Does Shakespeare annoy the wits out of you?

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Shakespeare was part of the curriculum for my English exams at school. I really struggled with it. In the books we had, the play was on the right hand page and the meanings of the old words were on the left hand page. I had to keep looking at the meaning and completely lost my train of thought. It was much easier to decipher a foreign language. Then the teacher showed a film of the play and it all made sense, as it should. My husband got all As for his subjects at school, but a C for English and he blames Shakespeare Shakespeare is the reason he never studied English at a higher level..

I don't think I have the capacity to read and understand Shakespeare. It's in plain English, but I don't understand it!

sometimes, though, his antiquated English surfaces very vivid poetic imagery:

But this is how I like my Shakespeare: in small, bite-sized doses, without too much brain-wracking on thees and thous; and I believe the reason why I like them is because saying the words is a fresh way of expressing the same stories. Mind you, I like Eminem and Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park) as way, so I should not be mistaken for anything other than an unenlightened lout.

Three different schools in three years, Julius Caesar each time! Damn!

Never insult Shakespeare in front of a theater major or else you'll be enemies for life.

What a painful loss that would be.

Shakespeare's wording style is hard for me to grasp when I read it but I really liked the plots & storyline that I've read in high-school English. I'd rather learn Shakespeare by listening to music

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLTdmBq4_Vg[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6-bxgyQe04&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

I cannot understand any of it for the life of me.

I have seen a couple of Shakespeare's plays as films and I quite enjoyed them.

However, I have had to read some Shakespeare's plays in class and I really hated that.

I think that English Literature courses are the enemy of enjoying English Literature.

I suppose it depends on your perspective (and educator). They can greatly enhance one’s enjoyment.

Shakespeare was easily my favorite class in college. It was a magical experience with one of my favorite professors.

We worked our way through 12 plays. We watched a few productions, including a live play. Some of my other favorite classes were Classical Literature and Victorian Literature. I had always loved reading, but I especially loved being able to discuss what I was reading with other literature/philosophy nerds. Some of my professors were excellent, too. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… Dickens but still true.

I was math.

Part of why I didn't enjoy Shakespeare may have been that I took it after having heart surgery and wasn't feeling well that semester.

That must’ve been very difficult.

Nah. I just kind of wimped out.

The bad thing is that the classroom was only about 200 feet (walking path) from my dorm room. Out the door, down some steps, across a parking lot, up the sidewalk, in the door, turn right, and voila. I had no excuse with that class.

I wonder how many people truly enjoy many of the classics. I usually find them really dull. Shakespeare, Steinbeck, Hamsun, 3 authors we were forced to read in school, all so boring you could fall asleep trying to read them. I like Jory's list over famous people who couldn't stand Shakespeare! Wonder how many people really like this stuff and how many just don't dare voice what they think is an unpopular opinion. The language is impossible and the stories don't engage at all.

I would never have become a reader if I thought that was all books could be like. no wonder so many people don't read a lot.

This. Same goes for my native language.

^That's a good point. The wording of old formal English like Shakespeare is very overly complicated & has lots of extra unnecessary words. Plus nobody outside of Shakespeare fans & English & acting classes ever talks like that today in the US. Even the standard wording formality for job resumes in the US are not worded like Shakespeare. Non-college US English classes teaching Shakespeare are doing a disservice to their students by taking time away from teaching them common current proper English.