William Shakespeare is such an integral part of the firmament of our literary culture that almost everyone—even fictional Klingons—has an opinion on his work. The use of language, rhythm of dialogue, dramatic structure, how many times one can get away with using a “get thee hence!”…these aspects of Shakespearean storytelling have become so deeply ingrained in our reading and writing habits that they have become second nature, inherently understood, even if only on a subconscious level. Shakespeare was so masterful and unique in this regard that he is practically his own genre—and in the manner of something so vast and fuzzy-edged as genre, his works can be (and have been, and will always be) interpreted in a wide, seemingly infinite, variety of ways.
“Shakespeare on Tor.com” aims to be just that: a wide variety of different interpretations of Shakespeare’s work, and particularly with his plays.
We thought it would be a fun change of pace to share our deep and abiding fascination with these stories, not as an exhaustive reread, but as a series of personal essays about whatever aspects of the plays have most resonated with us as readers, theatergoers, and lovers of language. Many of these posts will not be explicitly about science fiction and fantasy, per se, but given the pervasive influence of Shakespeare through all genres of literature (not to mention comics, movies, television, etc.), there should be plenty to interest SFF fans of every stripe!
Shakespeare on Tor.com kicks off this week (just ahead of the Ides of March), with a look at Julius Caesar. Over the coming weeks, you can look forward to essays by the Tor.com staff along with some of our favorite authors and bloggers, including Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone, Ada Palmer, and Brian Staveley, as we discuss some of Shakespeare’s most intriguing and entertaining plays, themes, and characters. Follow along through the tag or index for upcoming coverage, and enjoy!
