Shakespeare's plays by subgenre
I told Ian I'd make him a list of Shakespeare's plays ranked within each subgenre, and Laura said she'd like to read it too, so here it is. It's highly subjective, because I weighed my personal opinion as much as my critical assessment. I figure it might be interesting, though.
Romances:
The Tempest
The Winter's Tale
(I haven't read Cymbeline or Pericles)
Comedies:
Much Ado About Nothing
Twelfth Night ties with Midsummer Night's Dream
The Merchant of Venice
The Taming of the Shrew (I like Kat a lot, but this play overall doesn't thrill me as much)
The ones I haven't read that are oft-cited and worth reading: Measure for Measure, As You Like It, All's Well That Ends Well
(I also haven't read: The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Comedy of Errors, Love's Labour Lost, The Two Noble Kinsmen)
Tragedies:
Hamlet
Othello
Romeo and Juliet (tedious, yes, but well-crafted. also, Mercutio)
Titus Andronicus (is only this high on the list because of watching Anthony Hopkins play Tidus)
Antony and Cleopatra (some beautiful language in here)
King Lear ("like a Gothic cathedral - great to admire, hell to explain or teach")
Julius Caesar ties with Macbeth (as in, I'm not thrilled by either)
(I haven't read: Troilus and Cressida, Coriolanus, Timon of Athens)
Histories:
I haven't read most of these actually, but Richard III, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, and Henry V are quite good. Richard III (the character) is a diabolical mastermind, and Henry V (the play) opens with a gorgeous prologue.
Romances:
The Tempest
The Winter's Tale
(I haven't read Cymbeline or Pericles)
Comedies:
Much Ado About Nothing
Twelfth Night ties with Midsummer Night's Dream
The Merchant of Venice
The Taming of the Shrew (I like Kat a lot, but this play overall doesn't thrill me as much)
The ones I haven't read that are oft-cited and worth reading: Measure for Measure, As You Like It, All's Well That Ends Well
(I also haven't read: The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Comedy of Errors, Love's Labour Lost, The Two Noble Kinsmen)
Tragedies:
Hamlet
Othello
Romeo and Juliet (tedious, yes, but well-crafted. also, Mercutio)
Titus Andronicus (is only this high on the list because of watching Anthony Hopkins play Tidus)
Antony and Cleopatra (some beautiful language in here)
King Lear ("like a Gothic cathedral - great to admire, hell to explain or teach")
Julius Caesar ties with Macbeth (as in, I'm not thrilled by either)
(I haven't read: Troilus and Cressida, Coriolanus, Timon of Athens)
Histories:
I haven't read most of these actually, but Richard III, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, and Henry V are quite good. Richard III (the character) is a diabolical mastermind, and Henry V (the play) opens with a gorgeous prologue.