Home
Creators
Search Recent Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register Favorites Keys Review DMs Logout
Community
Telegram ThePornDude
Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

How to Read Shakespeare's Masterpieces: The Format for Our Reading Project (Patreon)

Published:
2021-12-15 15:56:56
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:
haven't archived this post yet. have a subscription? use the importer!

Content

As the Shakespeare's Masterpieces Lecture Series is right around the corner, let's discuss the format for our exciting reading adventure.

In the video above, we're discussing our three-part approach and recommendations for editions and how to get into the right mindset for approaching Shakespeare.

Below the timestamps, we have some questions for you. Let's hear your experience with Shakespeare to date and talk about the reading project in the year ahead.

Video Timestamps:

  • 0:00 introducing 'Shakespeare's Masterpieces'
  • 2:00 our three-part approach
  • 3:48 the pre-play preparation 
  • 5:00 overcoming Shakespeare's difficulties
  • 8:55 the Theatre of the Mind
  • 9:00 the post-play analysis
  • 9:50 'three reads method'
  • 10:30 our aim with the Shakespeare Project
  • 11:22 recommended editions of Shakespeare
  • 14:53 journalling during the journey 
  • 16:35 the four seasons of lectures 
  • 17:30 the influence of Shakespeare
  • 18:30 Shakespeare's characters
  • 19:50 endless readability 
  • 20:30 starting the year with King Lear & Hamlet
  • 21:30 Shakespeare complimenting our other writers
  • 23:00 finding our own thoughts in Shakespeare
  • 24:00 finding meaning in Shakespeare
  • 24:50 finding comfort in Shakespeare

Recommended Editions:

Questions for You:

1) What has been your experience with Shakespeare to date? What plays have you read or seen? When did you first come to Shakespeare? Did school foster or hinder a love of the bard?

2) What difficulties do you predict? Forecasting obstacles is a great first step to overcoming them, so let's collate a few potential troublesome areas together.

3) What would you most like to get out of Shakespeare? There is no wrong answer here, as what you seek from great literature is frequently dependent on where you are in life right now. 

Bonus: Which play(s) are you most excited to get into? 

Feel free to muse upon these questions in as much depth as suits you.

Thank you for preparing to embark on this great literary quest with us.

Happy Shakespearing, everybody! 

Files

Previews only

How to Read Shakespeare's Masterpieces: The Format for Our Reading Project

0:00 introducing 'Shakespeare's Masterpieces' 2:00 our three-part approach 3:48 the pre-play preparation 5:00 overcoming Shakespeare's difficulties 8:55 the Theatre of the Mind 9:00 the post-play analysis 9:50 'three reads method' 10:30 our aim with the Shakespeare Project 11:22 recommended editions of Shakespeare 14:53 journalling during the journey 16:35 the four seasons of lectures 17:30 the influence of Shakespeare 18:30 Shakespeare's characters 19:50 endless readability 20:30 starting the year with King Lear & Hamlet 21:30 Shakespeare complimenting our other writers 23:00 finding our own thoughts in Shakespeare 24:00 finding meaning in Shakespeare 24:50 finding comfort in Shakespeare

Comments

Emily F

Up until this point, I've had a bad relationship with Shakespeare to the point where I thought I would never like it. I had to read various plays for school (Romeo + Juliet, King Lear, Hamlet), but I just found the language confusing and hard to understand. But inspired by this book club and reading Ulysses, I decided to tackle Hamlet again. To my surprise, I really enjoyed it! I used the Cambridge School Shakespeare edition, which helped immensely with giving me different things to think about as far as the characters, plot, staging, etc, while explaining what unfamiliar words and phrases mean. Some of the activities it suggests include reading the words of a certain character using different attitudes (i.e. angry, confused, etc). I felt that this helped me get into the mind of the characters to better understand what was happening. I also read a lot of it out loud to myself, which was quite fun! I think the 2023 chronological reading project is probably too much for me, but I will attempt the 2022 4-season approach to read 12 of his most famous plays. Thanks so much for creating this syllabus. I'm excited to see what I will learn and hopefully have a much more positive experience.

Jack

I am so excited to start this in 2026! I’m ready to meet the Bard!

Susan

I am ashamed to say that until reading the sonnets with this book club I have never read Shakespeare, I didn’t even read them at school. I looked at the first sonnet and even though I am born and raised in England, I admit it was like a foreign language to me. Thanks to your video’s I felt truly epic when I was able to understand them. I am a registered nurse and one of my patients today who is a retired teacher was reading Macbeth, so I was having a lovely conversation with her about Shakespeare, which is something I thought I would never do. I am really looking forward to starting my new Shakespeare journey, and I know Father Christmas is bringing me all my new books ; )

Alice

My excitement is really building! Your enthusiasm is infectious! I look forward so much to finally absorbing and experiencing the plays and characters I have heard so much about in so many works of fiction and nonfiction. After your video about reading the Bible as literature, I have read many sections of the King James version and am astounded at how much more I understand when I come across even tangential passing references to bible passages in the novels we read. I imagine reading Shakespeare will have a similar effect. I hope to keep up with the Shakespeare videos throughout the year, since I tend to read the ‘big reads’ more slowly. I am very interested in your advice and guidance about visualizing the plays in the ‘theatre of the mind.’ In the plays I have read, I have such a difficult time visualizing the setting and the action, unable to fill in the blanks that are usually described in such detail in a novel. I am most looking forward to the Tempest, simply because my father has said it was his favorite Shakespeare play.

Fiona Wang

(1) I read a few Shakespeare's plays in high school, including King Lear and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and probably Hamlet and Twelfth Night. Unfortunately, I barely remember any plots, characters, or themes! I haven't seen any live adaptations, but would love to watch the ones starring Patrick Stewart. I had a great English Literature teacher, and her love for literature was contagious. She made the language accessible and shared brilliant insights. Shakespeare is one author I would not feel comfortable tackling without a good teacher. Luckily, I found one from this book club :) (2) My number one obstacle to reading Shakespeare is undoubtedly the archaic language. Next is the intellectual complexity and the need to fully immerse. I have a tendency to give up in the face of adversity, but I hope to persevere with the bard! (3) Wisdom. A deeper understanding of self and others. Insights to the human condition. Facts of life that are obvious but difficult to confront. These are high expectations, but I have a feeling that I won't be disappointed. I'm most excited about Macbeth! Ben, I think you recommended this to me while we were reading Crime and Punishment. I certainly have a thing for blood and gore, and am particularly drawn to the psychological implications.

Len Larsson

Wow Ben, you've brought out the big guns right from the start. Good for you. Thanks for your advice. Over the Christmas break, I am reading Springboard Shakespeare 'King Lear' by Ben Crystal, the Before section then the play itself, maybe referring to the During section. One thing I wonder about is who the audience of Shakespeares time would have been, and of his references how aware would they have been? Is it like a modern childrens animation, with multi layered jokes, where the adults have something to amuse them, which simply wash over the kids, totally unaware of the references/meaning. I suspect that the "common folk" though not formally educated, would have been just as intelligent as people today (maybe more so?) and not able to read or have access to texts, would probably have discussed endlessly the politics of the day, stories passed down (Green/Roman myths) stories of kings and queens of the past, and the Royals of the day - just like they do now. The public houses were a centre of cultural activity, just like they are now - TV & Cinema notwithstanding. Like now, everyone would have had an opinion, with a need to share it! I would be interested in your view on this Ben. Anyway, really looking forward to next year, and tackling Shakespeare in particular. Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, Ben.

Marcus Alexis Fairweather

What a feast for the mind and soul you have lined up Ben! Cannot wait to get started. For so many years, I didn't think that Shakespeare had anything to say that was remotely applicable to my life but you have proved me wrong. Hope you have a splendid Christmas.

Brandi K

1) High school certainly solidified my love of Shakespeare. I was fortunate enough to attend the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as a high school junior and I’ve been in love with Shakespeare ever since. I’ve also had the pleasure of being part of a production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” 2) The dialogue is always difficult, but I feel that it has gotten easier with time and consistent readings of the plays. 3) Skills and insights to add to my practice of “deeper reading” 😊 Bonus: Hamlet!

Nick Trapani

I’m sorry to say my exposure to Shakespeare has been limited to watching my son perform in “Much Ado About Nothing,” when he was in High School and watching my daughter in “A Midsummer Nights Dream,” when she was at University. I also had a black cat named Puck, as he was a happy wanderer of the night. I must say your video got my juices flowing, so much to learn and so little time. I will go forth with the thought, you’re never to old to learn.

Mahmoud

1) My introduction to Shakespeare came during school, which left me completely lost, confused and frustrated. I do recall reading MacBeth, Othello, possibly Hamlet, and Romeo & Juliet (for which we also watched a film). Being an Akira Kurosawa fan, I've since then had some indirect exposure, coming to enjoy and appreciate his Shakespearean adaptations, Ran and Throne of Blood. I've also taken up reading poetry recently with an intention of going through his sonnets.  2) Unlocking and rendering his work to be more accessible for the uninitiated and overcoming the learning curve associated with archaic language, unfamiliarity regarding the historical & cultural context of Shakespeare's world, as well as with aspects of theatre and drama. Though I feel immediately reassured with your guidance utilizing 'three readings' and the 'theatre of the mind'.  3) Becoming more skilled in understanding his language and reading his plays, developing my imaginative power, and better able to appreciate his widespread influence and enduring impact on both literature and culture. Ultimately, I hope to gain greater awareness and insight about human nature. Most of all, I am just as excited about the practical approach of the Shakespeare Project itself, which includes collaboration, synthesizing and journaling alongside reading to get the most out of it.  Bonus: As I know virtually nothing about the vast majority of the plays, the ones of interest are actually the few we're beginning with: King Lear, MacBeth, and Hamlet - his more popular ones, but of which I have only a vague, tiny idea about. I feel like this would be considered more of a deep dive into Shakespeare, which for me has a mix of fear and excitement. 

Caroline P

YIPPPEEEE can’t wait for all this! I started reading Shakespeare after watching your sonnet videos, then tried Macbeth, then tried Hamlet…and absolutely LOVED them, sorry for shouting. I wanted to carry on but decided to wait and read King Lear with the group here. I see the language being difficult and my attitude might be something I need to overcome..with my previous reads of Macbeth and Hamlet I made sure I understood every sentence. It took me a long time! An enjoyable time but still a while. I think maybe I need to not worry so much? But on the other hand, I did uncover some real gems by doing that. And I want to learn by heart my favourite sections, I want to discover new stories, I want to walk in some new worlds and have already cleared out some space in my brain/attic/mind to accommodate a whole TARDIS full of universes. 😀

Michaela Johnston

Hi everyone. :) I'm new here and posting for the first time. My exposure to Shakespeare is limited to the plays we read at school, which rather went over my head at the time. I've been wanting to try them again for some time but was too intimidated and didn't know where to start, so this book club seems ideal. I can't wait to get stuck in!

Jenny Housley

I haven’t as yet listened to Ben but I so enjoyed reading everyone’s comments. I told my son he could buy me Moby Dick for Christmas. You should have seen his face! “What no brandy?!” Did I say that? I want. Books AND brandy😁

Caroline P
>>73877033

Hello Michaela, how nice to meet you here. I joined a few months ago, it is a wonderful group. Everyone is so encouraging and inspiring. I am looking forward to this too 😀

Pablo
>>73877354

👋🏻 Hi Jenny - Books and Brandy; sounds divine! We must be oddly star-crossed as my presents are the same this year: Pierre Ferrand grande champagne cognac 1840 original formula brandy and half of the Everyman Shakespeare singlet. Hey it's my birthday in February so I can catch up on the other half 😉 I already have a copy of Moby-Dick (currently resting up in anticipation!) - Sounds like we're both in for a fine Christmas 😀

Brandi K
>>73791810

Hi Don, I'm so glad you share my feelings of the OSF! And Ashland is so beautiful! I've been wanting to return for a while now but it's quite a hike for me as I live on the gulf coast. One of our local universities produces a Shakespeare play every summer and I always try to attend. Of course, there haven't been any during the pandemic but maybe next year? My favorite OSF play was a production of Macbeth done in the round theatre where the set was nothing but a pool of blood in the middle of the stage. All of the actors wore white and dipped their hands in the pool during violent scenes. Needless to say, it was quite the blood bath by the end!

hardcoreliterature
>>73777208

I’m honoured that this is where you got your first taste of Shakespeare, Susan. That’s amazing! I completely relate to that well-earned feeling of epicness upon cracking a poem. Key moments in my own reading journey are punctuated by this feeling. And your conversation about Shakespeare sounds like something I would love to have been involved in! I’m personally so excited to hear what everyone makes of Macbeth specifically - such a dark and brooding play. I do hope I receive some books this year. When people ask for gift ideas, it’s the only thing I say :)

hardcoreliterature
>>73778919

That’s so awesome to hear, Alice! I actually have to try and moderate my excitement somewhat as it is at incredibly high levels about this reading project. It’s amazing to hear your reading of the KJV has pulled even more into focus with these great novels. Without knowledge of the biblical stories and Shakespeare’s works, these great works are a tad diluted. But with that background, it’s almost like a superpower. I’m looking forward to talking about the theatre of the mind. This is an idea that flourished out of my interest in the Romantic “closet dramas” - theatrical works designed to be performed only in the reader’s mind, remaining on the page rather than being taken to the stage. It’s a fascinating tradition that includes works like Byron’s Manfred and Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound. It should be a fun discussion :) And great to hear you’re looking forward to The Tempest - perfect choice of favourite from your father. A lot of critics believe that this was Shakespeare’s final solo piece of work. Propsero and Caliban alone will make for a great discussion!

Sergey Taranenko

I have been long planning to tackle Shakespeare which is a major lacuna in my literary education. For this purpose, I even purchased Harold Bloom’s “Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human” and both volumes of Harold Goddard’s “The Meaning of Shakespeare.” I am really happy to hear that Ben’s lectures will also accompany me on this journey. I have one of those huge editions with all works of Shakespeare in one book but most likely I won’t be using it. That book is so beautiful I am afraid of taking it off the shelf. I think I’ll buy a bunch of cheap paperbacks where I can scribble to my heart’s content. Like many, I was first introduced to Shakespeare back in school; it was a mixed experience. We read “Macbeth”, “Romeo & Juliet”, and “Much ado About Nothing”. I exchanged several English teachers throughout all this time and some of them were better than others. Either way, I don’t think I was mature enough back then to truly tackle the subject. Also, my English only reached native levels in high school, so I was only able to properly read Macbeth. My experience with the other plays was more akin to those foreigners at The Globe. I anticipate that the language might be somewhat difficult, but I feel rather confident. My biggest concern is that I will not be able to fully grasp Shakespeare’s message since I am not that familiar with his reference material, we’ll see. In my current situation, I seek to gain as much literary insight from Shakespeare as possible. Hopefully his works will teach me to become a better writer and have as much positive influence on my style as they did on many other authors. I have always been more inclined towards prose, and I am also looking to expand my knowledge in the realm of poetry and drama.

hardcoreliterature
>>73780523

Ah, Patrick Stewart is tremendous. I adore him. He did a read-through of the sonnets last year, one per day, that I’m sure you’re already aware of - but, if not, I highly recommend his readings! He’s been in Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest, Othello, and surely many more. One of my favourite thespians, along with Ian McKellen (I also respect what Kenneth Branagh does). And thank you for sharing your perceived obstacle and aim for reading the bard, Fiona! We’ll overcome the archaic language quicker than you may expect, and wisdom certainly will be waiting for us there. Today I was running through a couple of lines from Anthony and Cleopatra in my head, and was astounded at just how resonant they are today, and always will be. Macbeth’s going to be a fun one. Perfect for Dostoyevsky fans, and fans of the dark side :)

hardcoreliterature
>>73784039

Thank you, Len! Very nice choice with Ben Crystal. I love what he and his father are doing with Shakespeare. I have a couple of their works on Original Pronunciation - and they even put on productions using it! Cool stuff. As for the “common folk” in Shakespeare’s audience (most likely paying a penny to stand in the pit, as the seats were too expensive), though illiterate, in many ways they had modern audiences completely beat for biblical understanding, and awareness of myths and legends and ballads. I think that whilst Shakespeare definitely layered his stories with something to appeal to everyone - from the monarch overseeing the play at court to the unlettered commoners - there are things in the plays where one struggles to comprehend how an audience of any time would be able to take in that much meaning. In my opinion, Shakespeare wrote to be read (and reread, and pondered upon) just as much as he wrote to be performed. Much of the difficulty for us today has to do with cultural references that are, at this point, incredibly far removed from us. One of the interesting things I took away from Ben Crystal’s works is how much sense is dependent on the original sound of the words too. And as you say, our natural proclivity to gossip and conjecture about politics would have been there just as thoroughly as it is today, although the speed at which information travelled was unfathomably slow by today’s standards. This is a topic worthy of an entire video itself :) I’ll talk about this in more depth in this month’s Q&A show. Thank you for the awesome comment, Len, and a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you too!

Jenny C

Ben, I found you via your "Self-Reliance" podcast (feeling far too conformist lately, and looking for RWE reminders), and am SO excited to be here! I'm an English lit major who's somehow fallen out of reading anything but the children's lit I teach -- too busy, tech-shortened attention span, blah blah blah--and I've been increasingly, miserably aware of the loss on many levels. Your enthusiasm and methods are exactly what I wanted and needed to lure me back in. It'll be like getting an Oxford education without having to write more papers! I read lots of Shakespeare in college, but only The Tempest to this depth. I can't wait! I've ordered your recommended journal, pens, and Arden, and can't wait to participate with this wonderful community. I can see myself doing this for years and years, so please don't burn yourself out! :). Thank you!!!

hardcoreliterature
>>73790929

Thank you, Marcus! I love that - a feast for the mind and soul! And a good feast requires a hearty appetite :) I hope you have a lovely Christmas too, hopefully filled with some enjoyable reading time!

David Wisehart
>>73900525

Bloom's book on Shakespeare is very good. I got a lot out of it, and went on to read a bunch more of his books. I like his approach, and Benjamin's approach to literature is very much in line with Bloom's.

Pablo

Well, it won’t be my first ever Shakespeare read, but maybe I can be a born-again Shakespeare virgin? They say that there are “No bad students, just bad teachers” (no offence to any teachers intended; and sure, I get that some students can be, we’ll call it ‘a challenge’). But, unfortunately studying Romeo & Juliette at a comprehensive in the 80’s with a sub-par teacher really turned me off Shakespeare regrettably. All I can recall of the experience was watching the 1968 film version (Michael York was good as Tybalt if I recall rightly) and then having to watch the 60’s film of ‘West Side Story’ and afterwards write an essay comparing the two. So, my initial feeling was apprehension when I saw the Shakespeare project on the 2022 schedule for HLBC. Ben’s primer lecture for this has assuaged my fears somewhat. I’ve also learned to trust in the process and have faith in Capt. Benjamin to steer us around the rocks. Duly, I’ve ‘committed to the movement I’m in’ and asked my nearest and dearest for the everyman Shakespeare editions for Christmas/my birthday. I’m hopeful and optimistic about us looking at these collectively, I’m a lot older, so hopefully I’ll get something different out of it this time. Plus, Shakespeare is so pervasive, I think it was Harold Bloom who said that Shakespeare, Chaucer and Milton where the foundations of the western cannon? I’m Quietly excited about getting stuck in and seeing what it’s all about, and discussing it with all you wiser Shakespeare veterans 😉 If I get as much out of Shakespeare as I have from the syllabus since fall I will be very happy indeed. People always seem to rate Lear or The Tempest after the more predicable answer of Hamlet. But at this stage I'm going to keep my mind open and see what captivates me!

Holly Puckette

I've been fortunate enough to have seen performed or read all but one of the plays on our list this year. I have special places in my heart for Macbeth, Hamlet and Midsummer. What I'm looking forward to is the reading and the deep dives, and the conversations this will spark with my Shakespeare buff daughter. She's 25 and performed/directed with a Shakespeare company for about 15 years. For awhile there our home was simply immersed in Shakespeare. Unfortunately, I was very sick for a long period of that time, so I'm looking forward to the experience with my focus and attention at the ready.

hardcoreliterature
>>73794099

Much Ado About Nothing is one of my personal favourites! And what a wonderful name for a cat. I love it when animals are named after a literary persona. My friend named his black cat "Stiva" after his favourite character in Anna Karenina. I envy your starting position, Nick, as you have a good handful of fun works to enjoy :) I still remember vividly my first encounters with the plays I love the most today, and they were very special experiences.

hardcoreliterature
>>73816472

Wow! That’s impressive, Mahmoud. Despite not having the best school influence, you have still explored Shakespeare with great gusto. Kurosawa is fantastic, isn’t he? When I was living in Japan, a film crew from his production company turned up right around the corner, with his name in big letters on all the vans. I so wanted to be able to poke my head in and see what they were filming. “Ran” is the best film adaptation of King Lear I personally know of. The director captured the sentiment, and the power, of the play better than any other - though my love of King Lear was made all the more profound thanks to Rupert Goold’s production at the Young Vic. A shame we don’t have footage of the production. And thank you for sharing the obstacles you foresee and your aim with the project, Mahmoud. Brilliant stuff. I have a strong feeling that you will take to his works wonderfully. Fear and excitement is a powerful mixture :)

hardcoreliterature
>>73901902

Hi Jenny :) That's amazing to hear! Warm welcomes to the club, and thank you so much for introducing yourself! I'm thrilled that you found 'Self-Reliance' to be a resonant one. This was one of my personal favourite podcasts. I loved combing through the essay. Emerson is such inspiring reading for all time, especially those moments in which we need to trust ourselves more fully. It's wonderful to hear we have another English Lit major here! Children's Literature is quite a passion of mine. I have plans, which I haven't spoken about yet, to regularly produce content covering the greatest works in children's literature. And fantastic to hear you're all set up and ready to go - journals, pens, books - what a haul :) Thank you so much for your kind words - I really appreciate that!

hardcoreliterature
>>73910030

That’s so impressive, Holly. All but one! This begs the question - which is the play you still have to look forward to? And what a marvellous career for your daughter to have. I would personally find that so fulfilling. And I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the plays as we read through :)

Scott W

I first encountered Shakespeare at secondary school. My first experiences differed greatly between the teachers that taught us. Midsummer Nights Dream, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth were taught very well, I remember being very engaged and enjoying it and I am fond of those plays to this day. Another teacher taught Much Ado About Nothing very differently. All I remember is painful drawn out long afternoons taking in turns to read lifelessly from the script, not understanding what we were doing.. and to this day I dread ever having to read that play again. But hey, maybe it's great.. :) Living in Cambridge I'm fortunate to be able to see live Shakespeare outdoors in various college gardens through the summer. I especially remember seeing MND, Macbeth, The Tempest and As You Like It performed live. They are never quite what I imagined in my own Theatre of the Mind, but enjoyable none the less. I am just as happy reading Shakespeare from the page as I am watching it live. I think for me the main challenge with Shakespeare is first seeing and then being able to appreciate what he is doing. I have read enough of his plays to not find the language a hindrance, but the depths and quality and meaning in each play almost always escapes me on the first reading. I tend to finish a play for the first time with the feeling that if I only read it again right away I would appreciate it much more, so I am excited about our 'three read' approach. I would most like to get enjoyment from reading Shakespeare. I am excited to build a broader understanding of his work so I can see it and appreciate allusions to it in other literature I read, but if I had to choose one thing it would be enjoyment. I am most excited about King Lear and Hamlet. I have read them both only once, this year in fact.. and am really looking forward to re-reading them with the group and unpicking them more. Some of the characters in these plays seem real in ways I find hard to articulate. Like when I read a play I know it's a script, it's words for a character to speak.. but from the first few words of Hamlet or Cordelia it's more audible somehow, like actual words of a real person, or like someone else in the room with you talking over your shoulder. It's very intriguing. I don't really understand why, or how that can be.. but it is! :)

Michelle Best

My first introduction to Shakespeare was at school where we read Macbeth. I found that I enjoyed this when I reflected on it but hated that it took us so long to read. Whilst at university my housemates were part of the English and Drama society who put on a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream which I thoroughly enjoyed watching.

Michelle Best

Whilst working as a teaching assistant I visited The Globe which Imhave mixed feelings about. Most of the staff were fantastic and really brought Shakespeare alive for the children (we all especially enjoyed being able to show off our acting skills). My criticism was one particular member of staff that talked down to the children because they asked ‘silly’ questions (they hadn’t read any Shakespeare at that point). This is one of my longstanding difficulties with Shakespeare, I think it’s not for me (I’m a working class Northerner so have never really been to the theatre because Imthink it will be a waste of money if I don’t understand)

Caroline P

I am just popping here to say I just finished the slim little book by Bill Bryson about Shakespeare. It was excellent. I thought it was really about debunking the conjecture, speculation, misinformation and myth around Shakespeares life. I really liked how it explained how the myths came into being. It was more about how history is made and represented (or misrepresented). I think we know this so that wasn’t new but taking real examples and explaining how they came to be in the big wide world was fascinating. I much enjoyed this.

Jenny Housley

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas Day 💕Today I was very excited to go to the cinema and watch Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth! I am a newbie to Shakespeare so I did a little homework so I wouldn’t get lost in the plot. I must say i really enjoyed it. The filming in black and white, the weird sisters and the conclusion were awesome (in my humble opinion) I would really enjoy hearing what others thought.

hardcoreliterature
>>74049385

Your experience brings me back to my own school experience with Shakespeare, Scott. I was part of a production with one teacher who had tons of passion for Romeo & Juliet, but perhaps wasn’t the best teacher of it. Luckily, my sixth form English teacher sparked my love of King Lear, whilst my love of Much Ado About Nothing developed in spite, rather than because, of our teacher of that one. I find that something of a teacher’s personality remains always with the plays for the rest of our lives, in the same way that we store the productions that most moved us and refer back to them whenever we return to the work. It’s interesting to hear you say the live productions aren’t quite what you imagined. I’m saddened to say that I’ve actually left a few productions because they were so far from how I thought they should have been performed. As for the three reads method, I’ve always had that same feeling that you mention, and, with the really great plays, rereads are immediately rewarding. It’s almost like magic seeing certain lines and motifs come into focus. I love that idea of the characters talking in the same room, almost over our shoulder. Part of our mission will be to find out how exactly Shakespeare manages to do this! Amazing comment, thank you, Scott! And wishing you and your family a very merry Christmas :)

hardcoreliterature
>>74147873

I’d be so curious to know how long it took your class to read Macbeth at school, Michelle. I remember having Romeo and Juliet take the whole year and it resulted in the class detesting the play. And I understand your mixed feelings about The Globe. I have a great respect for the history surrounding the theatre, but one could certainly have some reservations about The Globe today. That’s a shame about the staff talking down to the children. Unfortunately, I’ve found a similar snobbishness across the board when it comes to literature. I found coming to read English at at Oxford from a working class background resulted in quite a bit of class prejudice, which has always left me feeling rather embittered! Rather ridiculous seeing as some of the greatest writers who ever lived came from working class backgrounds - like Shakespeare himself, and John Keats!

hardcoreliterature
>>74294199

Fantastic book! Bill Bryson’s wonderful, isn’t he? If you ever have any room for reading more into Shakespeare’s life, I have a feeling you would enjoy James Shapiro’s books on Shakespeare too, Caroline. His “Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare?” is great. Oh, and Peter Ackroyd has a fabulous biography on the bard too.

hardcoreliterature
>>74406174

I hope you had a lovely Christmas too, Jenny! I saw the trailer to Joel Cohen’s Macbeth just last night, and I’m so eager to check it out. Denzel Washington deserves more recognition for his Shakespeare work. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this - I’ll definitely let you know my thoughts once I’ve watched it too. I can’t wait :)

hardcoreliterature
>>75000433

Hi Heather! It’s so great to have you here. The pre-play prep should be live tomorrow. It’s uploading as we speak, so you definitely haven’t missed it!

Lori Miller

This sounds like an approach that will help me move through the plays, keep focused, and develop my appreciation. You are a wonderful teacher, Benjamin, in knowledge, enthusiasm, and presentation! I’m excited to be introduced to different productions and interpretations of the works too. These often deepen my appreciation, get me excited about the original text, and reveal details I missed on the first reading. My biggest difficulty is the discipline to pick up one of Shakespeare plays as opposed to one of the many other books I have on my bookshelves. I’ve read Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, and Othello, so I’m most excited to read the comedies. I also want to watch Ran by Akira Kurosawa, as I didn’t appreciate King Lear as much as I think I could. My first introduction to Shakespeare was in high school. I had a wonderful teacher who took us line-by-line through Romeo & Juliet and Macbeth. He was enthusiastic and sprinkled in interesting details and background information. He also didn’t make us feel like Shakespeare was “beyond” us. I feel fortunate to have this positive beginning with the Bard. What I most want to get out of this reading program is a knowledge and appreciation for these works that underpin pretty much everything in western literature. I know this will deepen my reading and understanding all the way around.

hardcoreliterature
>>77246316

Hi Lori :) I'm sorry that I've only just seen your lovely comment. Thank you so much. I really appreciate that! I personally think the best way to get through this specific difficulty is to source out a great production. You've mentioned Kurosawa's Ran, which is absolutely breathtaking. I think I may need to give that a rewatch myself very soon. It sounds like you had a great teacher. Like you, I was very lucky to have a teacher who made me fall deeply in love with Shakespeare - and it all started with King Lear!

Michael Anthony Gonzalez

Hi Ben – after reading your posts (and with a bit of encouragement from Harold Bloom [his name lead me to your YT channel]) I've decided to work through Shakespeare's plays in chronological order (according to Bloom's book). That being said, I was wondering what approach you'd recommend since this will be covering certain plays that many do not care for, so they may not have as easily accessible analysis like Macbeth or King Lear. I'm speaking of King Henry VI since those are the first three. I have the Arden editions, and they give an interesting historical intro, but I do feel it's a bit dry. Could be due to the plays themselves though. Mainly, I don't want to overwhelm myself, but I would still like to ingest these plays and get the most out of them. Part of what I'm thinking is a play (or film) first, then reading the plays with the help of an audio recording, then pausing to read footnotes that come up. Any advice on approaching the plays you don't cover would be appreciated.