1Tess_W
Painting of Shakespeare (in black) surrounded by fellow writers at the Mermaid Tavern in London. The painting by John Faed (1819-1902).
I think WillieCat would have been a niftier/easier title, but we will go with this. Tanya asked me to take the "lead." However, I'm relying heavily on YOU, the readers and participants.
From reading the suggestions, that is what I gathered:
12 months of reading Shakespeare:
read the actual play, or a modern version (No Fear Shakespeare)
OR
OR
Read about Shakespeare/Kings during the time of Shakespeare
OR
using some of Shakespeare's plot devices such that you could read the play that features the device, or another example of it. Hamlet and Twelfth night both feature a play within a play, this article mentions 9 other examples. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/may/25/10-of-the-best-plays-within-plays. Twelfth night and Comedy of errors both feature mistaken identity, as do these other works. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/oct/11/5
OR
- Macbeth: Books about/set in Scotland
- The Tempest/Midsummer Night’s Dream: fantasy
- Julius Caesar/Antony & Cleopatra/Coriolanus: ancient/classical history and/or politics and revolution
- The Henriad: Royalty and/or medieval history
OR
Elizabethan or Jacobean Society
OR
Comparing a history play with what actually happened
Or
Is Portia a radical feminist in The Merchant of Venice?
OR
How "real" are the ghosts in Hamlet? Are they convincing?
OR
Sexism in The Taming of the Shrew
OR
Who is responsible for the death of Romeo and Juliet
OR
1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare by James Shapiro
OR
Contested Will: Who wrote Shakespeare by James Shapiro
OR
Reading 2-3 of his sonnets for a monthly read?
OR
Banishment as a theme in Romeo & Juliet or Richard II
OR
Gender fluidity in The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, and As You Like It,
OR a biography of Shakespeare, such as Bill Bryson's Shakespeare: The World as Stage (and others!)
or
Reading some of the works that are only partly written by Shakespeare--and a few that are credited to the bard, but authorship is doubtful: Edward III, The Two Noble Kinsmen, Sir Thomas More (partly written by Shakespeare), and Cardenio
OR
Will's narrative and complaint poems: The Rape of Lucrece, Venus and Adonis, The Phoenix and the Turtle, A Lover's Complaint
OR
Shakespeare's works oftentimes incorporate Greek/Roman mythology into the characters/plots: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Titus Andronicus, The Winter's Tale, Love's Labor's Lost, The Tempest, Troilus and Cressida, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Hamlet, and Romeo and Juliet.
OR
Sonnets 127-154 seem to address the same mysterious "dark lady" with questionable morals.
OR
Shakespeare's pastoral works: Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, The Tempest As You Like It, The Twelfth Night
January NinieB King Lear & Its Themes
February Susanna.Fraser rom com Much Ado About Nothing
March Silver Wolf Book based on a Shakespeare Play
April pamelad Hamlet Revenge
May- Tanya-dogearedcopy -Shakespeare’s Kings / Medieval History
June miss_watson Julius Caesar. Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus Ancient History
July- Tess_W Measure for Measure, The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice theme: justice
August mstrust Lesser known works
September thornton37814- Shakespeare sonnets/poems
October Christina_reads Macbeth Themes: murder, witchcraft, politics
November KristelH books fiction or nonfiction about Shakespeare/Globe Theater.
December ladyoftheLodge A Winter's Tale
2Helenliz
Is there a possibility of using some of Shakespeare's plot devices such that you could read the play that features the device, or another example of it. Hamlet and Twelfth night both feature a play within a play, this article mentions 9 other examples. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/may/25/10-of-the-best-plays-within-plays. Twelfth night and Comedy of errors both feature mistaken identity, as do these other works. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/oct/11/5
3Tanya-dogearedcopy
I'll take Henry VI, Part I for the Month of May! This is a History play featuring Joan of Arc-- so there's plenty of ways to go thematically/lots to work with! :-)
4Tess_W
>2 Helenliz: Absolutely, that is a great idea! 👍 What month would you like?
5Crypto-Willobie
Only a little bit of 1 Henry VI is by Shakespeare. Much of it is by Thomas Nashe and another collaborator or collaborators.
6Helenliz
>4 Tess_W: I'm not offering to host, I was just trying to suggest other alternatives to widen the scope of the CAT.
7Tess_W
>6 Helenliz: TY!
8susanna.fraser
Some ideas for monthly themes:
- Macbeth: Books about/set in Scotland
- The Tempest/Midsummer Night’s Dream: fantasy
- Julius Caesar/Antony & Cleopatra/Coriolanus: ancient/classical history and/or politics and revolution
- The Henriad: Royalty and/or medieval history
- Much Ado About Nothing/Taming of the Shrew: rom-coms
- Macbeth: Books about/set in Scotland
- The Tempest/Midsummer Night’s Dream: fantasy
- Julius Caesar/Antony & Cleopatra/Coriolanus: ancient/classical history and/or politics and revolution
- The Henriad: Royalty and/or medieval history
- Much Ado About Nothing/Taming of the Shrew: rom-coms
9LadyoftheLodge
>8 susanna.fraser: If this is the direction to go with this CAT, more people would probably participate.
10majkia
>8 susanna.fraser:>9 Yes, really. If we're just reading shakespeare, I'm not likely to particpate.
12Tanya-dogearedcopy
Are we also supposed to be indicating a theme to go along with the play? (I may have been under the mistaken impression that the options in the original post were applicable to all the plays.)
14LadyoftheLodge
>13 Tess_W: Agree.
16Tess_W
>15 mstrust: That's a great one!
17susanna.fraser
I'd be happy to host a rom-com month focused on Much Ado About Nothing if people are good with that being one of themes. Maybe in February for a Valentine's Day tie-in?
19mstrust
>16 Tess_W: I could host that if you'd like. July or August?
20Tess_W
>19 mstrust: WOO HOO! I signed you up for August! TY TY TY!
We could really use some hosts, please! This was the most popular cat voted on! If you don't feel comfortable with a topic listed, by all means use one of your own! As this is the first time for this CAT, I think we will all learn a lot!
We could really use some hosts, please! This was the most popular cat voted on! If you don't feel comfortable with a topic listed, by all means use one of your own! As this is the first time for this CAT, I think we will all learn a lot!
21SilverWolf28
I'll take March. Read a book based on a Shakespeare Play.
22pamelad
Since Hamlet is one of the few Shakespearean works I've read, I volunteer to do Revenge in April.
24Robertgreaves
What about Shakespeare's poetry? Could we include that somehow?
25LadyoftheLodge
I will take December with The Winter’s Tale (appropriately enough!)
26Tess_W
>24 Robertgreaves: Yes, Robert. There have been suggestions posted above for a sonnet month and also for some of his narrative and complaint poems.
27Tess_W
Down to just 4 months now. I have deleted the topics that have already been chosen. Still accepting new ideas and new hosts!
28MissWatson
I could do Julius Caesar/ Antony and Cleopatra / Coriolanus in June with ancient history as a theme.
29Tess_W
>28 MissWatson: You are signed up for June!
30Tanya-dogearedcopy
Hey Tess! Now that I see what’s what, I’d like to change/expand my month from “Henry VI, Part I” to “Shakespeare’s Kings / Medieval History”. Readers could pick a play, a novel and/or a NF book related to the time period or a topic within the time period.
31LadyoftheLodge
For The Winter's Tale in December, readers could choose a reading selection related to themes or characters found in the play. They could also read the play itself, or something related to winter, or a book/story appropriate for reading on a winter's night (hence the title of the play). I will add more details when we get to December.
34Tess_W
>24 Robertgreaves: Yes, there are some suggestions. Would you like to host that theme?
35Robertgreaves
>25 LadyoftheLodge: I don't really know much about it, that's why I was hoping it would be a theme.
36LadyoftheLodge
>35 Robertgreaves: I found a lot of my information in Wikipedia (sorry, it had good synopses) so you might want to look there for poetry info.
37thornton37814
I'll volunteer to host a month featuring Shakespeare's poetry. We can include both the sonnets and the narrative poems. September will work.
38Tess_W
>37 thornton37814: TY TY TY~
39christina_reads
Could I do Macbeth in October? Themes could include murder, witchcraft, prophecies, politics, ambition...
40Kristelh
I am not sure how this working but would a month for Shakespearian retellings work? or a month of books about Shakespeare?
41Tess_W
>40 Kristelh: We have a month for retellings (is a book based on a play of Shakespeare a retelling?). But I think a month ABOUT Shakespeare would work nicely. I know of 1599: A Year in the Life of Shakespeare. Also, perhaps something about the Globe theatre?
43thornton37814
>40 Kristelh: Is March's "book based on a Shakespeare play" a retelling or a critical work or can it be either? I don't really know how it's supposed to be interpreted. I do think a "biography" month or about him in some other way would be a good addition.
44Tess_W
>40 Kristelh:, >43 thornton37814: I'm not sure of the host's intent. I have contacted her, but unless I hear back from her, I would think it could be interpreted as either, because even a critical essay might involve a different perspective on a work.
45Kristelh
I will take October and feature, books fiction or nonfiction about Shakespeare/Globe Theater.
47Kristelh
>46 thornton37814: What months are left?
50Tess_W
Yeah, we have all the months filled! Thank you so much for all the suggestions and for volunteering to help. I'm really looking foward to this 2022 CAT!
52mathgirl40
Thanks to all the volunteers! Work has been a bit overwhelming lately, so I didn't think I'd better commit to volunteering but I do appreciate others doing so, and I will definitely be participating in this CAT.
53VivienneR
Thank you for setting this up, Tess, and thanks to the volunteer hosts. I'm looking forward to this CAT although I may not take part every month.
54Tess_W
I need to create a wiki for this CAT. I would like it if somebody could "tell" me how to do it, some instructions; so I could learn. But if not, could somebody who has the ability create a wiki for this CAT?
55thornton37814
You'll find the help page at https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Help:Editing
Your own page will be: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/User:Tess_W
You'll create a page (next level) for the ShakespeareCAT.
Your own page will be: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/User:Tess_W
You'll create a page (next level) for the ShakespeareCAT.
56Tess_W
TY TY TY! >55 thornton37814:
57Tanya-dogearedcopy
>55 thornton37814: I also want to thank you! For a long time I have been frustrated in trying to figure out how simply to get to the Create page! With the links you have provided, I can start building a page I have had in mind that may prove useful for my month and beyond… We’ll see :-)
58pamelad
>54 Tess_W: When you're in the help page you can search for ShakespeareCAT, which won't exist, and you'll be given the option of creating it.
Or if you create the ShakespeareCAT wiki under your own user name, there's an option to move the page so that it ends up in the right place with indexphp in its address rather than your own name. (My first try ended up in the wrong place.)
The easiest way to get started is to copy and paste another CAT Wiki, then edit it. For CATWoman I copied the AuthorCAT Wiki. Thank you, Majkia.
Or if you create the ShakespeareCAT wiki under your own user name, there's an option to move the page so that it ends up in the right place with indexphp in its address rather than your own name. (My first try ended up in the wrong place.)
The easiest way to get started is to copy and paste another CAT Wiki, then edit it. For CATWoman I copied the AuthorCAT Wiki. Thank you, Majkia.
59thornton37814
>57 Tanya-dogearedcopy: You're welcome.
60majkia
Hi all. Tess_W is pretty stressed out in RL so I volunteered to do the wiki for her. Find it here:
https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2022_ShakespeareCAT
https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2022_ShakespeareCAT
61thornton37814
>60 majkia: Thanks, Jean!
63Robertgreaves
>60 majkia: >62 Tess_W: Thanks for taking over, Jean. I hope life gets on a more even keel for you soon, Tess.
64VivienneR
>60 majkia: >62 Tess_W: >63 Robertgreaves: Same message as Robert's from me. You are all appreciated for what you've accomplished.
65Kristelh
Tess, do hope your stress will soon pass, and thanks to all that help make these CATS work.
66Tess_W
>63 Robertgreaves:
>64 VivienneR:
>65 Kristelh:
Thanks all! My mother had cancer surgery last Monday and I am her caregiver so that means I'm away from home for 3 weeks, don't have my desktop (working from a tablet) and I don't really have an hour to sit down and learn something new (when I'm not tired!). Thanks to all who volunteered to host and for the good wishes. I will be returning home (70 miles away) sometime next week and things will be getting back to "normal"!
>64 VivienneR:
>65 Kristelh:
Thanks all! My mother had cancer surgery last Monday and I am her caregiver so that means I'm away from home for 3 weeks, don't have my desktop (working from a tablet) and I don't really have an hour to sit down and learn something new (when I'm not tired!). Thanks to all who volunteered to host and for the good wishes. I will be returning home (70 miles away) sometime next week and things will be getting back to "normal"!
67Kristelh
>66 Tess_W: My thoughts and prayers are with you. Speedy recovery for mother. And for you, being caretaker is a blessing but it is very hard to be caretaker.
68Tess_W
>67 Kristelh: TY TY TY
70mstrust
>66 Tess_W: Wishing good health to your mom, and to you!
And thanks to >55 thornton37814: for posting that info, but I'm afraid it just goes over my head. I've hosted a bit here and there but have never created a Wikipage for them. I actually don't understand why they're necessary but I guess they must be.
And thanks to >55 thornton37814: for posting that info, but I'm afraid it just goes over my head. I've hosted a bit here and there but have never created a Wikipage for them. I actually don't understand why they're necessary but I guess they must be.
71Kristelh
>70 mstrust:. I also don't understand the wiki. I think it is cool and I do them inconsistently but I don't know what purpose they serve. I don't know how to find them as resource once they are no longer current.
73Crazymamie
>73 Crazymamie: Same! Ha! I thought it was just me.
74LadyoftheLodge
>71 Kristelh: You can find old wikis by going to a current wiki page and using the search function on the upper left. Just type in the name of the old wiki page in the search bar and it will appear.
75pamelad
>66 Tess_W: Best wishes to your mother and you too, Tess.
>71 Kristelh: Wikis are so time consuming to update because you have to copy the address from the book page then fiddle around with all of those === and ''''. Once I get behind on the BingoDOG wiki, usually at about book 5, I give up. In 2022 I am going to update as I go!
They're useful for finding ideas for books, but there must be an easier way.
>71 Kristelh: Wikis are so time consuming to update because you have to copy the address from the book page then fiddle around with all of those === and ''''. Once I get behind on the BingoDOG wiki, usually at about book 5, I give up. In 2022 I am going to update as I go!
They're useful for finding ideas for books, but there must be an easier way.
76Tess_W
>75 pamelad: I always say I'm going to keep current with the wikis---they are right up there with my new year's resolutions!
77Robertgreaves
I will chime in as another one who doesn't really understand the wikis. I was told they constitute a record for people who are looking for book suggestions, but I don't know if anybody actually uses them like that. I try to fill them in as I finish books but sometimes I can't be bothered. And if there is no link in the introductory post, then I definitely can't be bothered.
78MissWatson
>66 Tess_W: All the best for your mother's recovery!
79thornton37814
I usually forget to post what I read for a CAT or KIT on the wiki until months later. I'm way behind at the moment. I didn't even know the wikis were there for many years. I just participated without adding to them. I'm hoping I'll have time to catch up on posting to them next week. I should have time around Christmas to catch up anything read between next week and the end of the year that fits.
80majkia
Well, certainly no pressure to post your reads. No pressure to read anything for the challenges either.
The bingo dog wiki is helpful. It helps give me hints about what will fit a square I might not otherwise think about.
The bingo dog wiki is helpful. It helps give me hints about what will fit a square I might not otherwise think about.
81VivienneR
I think it's interesting to see what we're all reading in any challenge all in one spot. In my early years in the group I didn't enter my books because it sounded complicated but when I discovered how easy it was I started adding every book to the wiki (unless I have a senior moment and forget).
82sallylou61
I think that it is helpful as a tracking device. If example, when we were weighing whether or not to change RandomCAT to RandomKIT, we looked on the activities of the various CATs/KITs. Another example is the concern some of us had at the use of the KITastrophe in 2020. Although the use as shown by the wiki was not ever very high, we decided to try it again this yea (2021) but make it quarterly. Again it appears not to have had much participation, and is not being offered in 2022.
Also, I enjoy seeing what people are reading for a challenge in one place as >81 VivienneR: mentioned.
Also, I enjoy seeing what people are reading for a challenge in one place as >81 VivienneR: mentioned.
83Tess_W
>78 MissWatson: TY she's recovering wonderfully. After an initial evaluation by the occupational therapist and the physical therapist they conclude she needs no therapy. Hopefully drains will come out on Friday.
84Jackie_K
>83 Tess_W: That's such good news, I'm so glad she's recovering well!
85Kristelh
>83 Tess_W:, that is good news!
86Robertgreaves
>83 Tess_W: That sounds positive. Best wishes for continued improvement.
87VivienneR
>83 Tess_W: Good news, Tess. Wishing you and your mother all the best.
88NinieB
I'm very excited to announce that January ShakespeareCAT, King Lear and Its Themes, is now posted: https://www.librarything.com/topic/337448!
90SilverWolf28
Here's the March thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/339602
91pamelad
The April thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/340308
92Tanya-dogearedcopy
May thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/341231
93MissWatson
I'm sorry for being late, I could have sworn it was my turn in July! Will rectify ASAP!
94MissWatson
June thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/341784#n7838845
95Tess_W
July thread is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/342340#n7861645
96mstrust
August is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/342886
97thornton37814
September is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/343566
98christina_reads
The October thread is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/344181.
99Kristelh
November thread is up; https://www.librarything.com/topic/345133
100kac522
2023 CAT Voting is now open at https://www.librarything.com/topic/345396