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That tetralogy was a beast of a read, and there's a lot more I could have said about it. But for now, a little breather from the tangle of York and Lancaster bloodiness. When we resume: KING JOHN (another new one for me), followed by THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. Hope you're enjoying the thread! 153/

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I ended up ranking the first part of HENRY VI dead last, even below COMEDY OF ERRORS and TITUS because, as much as I detest the former's empty frivolousness and the latter's mindless gore, I'll take that frivolity or that gore over the mind-sucking boredom of 1 HENRY VI any day of the week! 152/

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The updated rankings, then: 1. Midsummer Night's Dream 2. Richard III 3. Julius Caesar 4. Love's Labor's Lost 5. Romeo & Juliet 6. Taming of the Shrew 7. 3 Henry VI 8. Troilus & Cressida 9. Two Gentlemen of Verona 10. 2 Henry VI 11. Comedy of Errors 12. Titus Andronicus 13. 1 Henry VI 151/

To know Gloucester inside the world of the plays, the court, or the Wars of the Roses, would be to know the devil himself. But to read him, to watch him, is one of the great pleasures and glories of experiencing Shakespeare's artistry, which (for me) so often grows best in the darkness. 150/

Four plays devoted to highlighting the unshakeable pure evil of Gloucester, and in the end it's Gloucester/Richard who carries the day. His eternal malice is in fact the beating heart of the entire series, he is what gives it all direction, purpose, and power. 149/

All the bad blood, the malice, venom, envy and spite of this war between these two factions--all the regicide, widow-thieving, lies, child-murdering, backstabbing, double-dealing, all the manipulations--all of it comes to a head here. Everyone spits fire at each other; all of them spell doom. 148/

At the same time, there's so much loss, suffering, torment, thirst for vengeance, and ruthless violence and retribution unfurling in the concluding parts of this tetralogy that tons of its characters (Richard, Margaret, Elizabeth, and many more) each have occasion for powerful scene-stealing. 147/

RICHARD III, then, is one of his best plays for several distinct reasons. First, it crackles with the shocking release of all the pent-up energies of the slower and duller plays that preceded it, and which it builds upon and satisfactorily concludes. 146/

In a strange way, what makes 1/2/3 HENRY VI + RICHARD III so moving is that it aims to show us how a despotic villain gains his power only to lose it, and presents this trajectory as some kind of divine retribution or fate. And yet what it actually shows us is how much and how often evil wins. 145/

Shakespeare in these plays cannot allow or admit that possibility, though; instead, the dreamer who deposed the dreamer who deposed the dreamer must be seen as dreaming a new hopeful dream of benevolent rule and an enduring future peace: utopian nonsense that only guarantees further bloodshed. 144/

By the time we get to RICHARD III, and see how all of Gloucester's ignoble plans came to fruition, only for the new king to fall just as Edward had, or Henry had, the unspoken and unthinkable conclusion is that the entire system of patrilineal monarchy is illegitimate and should be abolished. 143/

In fact, while Shakespeare works so hard in these plays to show just how complicated and contested the matters of succession and monarchical legitimacy are, one side effect of the endless tug of war here is that *all* claims to the throne begin to feel equally illegitimate. 142/

Henry's so completely unequipped for monarchical rule throughout that it almost comes as a relief to see him finally deposed and killed, even if it's all part of the bloody monster's ruthless quest for power. Richard's a monster, but Henry is an oblivious fool. Pick your poison, the plays say. 141/

This series thus highlights something fascinating about Shakespeare, particularly with respect to his supreme villains. Their dark malignancy (and Gloucester is the preeminent example of this) unlocks in Shakespeare new depths of poetic power unseen anywhere else. It's like Milton, with Satan. 140/

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The "plays" clearly don't sympathize with Gloucester, the misshapen, ill-starred, bloody dog. But of all the plays I've read thus far, his baroque villainy is supremely enticing. The historical Richard may be a monster for Shakespeare, but his depiction of him is rich, complex, and alluring. 139/

We're clearly meant to see King Henry as a beautiful soul, too good for this world, the crown, or the increasingly ugly war between the Yorks and the Lancasters. Meanwhile, Gloucester has become pure bloody villainy. The "problem"? Henry's a bore to watch, while Gloucester is captivating! 138/

It's really only once we get to the third play that things really begin to simmer and boil over. By this point, it's clear where Shakespeare's historical or political sympathies are, even as the growing villainy of Richard (Gloucester) is the main wellspring of the story's energies. 137/

But outside of Cade and the assorted menacing powers gathering around the hapless King, there is still not a great deal happening. King Henry's unfitness for domination is becoming clearer, the malice and schemes of his opponents coming into sharper focus. But still half drab, middling. 136/

When it comes time for the updated rankings, it'll be dwelling down at the bottom. But enough on that for now. In 2 HENRY VI we find (mercifully) a better play, but still not a very strong one. At the very least, court intrigues begin to erupt, and multiply, and Cade's rebellion arrives. 135/

There isn't a whole lot to say about Part One. It's almost entirely slow, long-winded, flat, and tedious. Even contested monarchy and factional wars can't lift it out of its dullness. Joan of Arc is a main character, and even she can't save it! 134/

I've now made my way through all three parts of HENRY VI, as well as RICHARD III. Not every play in the tetralogy warrants as much attention or affection as some others! In short: each play is better than the play before it, which means 1 HENRY VI turned out to be pretty lousy. 133/

Brian Thill @brianthill.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Now is the summer of our discontent made glorious autumn by this noble thread: the first tetralogy posts on HENRY VI (parts 1, 2, & 3) and RICHARD III will drop tomorrow. Until then, look to your shadows! 132/

Brian Thill @brianthill.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

After I’m done with my Shakespeare reading project, the next one will be to read/reread every Toni Morrison book. I recently finished reading all of Ishiguro, the ancient Greek tragedies, and some others, and am enjoying this “completist” phase of my reading life. Who else’s oeuvre should I tackle?

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Brian Thill @brianthill.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

you guys are simply never gonna stop sending traffic to NYT op-eds, are you

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I think my recent disdain for them can partly be chalked up to the fact that I’m sitting down and reading ALL the plays, pretty much back to back; spread out over years, the puns might not feel as tiresome as they do at the moment

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An informal Shakespeare poll, based on a side conversation @keguro.blacksky.app and I were having over on the mega-thread: Do you like Shakespeare's use of puns? Why or why not? Repost/quote-post if you do; or, if you are wise like me and others and have grown to hate them, smash "like" instead.

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The public clamor for more threaded Shakespeare content keeps growing. People ask me: "Will you be ranking all three parts of HENRY VI as one unit, or treating each of them individually?" Reader, fear not: I will soon explain how each of them is distinct, from the very bad to the not so bad. 131/

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Brian Thill @brianthill.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

hey remember way back when we’d talk about “the future”? it’s here!

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you have the opportunity to do the funniest thing right now

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Brian Thill @brianthill.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

My definitive ranking of every Ishiguro book: 1. The Unconsoled 2. An Artist of the Floating World 3. A Pale View of Hills 4. Never Let Me Go 5. Klara and the Sun 6. The Buried Giant 7. When We Were Orphans 8. Nocturnes 9. Remains of the Day Remains of the Day is a very good book, and it’s last!

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Brian Thill @brianthill.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

being an educator with a moral conscience right now is extremely wild

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Brian Thill @brianthill.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

for what it’s worth I just finished listening to the @mealofthorns.bsky.social episode you did with @casella.bsky.social on Kostova’s book last year and I thought it was fantastic (the episode, not the book)

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Brian Thill @brianthill.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

(without me making any special effort to minimize or maximize the number of posts in this thread, and just letting it grow organically, I'm already starting to wonder just how long it's gonna get, considering we're only about 23% of the way through all the plays at the moment; oh well!) 130/

Brian Thill @brianthill.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Yeah, so evidently it'll be all three parts of HENRY VI next, followed by RICHARD III, so that I don't break up the tetralogy. That's about 160 pages, so the next chunk of this thread, when it arrives, is going to stretch this beast something fierce. Onward! And in the meantime, be well. 129/

And on the unerased whiteboard this word appears:

Somebody left one giant word scrawled on a classroom whiteboard: “arrakis”

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Up next (I believe; have to double-check my notes) I’ll be pivoting back into the histories, to dive into another bundle of them that will be entirely new for me: the three HENRY VI plays. I hope you continue to read, share, and discuss, if we be friends! 128/

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So, nine plays in, here’s where I’d set each of them: Great/good 1. A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM 2. JULIUS CAESAR 3. LOVE’S LABOR’S LOST 4. ROMEO AND JULIET 5. TAMING OF THE SHREW Not great/pretty bad 6. TROILUS AND CRESSIDA 7. TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA 8. COMEDY OF ERRORS 9. TITUS ANDRONICUS 127/

This is the first play of the bunch where one can really begin to see the enchantment of which Shakespeare is capable in his best works. JULIUS CAESAR had power and terror; ROMEO AND JULIET a surprising degree of real pathos. But this one is leagues above them in its overall artistic power. 126/

On that note, I have to add: of the eight plays thus far, DREAM is the supreme example of Shakespeare’s astonishing craft: its interweaving plot threads; its deeply improved pacing and characterization; and above all, its poetic beauty and compression, and its linguistic joy. 125/

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There are speeches here (from Bottom, Titania, Theseus, and others) that are as subtle, delicate, moving, or profound as nearly any esteemed monologue to be found in the great tragedies. I’m no actor, but these seem like some of the best imaginable speeches to cherish, memorize, or perform. 124/