Easter is here, great news for those (like me) prone to depression during the dreary winter. What better way to celebrate the joyful spring season than with the melancholy Dane? April 13th we will start reading perhaps the greatest of our Bard’s great tragedies, Hamlet.

We get together on ZOOM, first watching scenes from the play on video, about 7:00pm, Japan time.

Leave a message if you want a ZOOM invitation for the next reading, 4/13.

For more information about the play, go to the Files page of this site and click on the file marked “Hamlet”. You can see the summary and some background information on the play.

Many of Shakespeare’s critics complain that he wasn’t original, in that he appropriated his plots from earlier writers. When it comes to Twelfth Night, the shoe fits in an entirely different way — Shakespeare actually recycled plot elements from HIS OWN earlier works, incorporating elements from Merchant of Venice, Comedy of Errors, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Much Ado About Nothing, and As You Like It.

The vain and hypocritical character Malvolio, however, one of literature’s most recognizable villains, was entirely Shakespeare’s creation.

Come read Twelfth Night with us, finishing on March 30th. We get together on ZOOM, first watching scenes from the play on video, about 7:00pm, Japan time.

Leave a message if you want a ZOOM invitation for the next reading, 3/30.

For more information about the play, go to the Files Page of this site and click on the file marked “Twelfth Night”. You can see the summary and some background information on the play.

Join us as we read the tragic conclusion of Richard II.

We get together on ZOOM, first watching scenes from the play on video, about 7:00pm, Japan time. Leave a message if you want a ZOOM invitation for the next reading, 2/16.

For more information, go to the Files Page of this site and click on the file marked “Richard the Second”. You can see the summary and some background on the play.

Come see the evil Don John get his comeuppance, and Beatrice and Benedick also get what they deserve (each other, of course) in the thrilling conclusion of Much Ado About Nothing.

We get together on ZOOM, first watching scenes from the play on video, about 7:00pm, Japan time. Leave a message if you want a ZOOM invitation.

We continue reading Much Ado About Nothing on Monday, December 8. Leave a message if you would like to be included.

For more information about the play, go to the Files Page of this site and click on the file marked “Much Ado”. You can see the summary and some background information on the play.

King Lear has been called, by no less an authority than the poet Shelley, “the most perfect specimen of dramatic poetry in the world”. The story is famous for wonderful lines, such as “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child!” and has inspired other masterpieces, including Akira Kurosawa’s classic “RAN“. At the same time it is rarely performed, especially by amateur groups, because it is so difficult to do it justice.

We meet on ZOOM, first watching scenes from the play on video, about 7:00pm, Japan time. Leave a message if you want a ZOOM invitation.

For more information about the play, go to

shakespearetokyo.news.blog/king-lear/

and click on the file marked “Lear”. You can see the summary and some background information on the play.

As one does, we are taking August off. We will still meet from time to time to watch movies and related media, then start King Lear in September. Stay posted.

Years ago I had a literary exchange, in the editorial pages of the International Herald Tribune, about whether Shakespeare was boring. (I hope this is obvious, but I argued against the hypothesis.) The argument is summarized in the Bonus Materials section of our website https://shakespearetokyo.news.blog/in-defense-of-the-bard/, under the title “In defense of the Bard”, and it refers to our current play.

We will finish reading The Winter’s Tale on Monday July 14th on ZOOM.  As usual, we watch scenes from the play on video, about 7:00pm, Japan time. Leave a reply below if you want an invitation to the Zoom meeting.

For more information about the play, go to the Files Page of this site

shakespearetokyo.news.blog/the-winters-tale/

and click on the file marked “Winter’s Tale”. You can see the summary and some background information on the play.

Othello has been portrayed on stage and screen by some of the leading African-American actors of the past century, including Paul Robeson, Lawrence Fishburne, and James Earl Jones (the last of which I myself was privileged to witness.) Othello has in the age of racial integration become a symbol for two lovers turning their backs on the prejudices of society, and the intransigence of racists like Iago who will not permit them to be happy. You will hear me harp on this point at length, but I do not agree with this interpretation. It’s very clear from the text that Iago’s motivation was his jealousy at being passed over for promotion, not any racial prejudice on his part. Othello’s ethnicity and physical appearance played a role, but it was not the key factor of his life. He was noble, eloquent, perhaps too hot-blooded for his own good, but an excellent general who would have made a fine husband to Desdemona were it not for the evil machinations of Iago.

(In addition to my other objection, which you will hear me gas on about: Othello was NOT BLACK.)

Join us for The Tragedy of Othello on 5/12 on ZOOM. We will begin by watching scenes from the play on video, about 7:00pm, Japan time. Leave a reply below if you want an invitation to the Zoom meeting.

For more information about the play, go to the Files Page of this site and click on the file marked “Othello”. You can see the summary and some background information on the play.

There has been friction between husbands and wives for as long as there has been marriage, and there have been plays about marital strife as long as there have been plays. Our present play, one of Shakespeare’s relatively early comedies, is probably the greatest example of this theme of the long-suffering husband attempting to deal with an insufferable wife.

That’s The Taming of The Shrew on 2/17 on ZOOM. We will begin by watching scenes from the play on video, about 7:00pm, Japan time. Leave a reply below if you want an invitation to the Zoom meeting.

For more information about the play, go to the Files Page of this site and click on the file marked “Taming of The Shrew”. You can see the summary and some background information on the play.

I know what you’re thinking. “King who?” King John is not the first name that comes to mind when you mention Shakespeare’s histories, and you might even draw a blank when it comes to the historical record.

Well, let me just tease you a little. According to legend, King John was the cruel monarch who prompted the adventures of Robin Hood! (To be fair, there is no evidence that the stories associated with Robin Hood were based on real events, during John‘s reign or any other time.) We do know that John was the younger brother and successor of King Richard the Lion-Hearted, and that he was so unpopular, his nobles organized at a field called Runnymede, and forced him to sign the Magna Carta. I know you’ve heard of that!

We finish The Life and Death of King John, on ZOOM, from 7pm on December 2nd. We meet at 7pm to watch scenes from the play on video, then start reading ourselves from 7:30pm.

Go to the Files page of this site for more information about the play. Hover on, then click on King John.