This comedy (mostly, and some bits are indeed very funny indeed) is also a little cruel in the way it is easy for comedy to slip into.
I won’t do a summary, that is available on line if you are interested, but I liked the comedy parts more than the more serious elements. This surprises me because I do tend to prefer the tragedies. As always, there is so much in this play that made me realise how much of our thoughts, language and literature today owes to Shakespeare.
After reading the play I watched the very very excellent 2018 film directed by Adam Smethurst. I think this play, even more than others I have read this year, is better performed and the comedy, while funny to read, was extremely hilarious in this production.
As always, reading the play first and getting a good understanding of the language works much better for me. It is a little slower than just watching but I think you miss some of the nuance by just watching. These RSC paperback editions have such helpful notes for the words and phrases that are not used or are differently used now.
This wasn’t my favourite but it was definitely worth reading. Anyway… onward with my Shakespeare journey. A Winters Tale next.