WhenI was in my early twenties I had this grand plan that I wanted to read (and understand) the plays of William Shakespeare. So for Christmas that year, I asked
for a copy of William Shakespeare: The Complete Works. It was a beautiful book with a padded leather cover and gold stamping. I got the book for Christmas that year and settled in for some deep reading. BUT… it never happened. I read a couple of small parts but lost motivation. The book has followed me around, every once in awhile I had renewed interest in the book but never put the effort into doing the reading.Then, yesterday, I was reading the blog 101 things to do before you die and read about The Shakespeare Reading Challenge 2011 and decided that maybe this was the incentive I need to actually get reading the book. The contest works like this:
First off, the Levels:
1. Puck: Read 4 plays over the year, 1 of which may be replaced by a performance
2. Desdemona: Read 6 plays, 2 of which may be replaced by a performance
3. Henry V: Read 12 plays, 3 of which may be replaced by a performance
Now, the Rules:
1. All plays must be read between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011. Anything begun before that cannot be included.
2. Audio versions are also acceptable but all plays must be unabridged.
3. You don't need to list your plays ahead of time but you may, if you'd like.
4. Review pages for each month will be created but are optional.
I am looking forward to this challenge and hope it will encourage me to read more Shakespeare in the future. It has been more than 20 years since I have read one of his plays but I have such an interest in the period of history when he was around that I am anxious to begin. I would like to say I am shooting for the HenryV level but for now am going to shoot for Desdemona instead. If I can accomplish this, I know I will be very happy.
Special thanks to Elena who put this challenge together for all takers. And now, January 1st I am ready to get reacquainted with The Bard and give myself the challenge of wading through some Olde English… now all I have to do is find that book.
Dion,
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the challenge & I hope you enjoy your reading. As an aside, Shakespeare did not write in Old English but what's called Early Modern English--the same version of our language that the King James Bible is in, except versified so that's part of what makes it more difficult to read. I'm an English nerd, so I'm into these things--if you want to know more, check out this site: http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/resources/shakespeare-old-english.htm
I stand corrected. Thanks for the info Elena, As I guess you can tell, I am not an English nerd (when my English 100 prof in Uni told the class our marks would drop 30% from high school I thought that meant I would fail!) but am always willing to learn new things. Thanks for putting this chalenge together and good luck.
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