anushar's review against another edition
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
i read macbeth for school and it was amusing but also so hard to get through i fell asleep several times. maybe i’ll like it more if i just watch the play
3/5 stars
3/5 stars
aphonusbalonus's review against another edition
4.0
Really never knew I liked Shakespeare until I read his tragedies. Specifically Othello. I love Othello. I really loved all of these other tragedies as well. Except for King Lear. Kind of boring. This took me over two months to read yeesh
megkerr1's review against another edition
3.0
Hamlet will always be my favorite Shakespeare play. Macbeth and Othello were also good. King Lear was okay.
mag_da's review against another edition
4.0
HAMLET 5/5
I really liked Hamlet. At first I wanted to give it 4 stars because I thought : Okay I really liked it as a whole but now it's time to think about the things that really bugged me while reading and surprisingly I couldn't find a thing that was such a big deal that made me like the book less. Shakespeare's language is sometimes hard to follow but with footnotes explaining things you can manage and in "Hamlet" there were moments where I was a bit lost when Hamlet was talking but I think it was intention of the writer. This is one of the situations where I can't find reasonable explanation of why I wouldn't make it a 5 star book but something in my gut tells me that something that makes a book spacial for me was missing so it is not a full 5 stars book.
Macbeth 3,5/5
This is my second time reading "Macbeth" and I have to admit it was a tad better than the first time. I don't know why but even when I was beginning to read it for the first time I had some kind of aversion to this play, maybe third time will be a charm. I think that what kind of irritates me is the fact that Macbeth blindly listens to the witches and doesn't really question anything about their prophecies or doesn't think about consequences of his acts or morality of his behavior. This character just really bugged me and since he is the protagonist and everything in the play evolves around him my dislike to him kind of influenced how I feel about the whole book. The thing I liked about the book were the scenes with the witches. Texts like :" Double, double toil and trouble" or "Something wicked this way comes" lightened the mood of the play for me a little bit.
Othello 4/5
Main themes are trust and love. The story kept me quite curious till the end. The thing that bothered me a little was the fact that Othello so easily gave up to his jealousy and stopped trusting his wife, his emotions took over his common sense and thats why Iago so easily did what he did.If Othello put more trust into his wife Iago would have to play even more games to get to his goal and there would be more intrigues for us to uncover throughout the book. What I really like is that you can't really be sure what happens next so you read attentively wanting to know what will happen.
Romeo and Juliet 4,5/5
It's a story that nearly everyone knows. It is a great read. Only one thing bugges me a little and it is Romeo. I consider him to be a little too emotional, he kind of reminds me of a women with all his shifts of emotions. But if he wouldn't so easily fall in love and follow his emotions no matter what we wouldn't have the story.
I really liked Hamlet. At first I wanted to give it 4 stars because I thought : Okay I really liked it as a whole but now it's time to think about the things that really bugged me while reading and surprisingly I couldn't find a thing that was such a big deal that made me like the book less. Shakespeare's language is sometimes hard to follow but with footnotes explaining things you can manage and in "Hamlet" there were moments where I was a bit lost when Hamlet was talking but I think it was intention of the writer. This is one of the situations where I can't find reasonable explanation of why I wouldn't make it a 5 star book but something in my gut tells me that something that makes a book spacial for me was missing so it is not a full 5 stars book.
Macbeth 3,5/5
This is my second time reading "Macbeth" and I have to admit it was a tad better than the first time. I don't know why but even when I was beginning to read it for the first time I had some kind of aversion to this play, maybe third time will be a charm. I think that what kind of irritates me is the fact that Macbeth blindly listens to the witches and doesn't really question anything about their prophecies or doesn't think about consequences of his acts or morality of his behavior. This character just really bugged me and since he is the protagonist and everything in the play evolves around him my dislike to him kind of influenced how I feel about the whole book. The thing I liked about the book were the scenes with the witches. Texts like :" Double, double toil and trouble" or "Something wicked this way comes" lightened the mood of the play for me a little bit.
Othello 4/5
Main themes are trust and love. The story kept me quite curious till the end. The thing that bothered me a little was the fact that Othello so easily gave up to his jealousy and stopped trusting his wife, his emotions took over his common sense and thats why Iago so easily did what he did.If Othello put more trust into his wife Iago would have to play even more games to get to his goal and there would be more intrigues for us to uncover throughout the book. What I really like is that you can't really be sure what happens next so you read attentively wanting to know what will happen.
Romeo and Juliet 4,5/5
It's a story that nearly everyone knows. It is a great read. Only one thing bugges me a little and it is Romeo. I consider him to be a little too emotional, he kind of reminds me of a women with all his shifts of emotions. But if he wouldn't so easily fall in love and follow his emotions no matter what we wouldn't have the story.
junkyardigan's review against another edition
5.0
Reading Shakespeares makes me feel like I have the object permanence of a toddler, but it's very good.
notsayingrevolutionbut's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
Let's be clear. I'm not counting Hamlet or Macbeth in with this lot, as I have reviewed both of those plays separately and have already sufficiently waxed poetic about them. A solid two stars go to Iago and Iago alone, as Iago is my favorite and also who I want to be when I grow up. A half star is added because I feel deep-seated guilt for handing out these two-star reviews like they're a viral and impractical Instagram hashtag. AND THATS ALL I GOT TO SAY ABOUT THAT
Let's be clear. I'm not counting Hamlet or Macbeth in with this lot, as I have reviewed both of those plays separately and have already sufficiently waxed poetic about them. A solid two stars go to Iago and Iago alone, as Iago is my favorite and also who I want to be when I grow up. A half star is added because I feel deep-seated guilt for handing out these two-star reviews like they're a viral and impractical Instagram hashtag. AND THATS ALL I GOT TO SAY ABOUT THAT
strikingthirteen's review
5.0
Hamlet (4/5): I read this for the first time several years ago and I find I appreciate more the older I get. Hamlet whines for three damn acts before he actually does anything but I'm much more interested in the struggle and the question of his 'madness' now than I was then. I also enjoy the writing a little bit more than the plot. I must say though I'm glad I'm not Horatio. What a guy to have as a friend!
Othello (3/5): This one I enjoy more so for the character of Iago. Yes he is a completely loathsome individual, but he brings down so many people by subtle hints and insinuations. It's a wonderful tragedy, all the essential elements there, but I love this more for the structure than for the characters. Aside from Iago. He's the main character more than Othello is.
King Lear (5/5): This one is perhaps a little but underestimated, or at least I think it is. This tragic hero's only fault is that he is getting older and is either lazy or trying to unburden himself. Then he is taken advantage of by his two older daughters and forsakes his youngest when she tells him the truth instead of just flattering him. Lear's fall into madness is upsetting but oh so real. The parallel plot with Gloucester and his sons is just as unfortunate and intriguing, the character of Edmund almost up there with Iago in my books. The last lines of the play spoken by Edgar sum it all up perfectly:
"The weight of this sad time we must obey,
Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.
The oldest hath borne most: we that are young
Shall never see so much, nor live so long."
Macbeth (5/5): And this is my favourite tragedy by far. We have the ultimate story of ambition killing someone. Macbeth shouldn't have been tempted by the witches and should have just been happy with the first promotion and shouldn't have killed in order to get another and kill even more to 'secure it'. Lots of memorable lines, a dash of the supernatural to emphasize the violation of the hierarchy of being (which is shown in Lear with the eclipse and crazy weather). Just all around great.
Othello (3/5): This one I enjoy more so for the character of Iago. Yes he is a completely loathsome individual, but he brings down so many people by subtle hints and insinuations. It's a wonderful tragedy, all the essential elements there, but I love this more for the structure than for the characters. Aside from Iago. He's the main character more than Othello is.
King Lear (5/5): This one is perhaps a little but underestimated, or at least I think it is. This tragic hero's only fault is that he is getting older and is either lazy or trying to unburden himself. Then he is taken advantage of by his two older daughters and forsakes his youngest when she tells him the truth instead of just flattering him. Lear's fall into madness is upsetting but oh so real. The parallel plot with Gloucester and his sons is just as unfortunate and intriguing, the character of Edmund almost up there with Iago in my books. The last lines of the play spoken by Edgar sum it all up perfectly:
"The weight of this sad time we must obey,
Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.
The oldest hath borne most: we that are young
Shall never see so much, nor live so long."
Macbeth (5/5): And this is my favourite tragedy by far. We have the ultimate story of ambition killing someone. Macbeth shouldn't have been tempted by the witches and should have just been happy with the first promotion and shouldn't have killed in order to get another and kill even more to 'secure it'. Lots of memorable lines, a dash of the supernatural to emphasize the violation of the hierarchy of being (which is shown in Lear with the eclipse and crazy weather). Just all around great.
stephmostav's review
4.0
(RELEITURA) Me falta vocabulário para elogiar essa peça, mas vamos lá. Shakespeare, ao contrário do que se acredita, não é um autor inacessível. Não é simples, mas também não é impossível de ser entendido e apreciado, até porque o texto é tão rico em significados que as interpretações são múltiplas, infinitas. Hamlet não é apenas uma história de vingança e loucura, mas também a respeito do caminho que se percorre até que essa vingança seja realizada, sobre conflitos internos, éticos, filosóficos, políticos que envolvem o assassinato e a responsabilidade do protagonista como herdeiro das vontades do pai. Hamlet conquista não pelo que ele faz, mas pelo que pensa - todas as melhores passagens da peça são seus solilóquios. O que por muito tempo foi considerado um recurso de roteiro para prolongar a história (no caso, a dúvida de Hamlet com relação à vingança) é na verdade um indicativo da profundidade desse personagem que tem tanto a nos dizer, que nos diverte e nos emociona desde a primeira aparição. Hamlet não foi o primeiro protagonista a se perguntar "por quê?" quando confrontado com sua responsabilidade e seu destino, mas ainda é, até hoje, um dos mais bem executados e memoráveis exemplos.