What's your favorite Shakespeare play and why?

[Geremia]

What's your favorite Shakespeare play and why?

[Gardener]

Coriolanus. The lines are great. He despises the idiots of Rome, but he loves Rome.

The older BBC productions of it don't capture it well, imo. The play itself is good to read. Ralph Feinnes' "modernized" version was outstanding. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.

Here's a comparison of his big speech:
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsYk8oCaHLI[/yt]

I think it's an untapped Shakespearean play, not getting the credit it deserves. The rise and fall of Caius Martius Coriolanus, going to the enemies of Rome and becoming a leader of them only to find that the same thing which got him banished from Rome -- pride -- led to his downfall amongst his former enemies.

[PerEvangelicaDicta]

Those with historical plots i.e. Henriad tetrology. 
I'm sentimental about Julius Caesar and Coriolanus for the same reason.

Et tu, Geremia? 

[Non Nobis]

I once got called by a radio station and asked what was playing on a certain TV station.  If I had known, I would have won $10.  I didn't know, but the funny and sad thing is that I would have been watching it had I known it was on.  It was Julius Caesar.

I think I like Hamlet best (I'm so original).  I definitely have read it (or watched it) more often then any other play, ever since before high school.

I need to read more Shakespeare again.  It's a good thing there is heaven because there sure isn't enough time to savor all the beauty and truth in the world in this life.  In heaven I'll "have it all" and then some, even if in a different way.

[Greg]

Henry V

http://youtube.com/watch?v=A-yZNMWFqvM

[Christina_S]

The Tempest. I liked the contrast of characters in that one for some reason.
That being said, I haven't read Julius Caesar or anything to do with dead kings of England, so my favorite may change.

[Jayne]

Taming of the Shrew.  It has a great speech about why women need to appreciate men.

[Geremia]

Et tu, Geremia?

I'd consider Hamlet his greatest play. It is full of religious themes (e.g., that of justification, purgatory), and the astronomical theories of Shakespeare's day influenced it.

Measure for Measure is another of my favorites because it addresses the themes of virginity, religious vs. secular (contemplative vs. active lives), political power (esp. the question of "legislating morality"), mercy vs. justice, etc., and Shakespeare does not portray the religious characters as Protestants would (cf. this paper, which cites St. Thomas in connection with this play).

Merchant of Venice does a masterful job at portraying the humanity of Jews and their relationship with Christians.

Henry VIII is also a very good historical account of the king, portraying him as devoutly Catholic (which his was) before his downfall into lust. I'm inclined to think (along with some Shakespeare scholars) that the last act (the "happy ending" baptism of the male heir by Protestants) was a latter addition (and thus not authentically Shakespeare).

[kayla_veronica]

I enjoy the Henry V adaptation by Kenneth Brannaugh the most. The play I like actually reading, thinking about and discussing is MacBeth. There's just so much there. Same with King Lear. Kurasowa did a fantastic adaptation of King Lear (Ran) as well.

I suppose Shakespeare is meant to be watched, rather than just read, so I don't feel too guilty about preferring the movie adaptations!

[Matto]

My favorite play was King Lear. My second favorite was Pericles which many people think only part of was written by Shakespeare and it is generally not considered to be that good. For some reason Marina was my favorite character in all of Shakespeare and that is why I liked the play. But I haven't read any Shakespeare in a long time, since before my conversion, and I don't remember any of his plays that well. I wonder what I would think about them now that I am a traditional Catholic. If I did read Shakespeare again I would probably start with King Lear.

[Geremia]

But I haven't read any Shakespeare in a long time, since before my conversion, and I don't remember any of his plays that well. I wonder what I would think about them now that I am a traditional Catholic.

Same here. From reading the Douay-Rheims and having more knowledge of Catholicism since converting to tradition a decade ago, I'm picking up on many of the deeper themes in Shakespeare that I completely missed in my reading/watching his plays 15+ years ago. I'm convinced Shakespeare's Catholic education has permeated his plays.

If I did read Shakespeare again I would probably start with King Lear.

King Lear has been termed Shakespeare's "secular gospel" play.

[Bernadette]

The Merchant of Venice. Some great speeches in there.

[Geremia]

The Merchant of Venice. Some great speeches in there.

Shylock's is classic, yes.

[Geremia]

I think it's an untapped Shakespearean play, not getting the credit it deserves. The rise and fall of Caius Martius Coriolanus, going to the enemies of Rome and becoming a leader of them only to find that the same thing which got him banished from Rome -- pride -- led to his downfall amongst his former enemies.

I've seen many Shakeaspeare plays but not that one. I'll have to check it out.

[Gardener]

I think it's an untapped Shakespearean play, not getting the credit it deserves. The rise and fall of Caius Martius Coriolanus, going to the enemies of Rome and becoming a leader of them only to find that the same thing which got him banished from Rome -- pride -- led to his downfall amongst his former enemies.

I've seen many Shakeaspeare plays but not that one. I'll have to check it out.

Definitely check out Feinnes' version.