This is going to be mad.

What is it?

Alright friends, buckle up. It’s time for a wild adventure–13 weeks, 3 plays a week, an entire summer of Shakespeare. Oh yes, that math means I’m reading all 39 of Shakespeare’s plays, and it gets even better from there.

Each month will be split into a genre. June is comedies to kick us off on a high note, July is histories, but don’t fool yourself into thinking we’ll be bored, and August saves the best for last, the tragedies. I’ve got a schedule at the end of this post, so keep an eye peeled for that.

Can I join?

UM YES, and you totally should. You can either read at your own pace, follow along exactly, or, like one of my friends is doing, just read one play per month. It really all boils down to just reading Shakespeare this summer. Maybe you read one play a week! Maybe you watch movies instead. Maybe you think this is insane, and you’d like to just watch from the sidelines. Same. No matter what, as long as you are experiencing Shakespeare in some way, you’re welcome to play along.

If you’ll be posting about it, as well, please make sure to link back to this post!

So, what do we do?

Well, read, of course! Beyond that, what you do is up to you. I will be reading 3 plays a week, hopefully Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and on Sundays (because alliteration matters), I’ll be posting a review of all three under the A Summer in Shakespeare heading. Whatever you might be reading that week or that month, I welcome you to join me in sharing our love of Shakespeare out loud.

And now, for the dreaded schedule!

Okay, so technically, this starts the last week of May, but the first Sunday post will be up on 6/2, so calm down, you’ll be fine. Also, I’m very not savvy with neat graphics and such, so this is very un-fancy.

For June, the month of comedies, the order will be:

• The Tempest, The Two Gentleman of Verona, The Merry Wives of Windsor (review up on 6/2)
• Measure for Measure, The Comedy of Errors, Much Ado About Nothing (review up on 6/9)
• Love’s Labour’s Lost, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice (review up on 6/16)
• As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, All’s Well That Ends Well (review up on 6/23)
• Twelfth Night, The Winter’s Tale, Pericles Prince of Tyre, The Two Noble Kinsmen (review up on 6/30)

For July, the month of histories, the order will be:

• King John, Richard II, Richard III (review up on 7/7)
• Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, Henry V (review up on 7/14)
• Henry VI Part 1, Henry VI Part 2, Henry VI Part 3 (review up on 7/21)
• Henry VIII, Edward III (review up on 7/28)

For August, the month of tragedies, the order will be:

• Troilus & Cressida, Coriolanus, Titus Andronicus (review up on 8/4)
• Romeo & Juliet, Timon of Athens, Julius Caesar (review up on 8/11)
• Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear (review up on 8/18)
• Othello, Antony & Cleopatra, Cymbeline (review up on 8/25)

And away we go!