Poll: What is your favourite play by Shakespeare?

[GundamSentinel]

Henry V. "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers." "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, or fill the gap with our English dead!" Second and third, Hamlet and Richard III.

Also, the Kenneth Branagh film adaptation was perfect. Kenneth Branagh, Brian Blessed, Ian Holm, Derek Jacobi, Judi Dench and Emma Thompson in the same movie can't go wrong.

 

[Sipo]

They all suck ass to read......but theyd probably be better if i saw them be performed

 

[Kiriona]

I've always hated Shakespeare. His work is utterly boring and repetitive, and it's hard and fuck to read and understand.

However, Macbeth was really the only play of his that I enjoyed. I like the story.

 

[Steelfists]

if i'm remembering corectly Richard III was bad ass for a stage production

Richard III is easily one of Shakespeare's best plays and features one of the best villains in all of literature. It's not too often that someone can create a villain that is so endearing that the audience finds themselves sympathizing with him and even cheering him on. Plus... he's smooth as hell with the ladies.

LADY ANNE
And thou unfit for any place but hell.

GLOUCESTER
Yes, one place else, if you will hear me name it.

LADY ANNE
Some dungeon.

GLOUCESTER
Your bed-chamber.

OH DAMN! Ah Richard, is there anywhere you won't go?

The Tempest. I really like the characters. And their reactions to the pretty strange situations they are in.

 

[WorldCritic]

For some reason I liked Othello best, I guess I just thought Iago made an interesting character.

 

[Darkenwrath]

King Lear! True you have to suspend your ideas of reality at a few parts but was a great look into someone sliding into the depths of insanity.

 

[sketch_zeppelin]

For comedy
A Mid-summers Night Dream
For Tragady
Machbeth

 

[Veleste]

I've read most of his work but I have to say that Midsummers Night Dream is the most fun to watch and Macbeth I enjoyed reading. Merchant of Venice I studied in school along with Romeo and Juliet but neither of those really endeared themselves to me.

Who can't recognize the love of their life if they have a wig and a robe on? Bad form

 

[PhoenixBlade]

I like abit of romeo & juliet myself.
hamlet's a close second.

 

[AbsoluteVirtue18]

Macbeth. In Drama they gave us a choice between Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. I had never seen Macbeth but I never was into Romeo and Juliet.

After that I loved it.

 

[CloakedOne]

probably Macbeth.

 

[RJ Dalton]

I've read or seen most of his plays. My favorite has been Midsummer Night's Dream from the first time I saw it.

 

[AnAngryMoose]

Hamlet is my personal favourite. Not only is there subtle humour, but Claudius is an amazing villain.

He can manipulate who he wants, is completely Machiavellian in achieving his goals, but actually cares for his wife and doesn't make him completely two-dimensional. Also, his duplicity makes you love and hate him.

Best quote from it: "I am but mad north-north west, when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw." or "A bloody deed! Almost as bad, good mother, as kill a king and marry with his brother." Brilliant quotes.

 

[EMFCRACKSHOT]

I think Henry V is the best. It has one of the greatest speeches ever. of course, i haven't really read or seen much Shakespeare so i don't have a lot to compare it to.

 

[Mana Fiend]

if i'm remembering corectly Richard III was bad ass for a stage production

Richard III is easily one of Shakespeare's best plays and features one of the best villains in all of literature. It's not too often that someone can create a villain that is so endearing that the audience finds themselves sympathizing with him and even cheering him on. Plus... he's smooth as hell with the ladies.

LADY ANNE
And thou unfit for any place but hell.

GLOUCESTER
Yes, one place else, if you will hear me name it.

LADY ANNE
Some dungeon.

GLOUCESTER
Your bed-chamber.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is Shakespeare's genius in action. Gloucester and Iago (from Othello) are Shakespeare's very best characters, in my eyes. As you've probably guessed, Othello is my favourite.

Second favourite is Twelfth Night. Pretty much all the scenes in it are great, and I have fond memories of a production that involved having to break up the sword fight as the guards without weapons.

Romeo and Juliet is overrated, in my eyes.

Oh, and don't get me started on how Shakespeare should not be a key part of English classes...

 

[sam_savage1393]

I love "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Henry V", and "Two Gentlemen of Verona"

 

[Amberella]

Othello =] Tom and I are going to go see the play sometime. <3

 

[OwenEdwards]

I hated Romeo & Juliet. I hated MacBeth even more (seriously, MacDuff's mom got a C-section and therefore he's not "of woman born"? What the fuck kind of plot twist is that?).

Hamlet, however, I love. It's actually a great story with great characters. I think Shakespeare is vastly, vastly overrated, but all things considered, I'd consider Hamlet the best play ever written.

I think you may have entirely missed the point about "not of woman born".

The play is, in part, about superstition, about finding any excuse to get power, about self-fulfilling prophecies - Duncan only died because Macbeth and wife went loopy after hearing the "prophecy".

Thus, Macduff is not LITERALLY magically imbued - but because Macbeth has sold his mind to superstition, he is horrified to find his worst enemy is precisely the sort of man he was told would kill him.

In the version I saw with Patrick Stewart two years ago, a brilliant staging choice was for Macbeth simply to drop his weapon when he heard the news. He was so convinced that he was not the agent of his own destiny - when he plainly is, within the play - that he did not even BOTHER to resist.

As for original topic: Shakespeare's fantastic. No argument brooked thanks. Best plays, for my money, are Richard II, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night and Timon of Athens.