My Shakespeare Year

Ferdinand (to Miranda), The Tempest, Act 3 Scene 1, line 83

Sebastian, The Tempest, Act 2 Scene 1, line 210

- Comedy, circa 1611

- 80% verse, 20% prose

Dramatis Personae

ALONSO, king of Naples.

SEBASTIAN, his brother.

PROSPERO, the right duke of Milan.

ANTONIO, his brother, the usurping duke of Milan.

FERDINAND, son to the king of Naples.

GONZALO, an honest old Counsellor.

ADRIAN & FRANCISCO: Lords.

CALIBAN, a savage and deformed Slave.

TRINCULO, a Jester.

STEPHANO, a drunken Butler.

Master of a Ship.

Boatswain.

Mariners.

MIRANDA, daughter to Prospero.

ARIEL, an airy Spirit.

IRIS, CERES, JUNO, Nymphs, Reapers: Spirits.

[Other Spirits attending on Prospero]

This project tweets a line from Shakespeare’s complete works every 10 minutes. Currently at the end of Hamlet (oh joy!) and intends to be finished at this rate on August 24th 2011.

Follow them on twitter and add a little culture to your usual Lady GaGa updates!

The wonderful Royal Shakespeare Company edition from which I will be mainly reading.

And so it begins. The challenge, to read the entire works of Shakespeare in one year. Apparently about 113,000 lines of the Bard’s text. The edition I am reading (based squarely around the First Folio) from includes: 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 4 poems and “A Scene for Thomas More”. A not insurmountable challenge, requiring only diligence and a willingness to appreciate the both delicate and unflinchingly honest observations of this most spectacular of writers.

Along the way, as well as chronicling my progress for future reference I will be including random observations and quotations I particularly want to remember. Feel free to comment and/or read along with me!

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more” [King Henry V, Act 3 Scene 1]