Favorite vs Best Shakespeare Play?

Rhoda Nightingale · Nov 8, 2013

Seeking opinions for a blog I'm working on. Also, can't figure out how to make the poll thingy work, so I'll just tally up results manually.*

Allowing for the caveat that what I personally consider a great work of literature/drama doesn't always align with what I most love watching/reading over and over, what, in your opinion, is Shakespeare's "best" play, and (if you have a different answer) what is the one you like most?

If the answers are different, why?

Thanks in advance!

*second thought, maybe it's better not to mention any plays by name and let y'all come up with them without any leading on my part.

thothguard51 · Nov 8, 2013

My favorite is and has always been Taming of the Shrew...

Siri Kirpal · Nov 8, 2013

Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Haven't read (or seen) the entire corpus. And I think the comedies and the tragedies/histories are sufficiently different that we need two of each.

I once saw a production of Macbeth that was so good, it remains the bar to which I hold all other theatrical performances. Ergo, it's my favorite tragedy. It might be the best, but I'm not going to hazard a guess on that one.

Much Ado About Nothing is my favorite comedy. Here again, I've seen an excellent (student) production. I've seen enough comedies to guess that this one really is the best.

I also like the poetry of The Tempest, although it isn't a great play from a performance point of view.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

Calla Lily · Nov 8, 2013

I've read them all and seen several staged and I vote for Macbeth. Murders! Evil! Hauntings! Guilt! Supernatural phenomena! Plus a MC whose story arc is terrific to watch.

I have to say I haven't yet seen a production of it that I've loved.

OTOH, Branagh's St. Crispin's Day speech in his movie of Henry V is nothing short of brilliant. But the play overall is not at the top of my list.

There's no comedy or romance that I like enough to name. They're all too long and convoluted for my tastes.

Shameless plug her for one of the funniest DVDs ever: The Reduced Shakespeare Company's Complete Works of William Shakeapeare, Abridged. It's on Amazon or probably at your library. Watch it. Seriously. Three of the most talented actors ever. Yes. Just three.

Rhoda Nightingale · Nov 8, 2013

^I saw them on my birthday once!! They are truly fabulous.

Thanks for the replies so far guys, keep 'em coming...

richcapo · Nov 8, 2013

Honestly, I have no idea because I can't understand a word he says. It's all over my head. Sounds pretty, though.

asroc · Nov 8, 2013

Another Macbeth fan here. It's got ghosts, witches and Scotsmen. What more could you want?

AshleyEpidemic · Nov 8, 2013

While, I've only been exposed to a fraction of Shakespeare's plays, I was most intrigued by Othello.

Chris P · Nov 8, 2013

Macbeth. I just understood it from the start, unlike Hamlet or the comedies. Romeo and Juliet jumped up in my opinion when I read it for the second time years after the first, but Macbeth still wins handily.

Kylabelle · Nov 8, 2013

At one time or another I have read them all, and studied several, but it has been years since I've dipped in.

However, favorites as of this moment are, for the tragedies, King Lear, and for the comedies, A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Let us know when your blog post is published, I'll be curious to read it. I keep meaning to revisit some of these plays. Once the language "code" is cracked, that is, once I get over the unfamiliarity of it, I love this material.

AVS · Nov 8, 2013

Another vote for Macbeth.

Kerosene · Nov 8, 2013

Best: Macbeth.
Fav: Romeo and Juliet.

Russell Secord · Nov 8, 2013

Yet another vote for "Macbeth." I thought I was weird for loving it. Maybe it's a writer thing....

callalilly, you may change your mind if you see Castle of Blood, Kurosawa's version of the Scottish play.

Special bonus: I'm just finishing a dieselpunk version of "Macbeth" and will post it in SYW soon. If you're going to steal, steal from the best, I always say.

Best play? tie between "Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Tempest."

Toothpaste · Nov 8, 2013

My favourite I think is Henry IV Part I. It just edges out Richard II.

The best? Well that's quite subjective still. But I think King Lear is really one of his best structured. Macbeth and Hamlet also (though the latter does meander there in the middle). I think for me his writing is sheer brilliance, but his stories are sometime incredibly silly, and can be truly horrible structured. So that's how I judge "best". Because to me it's no question that the words people say will be just fantastic

.

GardeningMomma · Nov 8, 2013

Macbeth, also.

Though, while in college, I worked on the costume crew for A Midsummer Night's Dream and it was by far my favorite performance to dress. (Sadly, I didn't produce any of the costumes myself. They were amazing, though!)

Ari Meermans · Nov 8, 2013

My favorite: A Midsummer Night's Dream

Little Ming · Nov 8, 2013

Russell Secord said:
callalilly, you may change your mind if you see Castle of Blood, Kurosawa's version of the Scottish play.

AKA Throne of Blood. I second the recommendation, it is excellent.

Also recommend Ran, a retelling of King Lear. I think Kurosawa also did a modern-day version of Hamlet, but I can't remember the title right now.

gothicangel · Nov 8, 2013

Twelfth Night. I just love that ending.

Rhoda Nightingale · Nov 8, 2013

Wow--looks like Macbeth is the clear winner in both categories so far. Midsummer Night's Dream seems to be leading for comedy, although that's just after a quick read-through--haven't done any proper counting yet.

My votes, just to throw it in here:

"Best"--tie between King Lear and The Tempest.

Fave--some years ago I probably would've said Hamlet, but now, it's a tie between The Tempest and Romeo and Juliet.

Okay, so here's the actual subject of my blog:

I started a blog "series" in September for Films of the Book--cinematic adaptations of works of literature and the strengths/weaknesses of both formats. Mostly horror so far, but that's just a coincidence because . . . I'm . . . me. What I'm aiming to look at next is actually Romeo and Juliet, and I was curious why the most recent adaptation (came out last month) is failing so hard, critically and commercially. Is it just a terrible movie? Do people not care about this story anymore?

OR...

Is the market so oversaturated with angsty, melodramatic teen romance right now, that we don't need another one (for a few years at least)?

Considering it's been adapted to film more often than any single other Shakespeare play ever, (by LOTS, I checked), I didn't think that the answer is people are just sick of it. Still, as part of my "research," I wanted to ask and see how often that play specifically came up as a favorite.

And yes, whoever was asking, I will link you when it's finished!

thothguard51 · Nov 8, 2013

As to Romeo and Juliet, my daughter watched the Leonardo Dicaprio version and liked it somewhat but she said the language did not really fit the characters or settings.

I then turned her onto the 1968 film directed by Franco Zeffirelli, and she said that version blew her away. She fell in love with the language of the time period and costumes, as well as a young Olivia Wilde. I would also say the cinematography was better done in the 68 film.

I get this a lot from my daughter when I turn her on to old films versions of modern movies. She likes the costumes better. She likes the way the directors say or show things without having to have character explain it, or the director show it so we get it. She also likes the way directors leave a lot to the viewers imagination, especially when it comes to showing women in various stages of undress for no other reason than to show them...

Smart girl...

DreamWeaver · Nov 8, 2013

I love Romeo and Juliet for the beautiful poetry and the love story, but I don't think it's his best. I'd probaby go for Hamlet as best. If we broke it up into categories, Much Ado About Nothing would be my favorite comedy.

Favorite film moment: my old VHS is cued up to Marlon Brando giving the "Friends, Romans, countrymen..." speech in Julius Caesar. Read Isaac Asimov's analysis of that speech as a rhetorical masterpiece and then watch it--you'll see things you never considered before. And Marlon Brando's performance is amazing. The combination blows me away every time.

Captcha · Nov 8, 2013

My fave is Macbeth.

I actually can't stand Romeo and Juliet. It's just so... overwrought? I mean, yes, teenagers can be idiots, especially when they think they're in love. But that doesn't mean we should glorify their idiocy with such beautiful language! As a story about how stupid teenagers can be and how they should be carefully supervised for their own protection? Okay. But as a love story for the ages? No chance, not for me.

slhuang · Nov 8, 2013

Oy. I can't choose.

I'm thinking about it and thinking about it, and I have such a personal relationship with all the plays I think of, either through study, or particular performances, or when *I* performed in them, and I just can't.

If you drove me to pick a favorite, I'd probably say Much Ado, just because it is my happy place. But the best? I can't. I really can't. There are too many that twist me up inside in too many brilliant ways. How can I pick a "best" from that?

I suppose I could say that there are some plays I care for a bit less -- but I've said that before, only to then see that play performed in a way that blew me away. Even the plays with problematic politics by modern standards -- Merchant and Shrew, for instance -- have so much awareness in the text that I've seen performances that were nothing short of brilliant. (Shakespeare was a smart man.)

I want to say I dislike Romeo & Juliet, but that's not even true -- I've just seen more bad performances of it than I've seen of any other play.

I got nuthin'. Shakespeare was a genius.

LJD · Nov 8, 2013

I somehow managed to get through high school without having read Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet or Macbeth. (I switched high schools after grade 10, and Macbeth was done in grade 11 at my first high school and grade 10 and my second high school, so that's how I managed to miss it.) I've seen productions of both Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth though.

But my favorite is probably A Midsummer's Night Dream.

My least favorite is King Lear, but that may have had a lot to do with the teacher who taught it to me. I don't like Romeo and Juliet a lot either, probably because I've never been a big fan of love-at-first-sight.

I'm not sure what I think the "best" one is. I feel like I can't really make that judgment since I haven't read so many of the big ones.

Emermouse · Nov 8, 2013

Captcha said:
My fave is Macbeth.

I actually can't stand Romeo and Juliet. It's just so... overwrought? I mean, yes, teenagers can be idiots, especially when they think they're in love. But that doesn't mean we should glorify their idiocy with such beautiful language! As a story about how stupid teenagers can be and how they should be carefully supervised for their own protection? Okay. But as a love story for the ages? No chance, not for me.

Nice to know there's so many Macbeth fans. I love the hell out of that play! I like it much more than Hamlet. Hamlet takes a little too long to get to the freaking point whereas Macbeth gets straight to the action.

I also agree with you on Romeo and Juliet. It was supposed to be about how love makes stupid teenagers do stupid things, not an example of true love! I could go into a long rant about this, but I'll spare you. Suffice to say, it's not romantic: it's two stupid kids creating an irrepairable swath of harm in their families by killing themselves over a relationship that's lasted only a few weeks, tops.

Favorite vs Best Shakespeare Play?

Vampire Junkie

A Gentleman of a refined age...

Swan in Process

On hiatus

Vampire Junkie

Knight Templar

Alex

Did you see my bag?

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred

unaccounted for

Your Pixie Queen

nearly perfect

THE RECKLESS RESCUE is out now!

Enough about me.

MacAllister's Official Minion & Greeter

Toughen up.

Vampire Junkie

A Gentleman of a refined age...

Shakespearean Fool

Inappropriately math-oriented.