I decided last year to watch all 38 of Shakespeare’s plays. I searched and used the order of Benjamin McEvoy. A few takeaways:
1. I hadn’t realized how many everyday sayings we use were created by the bard. That’s over 400 years of verbal influence!
2. Hearing iambic pentameter and seeing it in action is a preferable way to take it in. Reading Shakespeare seems a bit tedious at times but when you see the actors embodying the words and sentiments, the style of language becomes far more accessible. It’s also if you’re binging Shakespeare in the way I was. Kind of how it’s more fun to binge Firefly and then voraciously sprinkle your speech with, “Shiny!” and speaking about the “special hell.”
3. I just don’t love the tragedies (except Romeo and Juliet). I had to take a break from Othello for its gross misogyny. Macbeth and Titus Andronicus (which I alternately entitle ‘Hands: who needs them?’) were just rough to get through. I will admit though that I can tolerate Hamlet and the version with Sir Patrick Stewart and David Tennant is really excellent.
4. A surprise to me was really enjoying Fiona Shaw in the titular role of Richard II. It was one of the few I watched a second time. Highly recommend that. Similarly, Dame Helen Mirren taking a turn at Prosper(a) in The Tempest is equally enchanting.
5. If you like Shakespeare, BritBox and Amazon Prime are the streaming services of choice. Other networks have some versions of the plays, like Apple TV+‘s new version of Macbeth with Denzel Washington and Frances Mcdormand. So look around. I was able to find all 38 plays available but at times it was a struggle and I did rent a few that were not available on services I already had.
6. I own a copy of Baz Luhrman’s Romeo and Juliet (1996) and watch it often. It’s lush and beautiful and the soundtrack holds up, even after 26 years. A comedic turn of that ageless tale is Hulu’s Rosaline (2022), as told from the vantage of Romeo’s spurned lover before he met Juliet.
7. I watched 3 versions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and 2 or 3 versions of Much Ado About Nothing. Joss Whedon’s Much Ado (I know, he’s problematic but it doesn’t detract from this lovely adaptation) remains a favorite. There was an intense stage adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream that I found heavy handed and far more enjoyed the movie adaptations I watched. I feel like it’s due another film version.
9. Someone posted a TikTok recently about Harold Perineau’s portrayal of Mercutio as the best of any performance of the character and I completely agree. Perineau gives Mercutio so much life, such depth, and he will forever be my Mercutio. Plus he seals the character as canonically bi in my opinion.
8. Most of the historical plays of the real life games of thrones were of little interest to me. While Fiona Shaw played a remarkable Richard II, I don’t know if I would have enjoyed it with a different actor in her place.
Why did I undertake this? I had no reason other than it being a direction on a path that I could take. I understand a number of pop culture references now that before held little meaning for me. Being able to trace them from their origin to now is simply fascinating. Over 420 years and the Bard’s words still trip out of our mouths with ease.
I can’t think of another writer or playwright has such an extensive catalogue of work though I’d be intrigued to learn there is so I can fall down another literary adventure played out on the big or small screens.