Reading All of Shakespeare This Year

This year, I would like to finally read all of Shakespeare. I am planning on reading the plays in the order that they were (believed to be) written, based on the Royal Shakespeare Company's listing.

I always struggle with just "reading" the plays. What I find to be the best method is to read a summary of the play, then watch a video of the play being acted out (preferably by a professional production) while following along with the written text. I like to stop and make notes or underline things that I find interesting or write down any especially beautiful language in my commonplace book. If I get confused, I stop to check for understanding or to think about or reread a section.

The first play I have read so far is The Taming of the Shrew.

I was very skeptical going into this play that I would enjoy it in any real capacity because I thought that it might deal with gender issues in an outdated or outright immoral way.

The truth is...it does both of those things, but a good production of the play will try to interpret it in the least offensive way possible, often emphasizing the romantic comedy aspects or even outright subverting the misogynistic aspects.

The play involves scenes where the main male character starves and manipulates the main female character until she is forced to agree with him unconditionally, no matter whether or not what he is saying is true or objectively false. At the end of the play, she is required to give an extremely lengthy speech regarding how a woman should be completely subservient to her husband. A wager is made by the men of the play, and they "win" the wager by "taming" this outspoken (and quite often irate) woman.

I was surprised, however, to find genuine moments of lighthearted humor, romantic scenes, and a genuine change of heart by the characters as portrayed in the excellent production I watched. It was put on by The American Conservatory Theatre in 1976, and is currently free to watch on YouTube. I highly recommend it.

Some particularly beautiful lines that stuck out to me:

"For 'tis the mind that makes the body rich; And as the sun breaks through the clouds, So honour peereth in the meanest habit." --Act IV scene 3 lines 174-176

Edward Munch The Sun 1911