In an essay I was reading, I came across mention of Touchstone from Shakespeare's As You Like It. It occurred to me that I had never read As You Like It, so I have begun to do so.
Although I have a Master's in Literature, I realize to my shame there are many Shakespeare titles I have not read. The generally accepted figure for the number of plays he wrote is 38. Of those, I have read just 14:
Richard
III
The Taming of the Shrew
Romeo and Juliet
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Merchant of Venice
Henry IV Part I
Henry V
Julius Caesar
Hamlet
Othello
King Lear
Macbeth
The Winter’s Tale
The Tempest
The Taming of the Shrew
Romeo and Juliet
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Merchant of Venice
Henry IV Part I
Henry V
Julius Caesar
Hamlet
Othello
King Lear
Macbeth
The Winter’s Tale
The Tempest
I have taught Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Julius Caesar, and Macbeth. And I acted in Othello (Brabantio) and The Tempest (Prospero). Brabantio was a small part, but the cast included the woman who would later direct The Tempest, and she cast me as Prospero - my greatest role in a play thus far. I'd love to play Polonius in Hamlet, and King Lear - maybe some day when theaters reopen.
As for reading - 14 out of 38. A poor showing for an English major. Perhaps one of my reading goals over the next two years should be to finish all the plays, one a month.
After all, the play's the thing ...
Pax et bonum
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