I read everything Shakespeare ever wrote

[Applause] um on the 23rd of April 1564 in the village of straford Upon aen A B was born literally quoting Shakespeare that baby's name was William Shakespeare 436 years later another baby was born also in the 20s of April also with l i a m in his name and also insanely smart me oh what I'm trying to say is me and Shakespeare are alike in every conceivable Way by one irrelevant fact he wrote like 37 plays 154 sonnets and a whole bunch of poems nearly 1 million words that's longer than the Bible from over 12200 pages of the smallest writing you have ever seen I mean just the sound of this thing so anyway in this video I thought it would be fun to read all of it all of it every comedy play every history play every tragedy play every Sonet every poem all of it [Applause] I am going to finish this book if it's the last thing I do why here's the problem actually there's the problem I tend to buy books at a way faster rate than I can read them it's not even close and last night I just thought to myself this is ridiculous you spent $40 on the complete works of Shakespeare and you are never in a million years going to read it so here I am now according to the internet it should take the average reader 50 hours to read this book which is long so I'm going to shut up and start reading [Music] hold the phone hold the phone because I actually enjoyed myself the last time I read Shakespeare I was in high school and that was 6 years ago oh God I just read a play called the temp which I've never heard of before and I understood at least a third of it I'm pretty sure this was about a dude called Prospero and he used to be Juke but then he got banished and ended up on an island and kind of turned into a wizard or something anyway turns out the people who banished him Get Shipwrecked onto his Island and he goes oh this is just great I am going to make these guys' lives really miserable and that's kind of the whole play and I loved it I loved it I mean just in this one play listen to this hell is empty and all the devils are here your tail sir would cure deafness we are such stuff as dreams are made on and my personal favorite now I will believe that there are unicorns One play that was all in one play 20 pages out of 1,200 I'm going to keep reading [Music] so what have we learned after one day of Shakespeare we have learned that this guy was actually funny the play I just read the merry wives of Windsor was literally just an old Knight pursues two married women and fails miserably that is the whole play I also was just not mentally prepared for the insults I'd heard through the grap Vine that William wrote a good insult but I was not ready for you banbery cheese I am feeling cautiously optimistic progress was a little bit slow but I feel like surely it's going to speed up once I sort of learn the language mostly I'm just in shock that I had such a good time good morning my little bambury cheeses I am in such a good mood today because I realize that I can just read in my bed and there's literally nothing stopping me so this morning is 12th night which is completely wrong it's only being one [Music] night okay let me just start by saying if this were played upon the stage now I could condemn it as an improbable fiction very cheeky William I see what you did there I thought 12th night or what you will was so much fun sometimes I wonder if I'm not just laughing at the wrong bits there was this one bit in this play probably the most I've laughed so far and I don't even think it's supposed to be funny enter malvolio how now malvolio sweet lady ho ho Smiles fantastically is it just me or it's describing a smile is fantastic so [Music] funny do you guys remember yesterday when I said progress was a little a little bit slow but I feel like surely it's going to speed up yeah this is not going to take 50 hours I mean not even close bro look at the fraction of the book we have made it through it's been 14 hours I should like to end on a positive by saying that much to do about nothing is so good so good it was basically about this guy called Benedict and this girl called beatric and they hate each other and then they friends fully Gaslight them into loving each other kind of messed up actually but anyways that's not the important thing the important thing is that dog Berry is the best name I've ever heard for a character in my life and I think I'm going to call my next cat dog Berry because it is so funny it's a Shakespeare reference so everyone thinks you're smart and it's got so much nickname potential doggy be Berry Berry Meister doesn't have that much nickname [Music] potential I'm not sure why I put that tree there A Midsummer Night's Dream dream is the only play that I have ever seen in the flesh live and I was a kid it was like 10 years ago I think but I remember getting sprayed with fake blood and I remember loving it so I think this is going to be it's actually very short as well so this is kind of fail safe isn't it I really like grabbing a good chunk of the book you know what I mean it's just m yeah knowledge now I know what you're thinking Liam why are you smiling fantastically this is just a tin it just is bro I'm just going to go out there and say it this might be the funniest thing I've ever read the whole play is basically just this fairy called Puck who sprinkles this magic flower juice SL love potion on people and so everyone is just falling viciously in love with each other and it's so funny this is the kind of play that makes you realize humor in Shakespeare's time was basically the same as it is now there is literally a guy in this called bottom and he gets turned into a donkey an [Music] ass H so it was right about here that I began thinking something along the lines of how have I not even made a dent in this book I have been reading for 22 hours 3 days and it looks like I've just picked it up for the afternoon nine plays out of 37 nine of his shortest plays as well this was a terrible idea I am going to scrap this video and start something else and there's no footage of me saying this because I genuinely thought I would never touch this again and then oh hi um sorry so I'm back and here's the dealio the fact that I gave up on this video has been haunting me and the thing is I was actually enjoying the plays you know it's just a lot of them it's a simple lack of motivation so I've had an idea surround myself with the spirit of Shakespeare what exactly does that mean oh I don't know travel to Shakespeare's hometown of statford Upon a and staying in ABNB until I finish the book just an idea that I've committed to by booking not just any old Airbnb but the oldest house in strapford ofen for 10 days yes I'm Coming For You William I really am coming for you William I have to catch a flight like really soon this should only take about 10 [Music] seconds right where was I oh how cool is this place bro it turns out it is over 500 years old half a millennium that is older substantially older than Shakespeare himself he probably walked past this place all the time and another thing who knew they had such modern couches in the 16th century so this is our home for the next 7 days now I know said 10 but I kind of forgot to account for the fact that you check in late and you check out early and I missed a flight I missed a flight I missed my connecting flight and I had to sleep at the airport and now it's 7 days what are you going to do not miss your flight I really need to sleep [Music] I feel quite frankly fantastic this morning I had the longest sleep I've had two coffees and just quietly I'm going for a third Shakespeare is here both literally and in spirit I have never felt how shall I put it more ready to read plays in my life [Music] [Music] so ironically all's well that ends well in my opinion it just didn't end well it just didn't the I'm actually quite mad here's what happened so Helen is deeply in love with Bertram and Helen has just saved the king of France's life and the King goes oh thank you of course you should marry Bertram and then Bertram goes nah you're too poor Helen and goes off to Italy to fight in a war instead get stuffed Bertram no one likes you anyway skip to the end of the play and they get married what it didn't end well you know what would have ended well is if he'd come back and gone Helen as this play comes to an end I have decided to accept you as my wife bro go back to Italy the ship has sailed my man I just married Ryan Gosling this is kind of the equivalent of reading Harry Potter at Hogwarts do you know what I mean I'm just so inspired right now I'm having such a good time I'm having such a good time [Music] I cannot believe that we read 12 hours of Shakespeare today in one day and when I say we I I assume that you're reading along with me right before I go to bed I do need you all to know that the Winter's Tale which I loved had a Smiles fantastically level stage Direction exit pursued by a [Music] beer hello well good tomorrow so this morning is the comedy of errors which sounds a bit like this video so far it's also Shakespeare's shortest play and it's our last comedy wow I'm sure you're all as excited as I am and then it's just the history [Music] plays tragedies sonnets poems [Music] now I know you are all dying to know what I thought of the first history play King John kind of boring what waa well I didn't say that I just felt like nothing really interesting happened King John rules England France is is mad about it they fight they fight again King John's poisoned that's kind of the whole thing now let me just be clear there is a very good chance I am just not smart enough to understand this play that being said 3 out of [Music] 10 if you take nothing else from this video please take the word betwix because it is so fun to say and it's so versatile could you pass me a book from betwix those shelves I will meet you betwix 3 and 4:00 I love this word I should end the day by saying that King Richard II was way better than King John sorry John faith has been restored in the monarchy to some degree it was probably betwix 5 and seven which is to say six [Music] I am a Ted concerned I'm a tad concerned just a morsel concerned that we are not reading nearly fast enough and I say we because I assume you're reading with me how are you finding it by the way right made someone nice trick me too wow that's crazy it's like 5:00 a.m. I don't know why I got up so [Music] early okay William I see how it is absolutely killed it with King Henry IV Parts 1 and two funny really genuinely funny this is character called Full stuff he's just got some of the best insults that we've had yet listen to this particular number you Starling you elf skin you dried neats tongue you Bull's pizzle you stockfish oh for breath to utter what is like thee you Taylor's yard you sheath you bowcase you vile standing tuck I have no idea what any of that means although I have a pretty good idea what Bull's pizzle means William here's a little pointer for any future histories you right just make them funny so okay progress is slow it's really slow but let me just say this about the histories they kind of remind me of the Marvel Cinematic Universe hear me out each play kind of leads on to the next one and if you've read the previous ones it makes the next one's way better you know when Iron Man shows up in Spider-Man homecoming and you're like let's go baby when King John is mentioned in King Henry IV part 1 that is exactly how I felt oh my it's King John well he's dead but they mentioned him I think we are going to have to try and kick it up a notch for these last few days there is still a lot of reading to be red man and time is running out so tomorrow it's time to get serious [Applause] yeah I think we may have um exhausted the functional reading locations in this house I'm just going to stay here and save my well I have to save my ass sh refence [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Music] we are officially halfway [Applause] [Music] [Applause] okay so tragedy has struck and I say this in both the sense that we have finished the history place and we're moving on to the tragedies uh but also there is no conceivable way we finish this before I have to go home or well I guess you could pause the video and then then you would you're not actually reading with me are you I can't believe it honestly the last few plays have just completely I mean I don't even know what happened in King Richard III I'm pretty sure he betrayed all his friends no actually yeah I think that's the whole play it's taking me about an hour for every 10 pages and I have 500 pages left fam 50 hours in one day hm let's see seems possible what are the options at this [Music] point I've had an idea this is a fantastic idea what if today our final day we don't read anything now I know what you're thinking Liam is this not counterproductive to the thesis of this video let me just for a second chew thy question and spit it back upon thee this is our last day in what is effectively Shakespeare Disneyland what I'm thinking is would it not be more prudent instead of sitting on a bench in the theme park to ride the rides I don't know why I'm speaking in analogies but I'm really enjoying it what I'm trying to say is I I can't be bothered to read today and so I'm going on an advent and you're coming with me and so began the greatest day of my life now it may have been raining for the first time since I'd arrived but that didn't matter because I saw the house that William Shakespeare was born in the school that he was educated in 1 2 three four and a half statues of him his wife's dad's house sounds oddly specific but it was actually awesome and then as the day was coming to a close I saw it the Royal Shakespeare theater playing A Midsummer Night's Dream my favorite play yet that very night now let me just make it known that I am recording this voice over like 2 months after I saw this play and I still think about it every single day it was so awesome to have bro do you know how cool it is when someone else reads the words for you to Shakespeare oh it's way better it's way better anyway well well well this looks oddly familiar doesn't it sorry what oh this Old Rag it's not a big deal it's honestly not a big deal I won't even tell you about it it's just not worth the time I bought it at Shakespeare's birthplace I bought this shirt at Shakespeare's birthplace for £15 no less5 for a purple shirt that's a steal if you ask me anyway kind of a relevant [Music] eight plays down baby let's go W bam what did I think of those plays W bam just like that yeah I've actually been reading for like 4 days straight and I had to Hype myself up to do this bit because for you it hasn't been that long but for me it's been really long so I just had three coffees and I also just found out that if you just hype yourself up if you're ever feeling down just woohoo let's go baby it works like a charm so BAS basically all of the tragedies so far have been about some sort of time of antiquity you know ancient civilizations and stuff and I loved the ones about Rome I'm not sure why specifically Rome but I loved them Julius Caesar was just such a bang I'm sure that many of you know this story it was basically an emperor is betrayed by everyone and you're not sure if he was a good dude or not but but he's dead so you feel a little bit sorry for him tone of Athens was another highlight not quite on the level of the Romans because to be honest I just spent most of the play wondering when pumber of Athens was going to show [Music] up so we have got five plays left and these are arguably his five most famous plays I'm not sure why they're all at the end but I am a little bit scared these are the Shakespeare Shakespeare you know what I mean these are the ones that you would talk to your aristocratic Victorian buddies about in the 19th century and they're really [Music] long so I first heard about Romeo and Juliet of course through Taylor Swift's song which is a banger but then I studied it in high school so I know this play like the back of me handmate what I completely forgot is that this play is actually quite funny easily the funniest tragedy listen to this can you not stay a while do you not see that I am out of breath how art thou out of breath when thou Hast breath to say to me that thou art out of breath the excuse that thou Dost make in this delay is longer than the tale thou Dost excuse roasting now there is one part of this play which makes me mad I'm of the opinion that if you are over the age of like 15 and you're a terrible person deal with it man you're just a terrible person you can't pull the kid card anymore so Romeo is just a bad dude murders two people one of which is Paris who is the one who's supposed to marry Juliet and he's just a solid dude he does nothing wrong in fact he's trying to you know honor Juliet and then he gets murdered he's trying to take flowers to Juliet's grave and he gets killed by Romeo oh it's just a tragedy makes sense [Music] [Music] ladies and gentlemen friends F and foes this is it this is it I have been doing this video I should probably talk about Hamlet first actually before I do my speech so someone told me that Hamlet is literally just The Lion King and I mean sure there's an Uncle who murders the father to become king but that's basically it and I was a little disappointed because I was fully expecting some sort of tone and Pumba figure and I don't know man I guess there's still an Athens or something yeah it's a 10 though it really is just a 10 this is basically his most famous play I think it's the one with the skull and the you know to be or not to be it's just got the best of everything and actually I've had a really good business idea off the back of this play a sandwich shop with a ham sandwich and you call it the ham and then you have a slightly smaller perhaps bite-sized sandwich called the Hamlet and maybe you could have other Shakespeare themed sandwiches the dog Berry with you know jam and it's shaped like a dog wow and on that note I shall do my speech ladies and gentlemen friends fs and foes this is it I have been doing this video for 3 months what an idiot it's honestly been the editing the editing has been a real bad Bri Cheese look how sad I am and that's more of a me problem so I'll just continue a fellow is our final play and it just so happens to be the final play that I read in high school how about that we also have the poems and sonnets but those are so short that I'll just whack them out and that'll be that this is it this is it I will see you [Music] all on the other side [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Applause] oh [Music] [Applause] no seriously stop it guys thank you thank you so much it's a real pleasure thank you goodbye goodbye now

Channel: Liam Thompson

Views: 308,248

Keywords: liam thompson

Id: gIwYVrx0sFk

Length: 34min 51sec (2091 seconds)

Published: Fri May 17 2024