william shakespeare poems romeo and juliet

When I compiled my own list, I was not surprised to find that five of my “Top Ten” did not appear on any of the lists I had surveyed.Īs the old saying goes: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Or, as Shakespeare himself put it in “Love’s Labor’s Lost:”īeauty is bought by judgement of the eye, There was virtually no agreement on the other six. How can we possibly choose five, or even ten sonnets from out of the standard list of 154 (plus two from “Love’s Labor’s Lost” and the variant of 133 in “The Passionate Pilgrim”) and declare them to be the best of the lot?Īs I researched the sonnets I came across numerous lists of people’s “Top Ten.” In almost every case, there was near unanimous agreement on #18, 116, and 130, with slightly over half of the lists also including #29. When it comes to Shakespeare’s sonnets we run into the same problem. The top three Shakespeare’s plays? Hamlet, of course, but after that, what? As one stage director put it, “Jeepers, what a question! For me, the real answer is whatever play I’m working on at the moment.” There are simply too many great masterpieces to choose from. Michelangelo as sculptor for example? Easy: Pieta, Moses, and David. If you substitute the word “art” for the words “music,” literature,” or “poetry” I will also agree with it.Ĭritical and popular consensus can sometimes agree on the top three works of a particular creator. The above quote is the opinion of the lead character in my-four novel series, “Mike Maurison-Private Eye.” Mike’s view of art, at least in this instance, reflects my own. (excerpt from “I Want My MoMA,” by James A. And the public, whether or not they can tell good art from bad, usually embraces the critic’s verdict as their own. Over hundreds of years, the cumulative judgment of critics usually gets it right. They are famous because they are the best of the best. I have decided that famous paintings are famous for a reason. Call me a snob but I am generally attracted to what is commonly referred to as “great art” or the “masterpieces.” Over the years I have looked at famous paintings and I have looked at less famous paintings.

William shakespeare poems romeo and juliet