Hamlet by William Shakespeare
✨ my rating: 3 of 5 stars✨
Okay so I get that this is one of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays, some even say it’s his best, but I didn’t love it thaaat much. I enjoy pretty much anything from Shakespeare but Hamlet wasn’t super spectacular to me on the first read, perhaps because the protagonist wasn’t very compelling to me. I’ll definitely be reading it again though!
🌹date read: 23 aug 2019 🌹
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
✨ my rating: 5 of 5 stars ✨
I really enjoyed this!! Admittedly I love Shakespeare in general, but this was one of the most entertaining comedies I’ve read with some really funny bits in it. I liked the dynamic between Beatrice and Benedick in particular, with all their witty sparring. Dogberry and Verge are also hilarious because of how ridiculous they are. Yet for all its lighthearted banter, Much Ado About Nothing also takes darker turns in exploring the dangers of miscommunication and perhaps also questioning the basis for the institution of marriage as well as gender stereotypes of the time.
🌹date read: 16 aug 2019 🌹
A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
✨ my rating: 4 of 5 stars✨
I really enjoyed reading this play, and finished it in one sitting! The sense of dread and heightened suspense is really conveyed through the language and tone; and I was pretty fascinated by the relationship between Nora and Helmer, because neither are wholly good or bad, both are figures trapped within their perceived societal roles. One thing that bothered me a bit was the sub-plot between Mrs Linde and Krogstad, because I felt that their back-story was added in a bit too late and not fleshed out sufficiently to make it believable. Overall, a real great read 🙂
🌹date read: 12 aug 2019 🌹
Forty-four Winning Plays from the TheatreWorks 24-Hour Playwriting Competition Volume Three by Ng Yi Sheng
✨ my rating: 2 of 5 stars ✨
I’m really glad Singapore is having more original content! Some of the plays were good, and the ones in the junior category were especially impressive to me. However, a lot were very repetitive – the same themes regurgitated in different stories, and often too explicitly political to the point that it became trite and cliched. There were also some that seemed to try too hard to use colloquial Singlish, and it felt slightly forced.
🌹date read: 12 feb 2019 🌹
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All That You’ve Seen Here Is God: New Versions of Four Greek Tragedies Sophocles’ Ajax, Philoctetes, Women of Trachis; Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound by Sophocles
✨ my rating: 2 of 5 stars ✨
Definitely an accessible read and good way to understand the gist of Greek tragedies, but i felt that it was insufficient. Granted, the author does mention that he cuts out lots of parts to make it simpler. However, I found it slightly too easy and even the script seemed a bit unrefined (for instance, the unnecessary and excessive bits of “AAAH” to convey Prometheus screaming could have been put as stage directions for the actor to howl in anguish instead, which would make for a better read in my opinion).
🌹date read: 29 jan 2019 🌹
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