“I see a man’s life is a tedious one.”

Cymbeline was written late in the career of Shakespeare, around 1609 and, thanks to the diary of a London doctor, we know that it was performed around April of 1611, at Blackfriars. Its first known printing was as the final entry in the 1623 Folio, but appears to have been placed there as an afterthought: it is lumped together with the Tragedies, even though it clearly isn’t one. Some historians categorize it, along with Winter’s Tale, Pericles and others, as one of Shakespeare’s “problem plays”: not funny enough to call a comedy, but not enough corpses to qualify as a tragedy. I prefer to think of this category as “romance”, although, as we’ve come to expect, “The course of true love never did run smooth”.

Whatever you want to call it, we begin Cymbeline on November 9. Leave a message if you want a ZOOM invitation for the next reading.

For more information about the play, go to https://shakespearetokyo.news.blog/cymbeline-notes-and…/ . You can see the summary and some background information on the play.

This play is one of the earliest sequels in entertainment history. Four hundred years before the Star Wars trilogy, Shakespeare wrote his historical plays, in which the main characters and incidents portrayed in King Richard II are reprised in Henry IV Part One, and of course later in Part Two. For the most part the histories are concerned with events of the 15th century, including epic battles and rivalries leading up to the civil war known as the Wars of the Roses, which culminated in the Tudor dynasty of Shakespeare’s patron, Queen Elizabeth.

Although he is not yet king, Prince Hal is really the focus of this play. It is the story of how he redeems himself, from a juvenile delinquent hanging out with thugs and drunkards, and proves himself a worthy heir to the throne. In the process he has to renounce his former friends, including the obese, alcoholic, cowardly pathological liar Sir John Falstaff, one of the greatest classic comic characters of all English literature.

Set your calendar to October 12 when we finish reading Henry IV Part One.

Leave a message if you want a ZOOM invitation for the next reading, 10/12.

See the Files section for notes on the play.

Did he or didn’t he? Come decide for yourself whether Two Noble Kinsmen deserves a place among Shakespeare’s better-known works. We’ll be reading the last part on Monday July 27, 7pm.

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, 7/27.

One small problem: I can’t seem to find a modern extext version of the script. Since it’s not usually considered one of the Bard’s works, the only one I could find on the internet has archaic vocabulary and spelling. I moderned it up for you: please go to the Files page of this site, and click on the file marked “The Two Noble Kinsmen – Modern Spelling”.

For more information about the play, you can click on the file marked “Two Noble Kinsmen: Did he (write it) or didn’t he?”. You can see the summary and some background information on the play, and download a clean copy of the script.

Something rotten in the state of Denmark! The rotting completes on Monday, June 1st, as young Prince Hamlet deals with Daddy issues that would make Oedipus even more complex.

To be there? Or not to be there? Be there!

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, 6/1.

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.