Shakespeare Reloaded

So I jumped feet first into Shakespeare with a vengeance back in May. The Tempest, read in two days. A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing in four days apiece. Cymbeline took a full week, but As You Like It was knocked down within a seventy-two hour period. Henry IV part I took nine days, but I got sidetracked by some Thomas Pynchon nuttiness.

Then, my journey became somewhat derailed. What does “somewhat derailed” mean? Well, it came this close – and I’m holding the thumb and index finger of my left hand half a millimeter apart – I came this close to chuckin’ it off the tracks.

But no! I am stronger than that! Yes, I hopped over to Westerns for a while, and I just finished my first Zane Grey book. But there’s a purpose behind that passion, a reason for the roundabout rerouting.

More importantly, though, there was that couple of interviews in early June which led to my new position of employment in later June. For the past two weeks I’ve really been just way too busy, considering my available time has shrunk by over half, to focus on the great playwright.

My passion is still there though. I even had a dream about Shakespeare a few nights back. And I finished Riders of the Purple Sage yesterday (review forthcoming). So I am all cleared for a go-ahead with another play.

How should I proceed?

Behind me I have four Shakespearean works on the shelf: Richard II, Richard III, Twelfth Night, and Hamlet. Ham is a little too much to bite off just yet; that’ll probably be my final play. Richard III, the one about the evil hunchback king, I’m very interested in, but that, too, should be reserved for a cleanup position.

Richard II is the direct sequential predecessor to Henry IV part I, which I liked a lot. I’ll probably read this one next (and see the DVD if I can find it at one of the local libraries). Then I’m gonna need to switch to something lighter. Maybe Twelfth Night, or maybe off to the used book store to see if I can score The Comedy of Errors.

Whatever I select, I’ll do so tonight, and I want to complete it by mid-week. After all, the challenge I took up was the well-known (to those of us who travel in nerdy book circles) as the “Shakespeare in a year.” I started May 7, and so far I’ve read six out of thirty-seven / thirty-nine plays. I’m still on point to reach that finish line on time. But only if I get back on track.