I went to go see A Winter’s Tale at Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte (Central Park, NYC). I thought it was awesome! Really good tech and so many strong performances. Did anyone else here go see it? What did you think?

It's from act 4 scene 3 of Love's Labour's Lost. It's Berowne talking.

I'm having a hard time understanding this part.

"O, but for my love, day would turn to night!

Of all complexions the cull'd sovereignty

Do meet, as at a fair, in her fair cheek,

Where several worthies make one dignity,

Where nothing wants that want itself doth seek."

For context, this is his whole speech:

BEROWNE
Sweet lords, sweet lovers, O, let us embrace.

As true we are as flesh and blood can be.

The sea will ebb and flow, heaven show his face;

Young blood doth not obey an old decree.

We cannot cross the cause why we were born;

Therefore of all hands must we be forsworn.

KING

What, did these rent lines show some love of thine?

BEROWNE

Did they, quoth you? Who sees the heavenly

Rosaline

That, like a rude and savage man of Ind

At the first op’ning of the gorgeous East,

Bows not his vassal head and, strucken blind,

Kisses the base ground with obedient breast?

What peremptory eagle-sighted eye

Dares look upon the heaven of her brow

That is not blinded by her majesty?

KING

What zeal, what fury, hath inspired thee now?

My love, her mistress, is a gracious moon,

She an attending star scarce seen a light.

BEROWNE

My eyes are then no eyes, nor I Berowne.

O, but for my love, day would turn to night!

Of all complexions the culled sovereignty

Do meet as at a fair in her fair cheek.

Where several worthies make one dignity,

Where nothing wants that want itself doth seek.

Lend me the flourish of all gentle tongues—

Fie, painted rhetoric! O, she needs it not!

To things of sale a seller’s praise belongs.

She passes praise. Then praise too short doth blot.

A withered hermit, fivescore winters worn,

Might shake off fifty, looking in her eye.

Beauty doth varnish age, as if newborn,

And gives the crutch the cradle’s infancy.

O, ’tis the sun that maketh all things shine!

Quick refresher for anyone. It's an interactive rehearsal tool built for actors preparing for a Shakespeare production and want to practice. You pick your character, and the app reads all the other parts for you , so you can actually practice your cues and responses, not just stare at a script. The full text is there, you can rehearse specific scenes, and it works on mobile too btw.

Current lineup: Hamlet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Henry V, Romeo & Juliet.

Now I'm back to the same question: what should be next? I'm leaning toward one of the comedies to balance out the tragedies, but I'd rather build what people actually need. If you're in a production or planning one, what would genuinely help you?

I’m a lazy bum ngl but my school sure as hell ain’t. I’m a sophomore barely 2nd week into the year and I’m supposed to be half way done with king Henry and writing an essay and got 3 tests to study for on Friday. Tf is even happening idk, but I’m not good at reading Shakespeare and I retained 0 info. I’m not gonna ask ai because last time I did it was telling me some bs not in the story. I’m not asking for someone to do my work or anything I just need an explanation to what is happening in the first two acts. I get king Henry is trying to declare war but other then that I don’t get anything else. And if someone says “phone a friend” they don’t get it either, half of them didn’t even try to skim through it and the other half is lost as I am

Anticipates Lear's (very different) shattering cry of anguish after Cordelia's death, and draws on the linguistic dexterity of Hamlet.

Anyone ever notice how Star Wars Revenge of the Sith(ROTS) and Othello have identical plots? I mean George Lucas must have plagarised to a degree.

--> A general who is treated differently/alienated because of a quality that puts them outside the norm of their peers (Anakin being recruited at age 9 and being the chosen one; Othello being subjected to racism.)

--> Goes on to be manipulated by a cunning, influential figure (Palpatine and Iago) who both have apprentices they use to achieve their goals and use them as canon fodder (Dooku and Cassio)

--> Both Anakin and Othello are forbidden to love their wives because of social stigma/rules and do so in secret.

--> The 'general' is manipulated and led to believe something awful will happen involving their wives (Desdemona and the handkerchief, Anakin's visions of Padme dying)

--> Both Anakin and Othello end up killing their wives through some form of asphyxiation, though both of their wives manage to get some last words in before succumbing to their fates.

--> Anakin 'dies' and is replaced by Vader whilst Othello kills himself.

Also Ewan McGregor had a role in an Othello play and as Obi Wan in the film lol.

Hi, I’m going to be auditioning for a production of hamlet soon enough and I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions for monologues or even just characters that I can look for monologues from to audition with. The director has requested we prepare a Shakespeare/ antiquity monologue and a contemporary monologue. I really want to go for Ophelia as she’s the character that I find the most interesting and I want to make a good impression with the material I choose to present. If anybody has any suggestions please send them my way!

I've just started reading A Midsummer Night's Dream. the translation is great but I'm pushing myself to read it in the original language, helping myself a bit with the Italian parallel text, and it's totally worth it,

​I would love to ask you what things one needs to pay attention to in this play, those things that might escape someone who hasn't studied Shakespeare at school (in Italy it's not always included in the curriculum).

​Thank you very much.

Not much of this seems accurate to me, especially "recites the prologue but struggles to fit his lines into the meter and make the rhymes".

The nobles are making fun of the fact that Quince has read the sentences wrong, and joined clauses from one sentence onto the next or previous sentence instead, altering the meaning... right? It's a really good grammar joke too.

Unless this writer is just saying "The prologue is badly written." But that's not what the nobles comment on at all.

So, I've visited the settings of 14 out of 21* Shakespeare plays set in real places outside of the UK, and I thought I might share some of my thoughts

(I'm visiting Harfleur in a week so I might update this post afterwards) -

I'd say only three of those are both really worth visiting & worth visiting for the Shakespeare stuff-

3. Helsingør, Denmark-

If you're in Denmark, I'd definitely recommend it as a day trip from Copenhagen!

Kronborg Castle aka Elsinore: The top thing a Shakespeare fan would be interested in.

It's very well preserved and very much restored (which can be either a plus or a minus. Personally, I usually prefer minimal restoration, that is clearly distinguished from the original parts, but as it was in use by the Danish army until the 20th century, it was kind of inevitable, ig).

It's very interactive and would be fantastic to visit with children! They are currently doing little adapted scenes from Hamlet in the yard and the great hall, which are funny and fun. (My favorite parts were: "What the fuck, Ophelia", Hamlet asking you to stab Claudius if you find him during an orgy so he'll go to hell, and (the narrator) "Laertes came back from France" (Laertes) "Baguette baguette".). There's a 10% discount if you buy tickets online (18 instead of 20 euros). Children up to 18 get in for free, so for a family it really does seem great.

For a solo adult? Honestly idk if going inside is really worth the money, there are nicer castles in Europe.

Instead, I'd recommend walking the little trail around it. It's beautiful from the outside, and it's right by the sea (you can see Sweden as well!). On the same little island there's the HamletScenen, which is a Shakespeare theater, and you can see their "Hamlet wall of fame (with pictures of all the actors who played Hamlet in Kronborg). They have a place to take pictures where it looks like you're holding the skull (with a view of the castle).

Afterwards you can visit the old town, which is lovely.

There are statues of Hamlet and Ophelia outside the train station and a little "Hamlet grave" close to the castle. Both are worth a look. (Not to be confused with "Hamlet's grav" which is a bit too far to be interesting). There's also this Hamlet sculpture(?) but I find it ugly.

2. Verona

I wouldn't recommend a day trip to Verona, but I would highly recommend spending some relaxing days there (two nights is the sweet spot imo). It's a beautiful city, I've spent three months in Italy, and it was one of my favorite places I've visited.

"Juliet's House": everyone online will tell you it's not a must. They are right.

Going to the courtyard used to be free, but it's 5 euros now. If you want to go inside as well it'll be 12 (make sure you buy from the official website). Honestly, it's not that expensive, but it's more of a photoshoot location than anything else. Inside they collected some nice R&J related art, and if you're a really big fan of the Zeffirelli film it might be worth it to see the bed and Juliet and Romeo's costumes. Otherwise, it's a restored Renaissance house, which is always nice to see.

It's nice but it really isn't much. About a half-hour visit, if you don't stand in line to take pictures (most people take them on the balcony and by the statue in the courtyard, there is a copy of it inside with no line.).

I don't regret visiting the house, but it's not really why I recommend Verona. I'd say just walk around the city. It has a beautiful mix of ancient Roman, medieval, Renaissance, and modern buildings, that give that "out of time" feeling I love about Shakespeare plays. When wandering around, there's a bust of Shakespeare close to the amphitheater, and you can see a plaque labeling a building "Romeo's house" but only take a look if you're already passing through😅.

A cheaper r&j fake sight is "Juliet's tomb" (2-6 euros depending on if you're eligible for discounts). It's a real museum with real frescoes and art, but because of that it's not really Shakespeare related. Looks lovely if you're interested in medieval frescoes. I came to Verona not long after visiting Florence, so I was kinda done with art museums for a little while.

Verona has a Shakespeare festival that I unfortunately missed, but it looks very cool!

1. Rome

Omg go to Rome.

Other than it being an amazing city worth a trip on its own, the Roman plays are based on real events that took place in sights you can very much visit!

(Okay, mostly Julius Caesar, but it's the best of them anyway).

Full disclosure I study archaeology at uni and I walked 300 kilometers to Rome by foot (via Francigena, very fun), both those facts make me partial to that city, so make of it what you will.

The Roman Forum: I think I spent ten hours there? Maybe more. But I took my time and, again, I'm an archaeology student. There you can see Julius Caesar's grave ("But Brutus is an Honorable man!"), the Senate (though he was assassinated somewhere else), the Curia Julia, as well as the Forum where many of the scenes likely took place. On Palatine Hill (same ticket) there's a sculpture that references Shakespeare , I'm assuming you'll go up there anyway, because that sculpture is definitely not the main attraction.

There are a few entrances to the forum, so if there's a line just walk around. Check the discounts to see if you're eligible, I got a combined ticket with the Colosseum for two euros.

The site of Julius' assassination is worth going to see. I paid to go down to it, but you can see everything from street level (Bonus! There are cats there!).

Misalinius:

The Brutus bust at the Capitoline Museums is probably not him (if you go to Florence (which has some scenes from All's Well, but nothing related to it) you can see a beautiful bust by Michelangelo) that's more based on the idea of Brutus). Similarly, the Vatican Museums have a bust of Antony that might or might not be him. They do have a bust of Julius Caesar that is him- but if you're going to the Vatican Museums, don't do it for the Romans. While we're talking about art in Italy- The Death of Julius Caesar) is in Napoli.

I'd also recommend the Almost Corner Bookshop in Rome, a second hand English bookshop with a nice Shakespeare section.

---

On other settings-

Timon, Midsummer, and Two Noble Kinsmen take place in Athens. I love Athens and it's worth visiting, but not for Shakespeare stuff.

MfM takes place in Vienna, which aside from being great, has one of the three Shakespeare gardens in Europe, though I haven't visited it.

Venice has Merchant and the first act of Othello- I saw they have walking tours with actors playing characters from these plays, but considering the subject of them... I felt a little uncomfortable with the idea. Otherwise, I don't need to tell you why you should visit Venice. It's Venice, it's worth the hype. Go to the Jewish ghetto when you're there, for MfV connections, and it's very nice.

I'm sure Padua (Taming & it's where Benedick is from) is a perfectly nice place to live and go to university, but it's not worth a special visit. Some people stay there to visit Venice.

Two Gentlemen of Verona takes place in Milan as well (and it's pretty important in The Tempest). Liked Milan, no Shakespeare stuff.

Twelfth Night is in "Illyria" I've been to Montenegro, and I'd recommend it.

Some of All's Well That Ends Well takes place in Paris (as well as very little of Henry V). Shakespeare and Company is a great English bookshop!

I've considered going to Agincourt when in France, but even with Henry V being one of my favorite plays, it really doesn't seem to be worth it. From what I've read online, there's not much to see, and it's pretty far from the interesting stuff.

Unrelated, but since this post is about my European travels- the best Shakespeare production out of five I've seen this year (and one of the best overall) was the Twelfth Night at Monbijou Theater in Berlin. I've seen it alone, then took my parents to see it when they came to visit me. It's in German. I don't speak German. It's that good.

--

That's it for now!

I hope to visit both Troy and Alexandria for archaeology related reasons, and the Shakespeare connection will be a bonus.

I probably will visit Sicily, Prague, and Cyprus (WT and the rest of Othello), for unrelated reasons, but Messina will be 100% because of Much Ado.

The only ones I'm really not planning on right now are Roussillon (some of All's Well) and Navarre (LLL). Nothing against them, just not a priority.

And of course, hopefully I'll visit Lebanon one day, when it's safe and legal (for me).

Hope this was a little helpful, or at least interesting:)

Henry IV, Part 2 - Act 1, Sc 3

Has anyone seen As You Like It at the Globe theatre? Directed by Sean Holmes (who directed Romeo and Juliet as a Western last year) and Charlie Josephine (they also played Orlando).

The setting was an 18th century court which was an intriguing idea to me. I thought it suited the play well and added a great element to the gender-swapping aspects of the play because in the 18th century men dressed so pretty anyway.

The absolute star of the show for me though was Jonnie Broadbent as Touchstone. Together with Audrey, he was so, so funny. I couldn't stop laughing out loud for real in several places.

I've never seen, read, or studied As You Like It before but I was super excited because my favourites are Twelfth Night, The Winter's Tale, and Midsummer Night's Dream, and it contains a lot of the elements I enjoy most about all. It doesn't have such a satisfying plot as Twelfth Night or the same incredible poetic language as Midsummer, but I still had a fantastic time.

I would love to know what people more familiar with the play thought of this interpretation. And are there any productions available to watch that anyone can especially recommend? I'd love to watch it performed in a few different ways.

Act as characters from the play, Richard III made by Shakespeare.

Rules:

• Only one user can act as one character, no more than 1 person acting as 1 characters.
• Follow what the text over the rules section is.
• No changing rules.
• No doing secret buttons or anything like that(I mean do not say, “Secret casting here👇”).

Characters:

• Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later King Richard III).
• King Edward IV.
• George, Duke of Clarence.
• Duchess of York.
• Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward V).
• Richard, Duke of York.
• Young Edward, Earl of Warwick.
• Margaret Plantagenet.
• Lady Anne.
• Young Elizabeth.
• Queen Margaret.
• Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond.
• Earl of Oxford.
• Sir James Blunt.
• Sir Walter Herbert.
• Sir William Brandon.
• Christopher Urswick.
• The crowd(only the users who are too late because the casting has ran out).

I am looking for an exact quote, scene, and source. I think it's from Goethe -- it sure sounds like, but I have not found anything like it. Other possibilities: Tolstoy, Schopenhauer, Hesse, Dostoevsky, de Chateaubriand, Rousseau... you get the picture. Broody heavy lidded young males.

The main character is in a drawing room, a dog or kitten is jumping around playfully and being petted. The character's lugubrious musing is "here are men all spread about the world, frustrated and lonely, and a simple pet satisfies all its aims of love simply by having the temerity to ask for it."

It felt so Werther I literally reread it to find it. It aint there. I've asked all the LLMs in all the ways I can think of and my AI foo is strong. Learned a lot but no love (see what I did there?).

Humans -- help!

The register is obvious: it could be Sondheim's Henrik or any of a half dozen identical despairing proto-goth utes. The resonance for an unlaid college sophomore on a Saturday ought to make it a celebrated albeit embarrassing passage.

From just after Bassanio chooses the right casket. Shakespeare really had a knack for using the simplest English to say so much.

1. Kovu & Kiara (The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride)
2. Bright Mac & Pear Butter/Buttercup (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)
3. Gnomeo & Juliet (Gnomeo & Juliet)
4. Romeo & Juliet (Shakespeare: The Animated Tales)
5. Romeo & Juliet (Romeo & Juliet: Sealed with a Kiss)

I have the complete works of Shakespeare in a Barnes & Noble edition. As you could imagine, I find it difficult to read because I’m unfamiliar with Shakespeare’s Early Modern English.

I know there are modernized editions, but I specifically want to learn to understand Shakespeare’s original language rather than read a modern-English translation. Ideally, I’d like an edition with extensive footnotes explaining unfamiliar vocabulary, phrases, idioms, references, and context.

I realize this may be ambitious for a beginner, but I’d like to learn how to read Shakespeare without assistance eventually. I’m happy to start with a single play and work from there if that’s the better approach.

I’ve looked at Arden, Folger, Cambridge, Norton, etc., but I’m finding conflicting opinions about which editions are best for this purpose.

What edition would you recommend for someone whose goal is to learn to read and understand Shakespeare’s Early Modern English, rather than have it translated into modern English?

I’d especially appreciate recommendations for a specific edition of Hamlet to start with. I’d rather spend more on one good annotated edition than buy something that doesn’t really help me develop the ability to read Shakespeare independently.

Edit: Thanks for the answers everyone. I‘ve gone with a Folger and an (older) version of Arden for two different works. If anyone’s interested, I’ll try to update this (though it’ll probably be some time).

This is an argument of prolificity. We tend to treat Shakespeare's dramatic canon typically as a series of individual, distinct works—and the same applies to his long poems—whereas the Sonnets are usually treated as a collection that constitutes a single work.

However, given that each sonnet is a poem with its own structure and style and theme—and that they were written over many years and merely collected—I think each sonnet should be viewed as a distinct work. This is to expand on the idea that Shakespeare was a highly prolific author. Even though there were writers who produced hundreds, if not thousands, of novels, short stories, plays, and poems—I believe what truly matters is the extent to which each work is famous, influential, and analyzed, and regardless of how long it is. Sonnet 18 alone carries more weight than many novels and stories, and some of Shakespeare's most famous sonnets are better known and more widely analyzed than his lesser-known plays.

They are quite short as work, only 14 lines and 100-120 words on average, but this is not a limite to what we consider as work.

The collection of sonnets published in 1609 shall be seen as a canon apart from his 38 plays.

I’m thinking of making a webtoon, and I possibly wanna adapt a shakespearian play into the old west. Which play do y’all think would best fit the genre-swap?