Troilus and Cressida
William Shakespeare wrote a play about the Trojan War. Well, that’s just awesome. So why is it never performed that often? You know, the ancient pseudo-mythical decade-long conflict that even rivals World War II in pop culture. Even if you never read Homer’s Iliad or Virgil’s Aeneid, you know the general story. But the details … Read more
Hamlet
So… Hamlet. There is so much that has been written about this play already, so much life sucked from it by tired schoolroom analyses, and so many interpretations of the text put onto stage and film, that a relevant discussion can prove to be very difficult. So let me come at this entry from a … Read more
The Tempest
![Forbidden Planet Robby the Robot[1]](http://shakespeareactaday.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/forbidden-planet-robby-the-robot1.jpg?w=440&h=240&crop=1 "Forbidden Planet Robby the Robot[1]")
I’m starting off 2012 with this classic fantasy story, which actually holds a special place in my heart besides being an objective masterpiece of drama. It’s the first play that I ever acted in (excluding, you know, school Christmas Pageants and the lot), playing one of the magical “people of the island” that the sorcerer Prospero commands … Read more
The Winter’s Tale
![Ethan-Hawke-in-The-Winter-002[1]](http://shakespeareactaday.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/ethan-hawke-in-the-winter-0021.jpg?w=440&h=240&crop=1 "Ethan-Hawke-in-The-Winter-002[1]")
Prince Mamillus says early in the first Act of this play: “A sad tale’s best for winter: I have one Of sprites and goblins.” Shortly afterwards, he falls ill and dies of shock when his mother, Queen Hermoine, is falsely accused of infidelity by King Leontes. So begins this beautiful story of jealousy and forgiveness, with its famously unconventional structure. … Read more
