I agree that it's not helpful to have high school students and kids read these plays, and that the plays were never intended to be read (and really do shine when performed). That said, Shakespeare's stuff really does work as literature, and has been read as literature for centuries. The way most people interacted with Shakespeare was by reading his plays, not watching them. And reading his plays, at least in my opinion, is great.
It takes a long time to "get" into how to read Shakespeare. The language is strange, idioms are weird, but one day it just clicks and then it's so fun. His wordplay is unmatched, his characters are often so crazy, and he's often really funny. Hamlet and King Lear are fantastic, as is Macbeth, but those you've probably tried to read. Timon of Athens is funny as hell, especially the first half, and I recommend trying it out. A Winter's Tale is both funny and has absolutely nuts stuff going on, including a man chased off stage and eaten by a bear, but is also heartwarming. Henry IV, Part I (my favorite) is legitimately gripping and also funny, and Henry V is (imo) a very powerful critique of the hypocrisy of kings and violence.
If you don't "get" his stuff I don't blame you. It took a while for me to appreciate his plays. But now I love reading his works, and find it a very enjoyable (and quick!) read to just pound out a play. The only advice I can give you is to just try reading some of his weirder less known works. That way you won't have the baggage of "the Great Works" and can just see if you enjoy it or not. Or try his Sonnets, which are just delightful. Some of my favorites are Sonnets 15, 25, and 33.
I swear I've read this exact comment somewhere before and I'm not sure if its just my dying brain having deja vu or its some sort of obscure copypasta.
I agree that it's not helpful to have high school students and kids read these plays, and that the plays were never intended to be read (and really do shine when performed). That said, Shakespeare's stuff really does work as literature, and has been read as literature for centuries. The way most people interacted with Shakespeare was by reading his plays, not watching them. And reading his plays, at least in my opinion, is great.
It takes a long time to "get" into how to read Shakespeare. The language is strange, idioms are weird, but one day it just clicks and then it's so fun. His wordplay is unmatched, his characters are often so crazy, and he's often really funny. Hamlet and King Lear are fantastic, as is Macbeth, but those you've probably tried to read. Timon of Athens is funny as hell, especially the first half, and I recommend trying it out. A Winter's Tale is both funny and has absolutely nuts stuff going on, including a man chased off stage and eaten by a bear, but is also heartwarming. Henry IV, Part I (my favorite) is legitimately gripping and also funny, and Henry V is (imo) a very powerful critique of the hypocrisy of kings and violence.
If you don't "get" his stuff I don't blame you. It took a while for me to appreciate his plays. But now I love reading his works, and find it a very enjoyable (and quick!) read to just pound out a play. The only advice I can give you is to just try reading some of his weirder less known works. That way you won't have the baggage of "the Great Works" and can just see if you enjoy it or not. Or try his Sonnets, which are just delightful. Some of my favorites are Sonnets 15, 25, and 33.
I swear I've read this exact comment somewhere before and I'm not sure if its just my dying brain having deja vu or its some sort of obscure copypasta.
If this is some obscure copypasta I'm like a copypasta savant, since (as far as I know) that's OC.