The Bard

One of my other passions besides reading (and coffee) is the theatre.  I usually consider my love of the stage an extension of my love of reading.  It gives me the ability not only to read some amazing works, but to take part in the story as well.  Plus I'm kind of an attention freak so that helps as well :-)  William Shakespeare to me is one of those perfect combinations of fine literature and stagecraft. 

I know, I know EVERYBODY supposedly loves the Great Bard, but to me for good reason.  His works cover several genre's, history, tragedy, comedy, a little something for everyone.  My favorites are his comedies, especially Midsummer's Night Dream, which covers the range of myth and fairytale elements, The Merchant of Venice which incorporates some tragic pieces, and Much Ado About Nothing which may be one of the original mistaken identity capers out there.  Taming of the Shrew is a give or take for me depending on what mood I'm in.

Macbeth is by far my favorite over all Shakespeare work, it's so dark and has all the element of a good ghost story, nobles going crazy, ghosts of the slain walking around, witches that have led to a plethora (what a fun word) of modern witchy movies and books, and even a little comedy brought to us by the guard at the gate. 
Of course you can't mention Shakespeare without mentioning Romeo and Juliet, which I like ok, but have seen it so many times I'm a little bored of it. It does however provide a great canvas for some fabulous retellings.

Another thing I like about Shakespeare is the language lends itself to some amazing illustrations, there are so many beautiful children's books based on Midsummer's Night Dream, and there is a creative version in one of Neil Gaiman's Sandman stories Dream Country that I have read on numerous occasions.
It's been really nice lately because all of his works are available electronically for free, so now instead of hauling my giant book O the bard around, i can whip out my phone or ereader and quote aloud whenever I feel the situation warrants it, much to the annoyance of others I'm sure :-)
Do you also love Shakespeare, or do you think he is overrated?  What is your favorite type of Shakespeare, which part would you love to play?