In what has now become a tradition of sorts—for me anyway—I have revised my daily plan for reading all of Shakespeare’s works in a year. The 2020 plan makes one significant change from previous years: I have arranged the historical plays in the first five months of the year so that they can be read in the historical chronology of the kings of England from Edward III to Richard III, rather than in the order in which Shakespeare wrote the plays. For the first time since I created this plan for 2013, I am aware of another reading plan for Shakespeare in a year, this one posted online by Ian Doescher for the Folger Shakespeare Library. For the rather less disciplined among us (including me), my plan has the advantage of precise daily reading assignments to accomplish one’s progress. But whichever you choose, happy reading!
Matthew J. Franck is associate director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University.
