The other day I was with my best friend and we ended up falling into a conversation about Shakespeare. Which, isn’t really that surprising considering we are Shakespeare fanatics and English majors. However, we realized that our college courses allowed us to delve into Shakespeare more than we had in High School. And, for that, we are extraordinarily grateful because Shakespeare is now our main man.
These are some (of the many) Shakespeare’s plays that aren’t in the spotlight often, but, really should be:
1. Richard II
Richard II traces the fall from power of the last king of the house of Plantagenet, Richard II, and his replacement by the first Lancaster king, Henry IV (Henry Bolingbroke). Richard II is a regal figure, but very wasteful in his spending habits, unwise in his choice of counselors, and detached from his country and its common people. Then, Bolingbroke comes along and realizes how Richard II took his inheritance and he is slightly annoyed at him. So, when Richard runs off to start another pet war with Ireland, Bolingbroke decides to assemble an army and invades the north coast of England in his absence. The commoners, who really love Bolingbroke and angry at Richard's mismanagement
of the country, welcome his invasion and join his forces. What happens next? Read and find out!
2. A Midsummer Night's Dream
3. Twelfth Night or What You Will
The play opens at the Illyrian court, where the love-sick Duke Orsino enjoys some live tunes while fantasizing about the luscious Countess Olivia. However, Olivia cannot be bother with him, or any other living man for that matter. Olivia's brother recently died, so, she decides to mourn for seven years locked in her house. However, Orsino is the ultimate bro and it doesn't phase him one bit that Olivia is in this much grief. He actually thinks that it is endearing how much she loved her now-dead brother and is thrilled to think how much she will love him. Meanwhile, Viola and a crew of sailors wash up on the Illyrian shore after their ship sinks, separating Viola from her twin brother Sebastian, who may have drowned. She doesn't necessarily know what to do right now, so she decides to disguise herself as a dude and become one of the Duke's servants. So, Cesario's first task as Orsino's best boy is to march on over to Olivia's house and convince her that the Duke is a really good guy – if Olivia knows what's good for her, she'll ditch the black mourning veil and get ready for some Orsino-lovin'. But, plot twist, Cesario is totally into the Duke. Yeah, things get juicy real quick.
4. Titus Andronicus
Usually the typical reaction to Titus Andronicus is a sense of bewilderment. Since when did Shakespeare have such an apparent dark side? This was the bloodiest and most gruesome of Shakespeare's plays. After 10 long years of fighting a war against the "barbarous" Goths, Roman general Titus Andronicus returns home with the bodies of his two dead sons and a crew of important war prisoners, including Tamora (queen of the Goths), her sons (Demetrius and Chiron) and Aaron the Moor. However, before he places his slain sons in the Andronicus family tomb, Titus sacrifices Tamora's eldest son, Alarbus, in order to appease the spirits of his dead children. Mind you, he had 25 children before this and now he only has four. He definitely had his favorites. Anyways, after Alarbus's burned body "perfumes" the air, Titus is named a war hero and asked to rule Rome. However, Titus is kind of old and very tired, so he says that Saturninus, the elder son of the last emperor, is Rome's new ruler. After a minute-long engagement to Titus's daughter Lavinia, Saturninus makes Tamora his empress and she vows to use her new power to get revenge against Titus. Yikes. What happens next is all bloody,wrong, and filled with angst and rage.
5. As You Like It
Before I delve briefly into a short synopsis of As You Like It, just imagine a 16th century version of MTV's Teen Cribs--basically this is a good depiction of the play. Sir Rowland de Boys has recently died, leaving behind sons Oliver and Orlando. Since Oliver's the eldest son, he's inherited just about everything including his youngest brother. Besides making sure his little brother continues school, he wants to maintain the comfy lifestyle of a nobleman. Oliver, however, treats his little bro like a servant—he refuses to pay for Orlando's education and never gives the kid any spending money. However, Orlando is a pretty good wrestler. He catches the eye of Rosalind, who is having major family problems at the moment. Her father has been exiled and she just isn't doing that well. The two fall in love rather quickly, sealed by Rosalind giving Orlando her necklace. Things go downhill from there--as like every budding relationship with family problems does. Orlando finds out that his big brother Oliver is planning to burn his house down (with Orlando in it), so he runs away to the Forest of Arden alongside other events. It's definitely a play with a good amount of twists and turns.
There are only some of my favorite Shakespeare plays. So, pick up an anthology when you have the time or check out a Shakespeare in the Park near you. Billy Shakes is pretty great, so get reading!
