Thursday, April 29, 2010

R. S. Gwynn's "Shakespearean Sonnet "

In honor of Shakespeare's birthday (which is traditionally celebrated on April 23), here is R. S. Gwynn's awesome "Shakespearean Sonnet," which encapsulates the plots of 14 of Shakespeare's plays. It is pure, unadulterated, literary fun, and reading it makes me wish that I was still teaching British literature (how much fun would it be to have students go through the sonnet and try to name the different plays?).

“Shakespearean Sonnet”
R. S. Gwynn

(With a first line taken from the tv listings)

A man is haunted by his father's ghost.
A boy and girl love while their families fight.
A Scottish king is murdered by his host.
Two couples get lost on a summer night.
A hunchback murders all who block his way.
A ruler's rivals plot against his life.
A fat man and a prince make rebels pay.
A noble Moor has doubts about his wife.
An English king decides to conquer France.
A duke learns that his best friend is a she.
A forest sets the scene for this romance.
An old man and his daughters disagree.
A Roman leader makes a big mistake.
A sexy queen is bitten by a snake.

2 comments:

ladyraven9517 said...

I don't recognize all of the plays do you have any idea what they all are?

Terri said...

@ladyraven9517 - Thank you for the comment! As far as I can tell (if we assume that there aren't any repeats), the plays are:
Hamlet
Romeo and Juliet
Macbeth
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Richard III
Richard II
Henry IV Part I
Othello
Henry V
Twelfth Night
As You Like It
King Lear
Julius Caesar
Antony and Cleopatra