & films (Thor is an obvious one) and mixes comedy with drama and tragedy.
I did English at uni myself, and studied this for A Level. Deffo my biggest recommendation. Either that or The Winter's Tale.

Reply 5

MillyWebster

In year 9 we read Much Ado About Nothing and I really enjoyed that, I thought it was quite funny and clever once we understood the language and watching the movie (Directed by Kenneth Branagh) was really useful.

Reply 6

christudor

Why don't you go and see some plays as well? I always find that helps introduce me to new plays that I would never have thought about reading, e.g. Henry VI Part I, II, and III. Also, they were supposed to be watched, not read!

Anyway, my suggestions (with some minor spoilers):

- Merchant of Venice: if only for the amazing speech of Shylock ('Hath not a Jew eyes...') and the court-room scene at the end. You might recognise elements of Portia's chests ('All that glitters is not gold'). The film version with Al Pacino as Shylock is excellent.
- King Lear: a very bleak play. Some people say it's too bleak, but I think it's excellent. There's a good scene where they poke someone's eyes out on stage (which is always interesting to see in productions of the play!) Some of the most extraordinary lines in Shakespeare: 'Never, never, never, never, never'
- Richard II: a very sad play, about a ineffective king who is forcibly deposed - and can't quite believe that anyone would treat a king that way. There was an amazing TV version of it recently featuring Ben Whishaw as Richard.
- Henry IV Part I and II, Henry V: The 'sequel' to Richard II, featuring the rise of Prince Hal (later Henry V). Featuring what I think is one of the most poignant scenes in Shakespeare, when Hal pretends to be king and to banish his old friend, Falstaff. FALSTAFF: Banish plump Jack, and banish all the world. HAL: I do, I will. (Again, there's a really good version of these places with Tom Hiddleston as Hal/Henry V, done by the BBC a couple of years ago)

Reply 7

irishfellow12

Othello! - Best play ever!

Reply 8

stephanieuwa

13

Original post by Blackbird_

Bit of a random question, but I'm wanting to get back into reading more difficult texts in preparation for doing english in uni in september.

Was just wondering if there are any Shakespeare plays that aren't too difficult to get your head round, but are still challenging? I've read Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet, but that's it :smile:

I quite like the Tempest

Reply 9

H0ls

18

King Lear. I loved it, and because it's a popular A Level text there are lots of online resources you can use if you ever get stuck on grasping the plot/language.

Reply 10

aspirinpharmacist

20

Original post by christudor

Why don't you go and see some plays as well? I always find that helps introduce me to new plays that I would never have thought about reading, e.g. Henry VI Part I, II, and III. Also, they were supposed to be watched, not read!

Anyway, my suggestions (with some minor spoilers):

- Merchant of Venice: if only for the amazing speech of Shylock ('Hath not a Jew eyes...') and the court-room scene at the end. You might recognise elements of Portia's chests ('All that glitters is not gold'). The film version with Al Pacino as Shylock is excellent.
- King Lear: a very bleak play. Some people say it's too bleak, but I think it's excellent. There's a good scene where they poke someone's eyes out on stage (which is always interesting to see in productions of the play!) Some of the most extraordinary lines in Shakespeare: 'Never, never, never, never, never'
- Richard II: a very sad play, about a ineffective king who is forcibly deposed - and can't quite believe that anyone would treat a king that way. There was an amazing TV version of it recently featuring Ben Whishaw as Richard.
- Henry IV Part I and II, Henry V: The 'sequel' to Richard II, featuring the rise of Prince Hal (later Henry V). Featuring what I think is one of the most poignant scenes in Shakespeare, when Hal pretends to be king and to banish his old friend, Falstaff. FALSTAFF: Banish plump Jack, and banish all the world. HAL: I do, I will. (Again, there's a really good version of these places with Tom Hiddleston as Hal/Henry V, done by the BBC a couple of years ago)

Not as emotional as the scene at the end of Henry IV: Part II when Hal has just been crowned King and Falstaff comes to see him and Hal rejects him for being a frankly useless friend, and he says 'How ill white hairs become a fool and jester' (might have misquoted that slightly). But the Hollow Crown was fantastic, I've watched Henry IV: Part I far too many times now.

OP, I personally love Much Ado About Nothing, but Hamlet's pretty good, although it's long.

Reply 11

Ndella

18

I'm doing Antony and Cleopatra at A2 at the moment and I'd say its both challenging and interesting. The challenge lies in its ambiguity in determining whether the story is about love, or if it is the tragedy of death and corruption due to the abandonment of Antony's duties - which Rome stands for - in favour of the languishing customs of Cleopatra's Egypt.

Reply 12

aspirinpharmacist

20

Original post by irishfellow12

Othello! - Best play ever!

Othello has my favourite stage direction ever (I know there's the obvious, 'Exit, pursued by a bear' in A Winter's Tale, but I like this one), 'Iago offers to stab his wife'. I just find it hilarious that he offers.

Reply 13

Chantilly98

6

Twelfth Night is really good - it's one of my favourites. Also As You Like It is meant to be good but I don't know how difficult it is :smile:

Reply 14

MaddyPanda

1

Othello Othello Othello

Richard III.

OP

Thanks so much guys- I'd completely forgotten about some of the plays you mentioned! I'm going to start with the Merchant of Venice and then Othello, as I hear The Merchant of Venice is amazing, and I've seen a production of Othello so I have a basic understanding of it :smile:

Reply 17

Black Rose

21

The Taming of the Shrew

What Shakespeare play should I read?

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