Yesterday I humblebragged that I was “done with Shakespeare” - in the sense that I had now read all the plays that - in April - I’d listed as either low or zero knowledge. This led to someone asking for a top ten they should read, and with much/further ado here it is. My rough... Continue Reading →
Two Noble Kinsmen (Bard to the Bone #017)
Year written: 1613 Context of the writing (Shakespeare’s career, political events it was responding to): Definitely phoning it in. Working with a young guy called Fletcher. Basically re-tread of Two Gentlemen of Verona, for better or worse. Plot in a paragraph: Bezzies Arcite and Palamon are captured by king Theseus and fall in love at... Continue Reading →
Twelfth Night (Bard to the Bone #016)
Year written: 1610 or whatever Context of the writing (Shakespeare’s career, political events it was responding to): We’re near the end, and he is retreading his earlier steps…. Also, franchises suck - by about Sixth Night, he was really phoning it in… Plot in a paragraph: Oh, this is a retread of The Comedy of... Continue Reading →
Statu(t)e of limitations – The Winter’s Tale (Bard to the Bone #015)
The Winter’s Tale Year written: 1610 Context of the writing (Shakespeare’s career, political events it was responding to): xx Plot in a paragraph: King Leontes accuses his pregnant wife Hermione of cheating with his old friend, King of Bohemia Polixenes. The Delphic Oracle tells Leontes he is wrong, but it’s only the death of their... Continue Reading →
Much Ado About Nothing (Bard to the Bone #14)
Part of my effort to do remedial cultural capital accumulation and get up to speed with all the Shakespeare plays I had low or zero knowledge of.... Year written: 1599 Context of the writing (Shakespeare’s career, political events it was responding to): Just after Love’s Labour’s Lost and Merry Wives of Windsor, and before Julius... Continue Reading →
Love’s Labour’s Lost (Bard to the Bone #13)
Year written: mid-1590s Context of the writing (Shakespeare’s career, political events it was responding to): Up and coming guy. Perhaps responding to a kind of “dare” about a good play not being able to include both clowns and kings? Plot in a paragraph: The King of Navarre and his three best mates are going to... Continue Reading →
Two Gentlemen of Verona (Bard to the Bone #12)
Year written: 1594 Context of the writing (Shakespeare’s career, political events it was responding to): Possibly his first play? Or first comedy, anyway. Plot in a paragraph: Valentine and Proteus are bezzies. Valentine heads to Milan and falls in love with the Duke’s daughter, Silvia. Proteus wanted to stay in Verona and woo Julia, but... Continue Reading →
The Comedy of Errors (Bard to the Bone #11)
Year written: 1594 Context of the writing (Shakespeare’s career, political events it was responding to): xx Plot in a paragraph: An old guy is about to be chopped merely for being in Ephesus. He’s given a day to come up with a ransom. Unbeknownst to him, one of his two identical twin sons (the one... Continue Reading →
As You Like It (Bard to the Bone #10)
Year written: 1599 As You Like It - Wikipedia Context of the writing (Shakespeare’s career, political events it was responding to): He was having a bit of an annus mirabilus, wasn't he, our Bill Plot in a paragraph: Rosalind and Celia are cousins as close as close sisters. Ros is banished by her uncle, who... Continue Reading →
Merry Wives of Windsor (Bard to the Bone #09)
Year written: 1594 Context of the writing (Shakespeare’s career, political events it was responding to): - there’s a story, too good to be true, that Shakespeare was given two weeks to write a play about Falstaff in love. Given by who? Well, good queen Bess… Plot in a paragraph: Falstaff thinks he can con some... Continue Reading →
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