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.
bro still has great quotes being used today, eg "these violent delights have violent ends"
Try to watch a theatrical performance, I found it far more enjoyable. Elizabethan english is far easier to hear than to read, and you get to hear the "melody" of it.
(Also this was the way intended, for fear of theft even the actors werent given the full text)
But remember, if it's still not for you that's also ok
I know. Why are there so many philistines on this website? Oh wait, that's just the internet in general. Carry on.
Its cool when performed by good Shakespeare performers, as for making kids read it and analyze it thats a complete waste
Dude you just summoned the theater kids, what did you do, just change the word "read" to "watch the play" so they can get owned about the fact that their form of expression sucks too.
You have to remember Shakespeare's work was for the common person at the time. i.e. Shakespeare plays are his time's equivalent of a Marvel movie.
Shakespeare as a person is actually pretty boring. Like, we know he existed and made a living off of writing and theater and... not much else? I guess he’s interesting in the same way Jane Austen is interesting; we know a limited amount about his life, so people just make up shit wherever they see fit. The era in which he wrote was interesting, of course, but that’s a slightly different thing to study.
As others have said, people seem to really dislike Shakespeare because they haven’t seen any of his works performed. They’ve also, probably, had a lackluster education in reading and literature. Shakespeare isn’t old English. It’s so much closer to modern English than Chaucer, for example. People complain about how they don’t understand it, as if the groundlings watching Shakespeare’s plays understood every word that was said. The emotion comes through in the action and the stagecraft. You read Shakespeare after you see it if you want to appreciate the language, but you go to see Hamlet because there’s a ghost and people get murdered. You watch Titus Andronicus for the blood, Midsummer for magic, Othello for treachery and betrayal. They are just good stories, well told.
Just hear the cadence of things—it’s brain fold liquid once you get the flow. One of the most textured liquids around honestly. But I’m kinda drunk right now
might have to check out shakespeare now, when someone tries to sell me on something as textured brain fold liquid i listen up
I totally get you. Sometimes, when I read two or three plays in a short time frame, my thoughts start to sound like Shakespeare. It's awesome.
I don't care all that much about the content, but original pronunciation is cool as fuck
