I read every Shakespeare play during Lockdown. Was it a valuable use of my time?

(Disclaimer: Pssst. Hamlet isn’t the best one.)

Though I am reluctant to label myself a “Gen Z,” it is the trying truth. I actually teach kids in school who are also part of the Gen Z. Shudder. But considering I was pondering making a TikTok summarising the contents of this blog (and still might do for my Twitter) it is probably an apt nomer that I am going to have to come to eventually accept, like the many Shakespearean Kings that must begrudgingly accept when they are about to be dethroned. Therefore, the Gen Z perspective is the one I am embarking into Shakespeare’s canon from. Please, keep that very much in mind.

I was born in 1997. I read my first five Shakespeare plays in school, two before A Levels and another three after.. They were the ones you’d expect - I don’t need to list them. I read about nine more at University, undergrad, whilst also re-reading the previous six. This was the time I also dipped into his poetry. During my Masters, my syllabus only demanded I re-read the titles I had been set before. It was only after my Masters, at the age of 23, that I decided to conquer all 37 (ish.)

The results were quite surprising.

I intend to first “rank” all his work in classic Gen Z, almost-meme style, and then discuss its value at the bottom of the post.

I will say that the reason I embarked on this journey is that I was using lockdown to chase some will-o-the-wisp concept of being “well-read”, something that I am sure will bias some of my opinions, simply from being of the (God forbid) artsy, literature-cultivating background that I am: I already have an inherent idea that all literature is of some value, and that is probably not shared with all of you. With that in mind, both my ranking and my overall value review has been made with the upmost attention paid to unbiased practice, and the sense of each text being valuable to the most people at the most times. I think it is fair to say that Shakespeare entered a dialogue with the future when he was writing his texts, as can be easily seen through his themes of immortality and soothsaying through writing, largely explored in the sonnets, and therefore it is only fair to uphold him to the standards and literary “value” people would expect out of their books today.

This does not mean, however, that I will be ranking plays on how “woke” or reflective of 2020’s political and social values they are, because I think that would be a small form of censorship, and shouldn’t be a filter regarded when choosing with plays to read - though, perhaps, choosing which plays to first introduce kids to on a curriculum is a different question. I actually adore both the controversial The Merchant of Venice and Othello (as can be seen below) for their sheer mastery of the play form but also the entertainment form in general. They grip.

So, I wanted to share a list of Shakespeare’s plays, ranked in order of the value I, a 23-year-old, MA-holding, Londoner, artsy, twitter-using, Fleabag-loving, writer wannabe, who can just about pay the rent on her one room, gets out of reading each play. If you are anything like me, read for a quick guide. If you are very much unlike me, read for a completely different perspective to yours.

Something great about Shakespeare’s plays is that, if you enjoy them, they are all free to read on any Kindle, apple product or online source. A lot of free performances can be seen on YouTube, “catch-up”, or streaming services too. As someone in my current position, who sees reading as not just entertainment but an important learning activity for my personal development but also future career, a free resource is always something I find valuable.

Disclaimer: all opinions are my own. They are not the opinions of my tutors, teachers, lecturers or parents. They all wholeheartedly disagree, actually.

Here is my Gen Z, definitive ranking of Shakespeare’s plays.

In a tier list.

As we do.

I’ll share my thoughts on the ones I think I ought to. Make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see my overall thoughts!

God Tier

The Merchant of Venice - Probably the most controversial of plays, and having the Jewish ‘antagonist’ punished in the end by having to be Christened did feel extremely dehuminizing to read, an almost act of religious ‘humiliation.’ However, plotted scrupulously, with an outstanding female lead, moments of sheer pathos from Shylock as he defends his humanity as someone of the Jewish faith - “If you prick us, do we not bleed”, reminiscent of the same rhetoric used today to defend against wrongful othering of minorities. Not to mention, the three chest game is just too damn fun. This is one of Shakespeare’s works I got the most value out of reading, despite its issues, as it is a lesson in playcraft, character craft and the conveyance of emotion. A masterclass. It also plays around with the typical genres of the time in a balanced way that so many of his other works struggle to achieve.

Coriolanus - Not one of the plays I was introduced to at University. I chose to avoid it after seeing the Tom Hiddleston production (though I am not out for any superstar’s blood, so, that’s enough said about that.) But boy was I wrong to not read this sooner. So much happens! But you don’t feel like anything is too heavily conveyed. There’s civil conflict, a topic which would turn away many a head, but it is all centred around this beautifully achieved character of Coriolanus, who is simultaneously driving the action and is victim to it. At many times he is silent when he most needs to be outspoken, and outspoken when you are wishing he would just be silent, for Christ’s sake! This play’s heavy use of politics and civil action is totally redeemed from any semblance of snoozing because of this sheer bullet to the heart of a character. Couldn’t stop turning the pages to find out what he’d do, say, think next. Bravo. And not to mention such moving as Coriolanus saying “There is a world elsewhere” as he is forced to leave his beloved home.

Othello - Thrilling, heartbreaking, terrific. Just as good as Hamlet!

King Lear - Just as good as Hamlet. Probably better. The use of decaying language within the main character - “I will have revenges on you both that all the world shall - / I will do such thing - what they are yet I know not -” as he ages and creeps further into madness - even the first moment he himself says “mad” - is the kind of tragic and endearing you want all your dramas to achieve, from plays to Netflix. Shakespeare’s grasp on portraying an almost scientifically spot on case of dementia from 500 years ago is astounding - achieving what he never meant to achieve. Thank god we have these kinds of roles for our best living actors to fill.

Hamlet - I once heard someone say that is all of Shakespeare’s plays were the planets, Hamlet would be the sun. I think they meant it out-sizes them in artistic achievement. And I do appreciate the pun - sun, too much in - but I do not think this is true. There are lots of things I would change about this play. Ophelia could have passed on stage. Ophelia could have done a lot more on stage, really. But, yes, Hamlet is outstanding. There is no denying that. It is his longest play, but his oomph in writing it doesn’t dwindle (like it feels like it does in some of his other, lower ranked, works.) The frenetic-ism of the main character doesn’t get old. The beautifully constructed set up that we watch unravel from the play’s second scene, with Hamlet himself lurking in the shadows like us, watching the mere players convince themselves of what they will. But, every other play in this tier matches it in value, from one aspect or another. Sorry to all my tutors ever.

Henry V - The only history to make this tier. Henry V, best being read after Henry IV, Parts 1&2, is a character you can follow throughout three plays and really bloody root for. By the start of this play you have the will he, wont he, set up of will he be able to shirk off his drinking and revelling past and be a great leader - and like, you know he will, because of his beautiful dialogue with his father just before he died, but also, he’s just a great kid - or if he will fail. And that set up drives the whole play, and you feel more and more triumphant joy with every battle he wins. Every speech he gives, every loyal follower he new achieves. It is the only history that manages to elevate itself out of the formal monotony (for me) of the battlefield in Shakespeare’s plays, and get itself into God Tier.

High Tier

Macbeth - Most people would assign this play to his top tier, and though the exchanges between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, and each’s speeches are spectacular, the final act and the death of Lady Macbeth let it down for me. Still utterly brilliant.

Titus Andronicus - One that surprised me the most in how brilliant it was because of its bad reputation. The battle of the griefs! A spectacular example of how people can portion off their sympathies, so that they feel everything for their own child but are willing to kill another’s. Gutsy, bloody, gory to the point of body horror, though many say that this early work was Shakespeare’s way of easily pleasing audiences, and only later did he learn to reply on character rather than spectacle, I think the horror and gore work viscerally well to portray the themes of humiliation, dominance and revenge.

Julius Caesar - Really good fun. I especially liked the references to Julius’ strokes that he was rumoured to have. And the speechcraft of Antony’ funeral speech was a definite highlight.

Romeo & Juliet - Another one most people would expect to be ranked higher. I think the false start with Rosaline makes for a less clean play, and I was disappointed Rosaline didn’t get a voice after being so colossally dumped. But this play is damn sexy, especially in the language - “O trespass sweetly urged, give me my sin again.” This play is a winner for me because it is one of the best accomplished when it comes to language, metre and imagery. The scope and scale of images and references called upon is lush and rich.

Richard III - Machiavelli at its finest!

Henry IV, Part 1

Henry IV, Part 2 - This play and the previous part are great, though I am guessing I am one of the only bard readers who doesn’t like Falstaff. But what elevates them into this tier is the relationship between the King, Henry V, and his wild and debauched son, Henry, who doesn’t seem to give in to what his father wants of him until he is on his deathbed. It’s really great stuff.

Mid Tier

Antony and Cleopatra - Works very well as another reference for Cleopatra, in her many, multifaceted representations throughout history. I particularly enjoyed when Shakespeare had her out of her own time, in a sense, by including anachronisms around her, making her all the more mystical.

The Taming of the Shrew - This play works much better if you consider Katherine’s final speech as “ironic” or “sarcastic”, which I don’t think I can persuade myself to do.

Twelfth Night - It’s fun, and I understand why people like it, but it doesn’t reach the emotional payoff as the plays in higher tiers for me.

The Tempest - I teach this text! Woo. Along with Macbeth, actually. Unfortunately, even I got confused with the many characters that get shipwrecked at the beginning, and riddling out their histories can distract from the fun of the play a little. One of the only plays that Shakespeare apparently thought up all of the story line himself, without references ancient tales, histories and folklore in any part, and, well, you can kinda tell.

All’s Well That Ends Well - Helena is a welcome presence in this play, being one of the best parts for female actresses to explore and have fun with - in contrast to so many of his other female characters. However, Bertram is a questionable choice for her affections, and undermines her powerful, knowledgeable and passionate character in being her choice of lover.

Henry VI, Part 1

Richard II - Richard’s speech in Act 5 from inside the prison is wonderful. The histories in general are elevated by these moments of calm where a single character can air out their feelings. A good read.

Low Tier

Troilus and Cressida

Measure For Measure - I just can’t bring myself to like this play. You have a duplicitous Duke, which is meant to be fun, but the pay off isn’t work the execution, in a ending that feels hurried. Plus Angelo is just the worst mixture of boring and deplorable.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream - This is one play I have never gotten much value out of reading. The characters seem shallow, their motivations weak, and the farce with the play-within-the-play is tiresome to read. The language is pretty great, but that is as expected at this point.

Much Ado About Nothing - Beatrice and Benedick are the real treat in this otherwise quite forgettable comedy.

As You Like It - Good fun, but that’s about it. The machinations between the disguised Rosalind and tricked Orlando start to feel predictable.

The Two Gentlemen of Verona - This one is rarely performed, and it doesn’t surprise me.

Timon of Athens - The “incomplete” play, or so people theorise. Very strong start, and a trailed off ending that left you wanting.

King John - Forgettable. Gets lost in the other, better histories.

Henry VI, Part 2 - Manages to make the war of the roses feel boring.

Love’s Labour’s Lost - Every character in this play is dull at best, boorish at worst! And do I understand the character motivations? No! Again, the play-within-the-play moment really dragging it out, too. Sorry to fans of this one, it is really not for me.

The Winter’s Tale - The bear moment and Hermione’s transformation are the only memorable parts of this one.

Cymbeline - Suffering from the same issue as All’s Well, the female protagonist is a breath of fresh air whose interest in her chosen man undermines her characters legitimacy, because, in this case Posthumous, is such a shit! The plotting in this one is also much weaker than Shakespeare is usually capable of.

Sh*t Tier

Pericles - Ouch. A father who is having an incestuous relationship with his daughter and publicly humiliating her for it, dies in the same fire that the daughter does, and is treated as though they were both sinners purged from the earth. The play just gets more and more convoluted from there. Honestly, I do possess a bizarre fascination for this one, though.

The Comedy of Errors - The thing with reading all of Shakespeare, is that some are gonna get a bit forgotten. This one was that play for me - after having reminded myself of what it was - a whole play being based around twins with identically shit personalities did not pay off.

The Merry Wives of Windsor - God no. Enough of the mistaken identities, the letters, the bed tricks, the hiding. It’s not fun unless the characters make it so! And these don’t. Sorry, Falstaff.

Henry VI, Part 3 - Was there really a need for three parts?

Henry VIII - A shame, considering it has so many iconic characters, and an iconic moment in history - the birth of Elizabeth I. But Shakespeare seems so bogged down in history he forgets to make a play with unity, plot and entertainment.

Overall Thoughts - Was it a valuable use of my time?

Honestly, I am not sure if it’s something I would have done if it weren’t for the months off work lockdown gave me. But I am very glad I did. Once you get to play 10, then 20, then 30, it starts to reel out before your eyes just how prolific Shakespeare was. You can be told that Shakespeare has written 37 plays, but until you read them all, you don’t get a sense of how massive that is. I’d say that any play in God Tier or High Tier is an unmissable reading event, so that is thirteen entertaining, fascinating works that work on an educational as well as an entertainment level. What other writers can you say have written thirteen works to that level of excellency? Not many. It starts to become clear why he is one of Britain’s biggest exports - and why his collective works is the thing many people would send to space if we had to greet aliens with a representation of us. Let’s just hope they don’t judge us on Pericles.

But reading all of Shakespeare? Is it a valuable thing to do? Can’t be that crazy of a question, if he is upheld as the greatest writer to have ever lived.

And I’d say, yeah, it’s worth it. Even his Sh*t tier stuff is bloody fascinating if you can look through the boredom that comes through the plotting and the characters as thick as those who appear in the horror movies of today - don’t go into the house, don’t go into the very dark and rickety abandoned house! or No, Leontes don’t imprison your heavily pregnant wife, she isn’t cheating on you with your best friend you twonk she was just TALKING to him! It’s very much the same feeling with these lesser plays. But yes, there was some of that will-o-the-wisp I mentioned earlier, that whisper, that intangible, still amongst these lesser plays, that really made you feel as thought you were reading something from a brilliant mind. Something to be harvested from, to learn from, to experience.

But if you don’t have the time, trust me, read the God Tier. They’re unmissable.

Katherine x