[ 3 / biz / cgl / ck / diy / fa / ic / jp / lit / sci / vr / vt ] [ index / top / reports ] [ become a patron ] [ status ]
2023-11: Warosu is now out of extended maintenance.

/lit/ - Literature

View post   
File: 24 KB, 300x300, william-shakespeare-194895-1-402[1].jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
17978056 No.17978056 [Reply] [Original]

I am going to read only one of his plays. Which one should I read?

>> No.17978106

Flaubert said that god's three perfect creations were Hamlet, Don giovanni and the ocean
So Hamlet

>> No.17978130

You should read his complete works in order, it's worth your time. Hamlet is the best though and completely lives up to the hype.

>> No.17978160

Hamlet and Othello are the best tragedies, The Tempest, A Midsummer Nights Dream, As You Like It, and A Winters Tale are the best comedies/tragicomedies imo.

>> No.17978161

More importantly, is Shakespeare a pseudonym? It sounds like a masturbation joke.

>> No.17978186
File: 48 KB, 474x564, de_vere.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
17978186

>>17978161
it's a reference to Athena, the spear shaker

>> No.17978214

>>17978106
>>17978130
>>17978160
Thanks everyone! I think I'll start with Hamlet. I might check out his other stuff if I really like it.

>> No.17978229

What edition is his best complete works ?

>> No.17978242

I got the Oxford Shakespeare Complete Works, it was great

>> No.17978316

I was worried the text might go over my head reading the complete works without the explanatory notes of individual editions like the arden shakespeare. But a Shakespearean dictionary was all I really needed as 95% of the difficulty was from archaic words, or words used in a different sense to modern English, or unusual syntax. Go on shakepeareswords.com, they have full annotations for all problematic definitions, it says it isn't free after 20 page views, but just clear your cookies and you will regain access.

>> No.17978363

>>17978161
Considering how many sex joke there were in his plays, I wouldn't be surprised