Shakespeare

[zaidi]

Do old writers have to be so boring. Reading the original text of Shakespeare's plays is immensely difficult.Has any one read Shakespeare's original text in school. How many of you like to read his books?Have came across them at school?
At that time Shakespeare may have been good but honestly his plays make me sleep. The most common thing about his plays is blood shed that is what is usually the main theme of his plays!Any sites you think that can help out with Shakespeare's plays do tell them!

[Aurélien]

One needs, methinks, to see a live performance of the play one is studying.....

Old stirrer. 'Aurélien Arkadiusz'

[Fiona1986]

I'm not a fan of Shakespeare. The stories themselves are good but the writing is so over-done and so much of it is obsolete now that it's just plain hard work trying to figure out what every sentence means.

[Pippa-Stef]

Aurelien's right. I wasn't a huge Shakespeare fan until I'd see Much Ado About Nothing played on stage over the summer. He's a bit dry when you're reading the plays in class, but when acted out, and acted out well, the brilliance of his writing really comes to life.

So I do believe.

This is something my mother has been telling me since day one. Why does she have to be right?!

[Julie2owlsdene]

Fraid I'm not into Shakespeare at all! But I have seen the play Romeo and Juliet when at school! Tom Conti was Romeo.

[Yak]

I wrote my undergraduate dissertation on Shakespeare. Ghosts, fairies and the mythological therein.

[Katharine]

I hated Shakespeare at school for several reasons. Firstly I found it so difficult to follow, we had to have almost every other word explained to us. Secondly we only seemed to study the ones that appealed to me least, such as Henry IV, and MacBeth. Thirdly I hate being told I should be enjoying reading something, I like to make my own mind up.

As an adult I saw a very old TV version of Midsummer Night's Dream, and really enjoyed it. The words seemed to flow, and although perhaps sometimes they were a little difficult to follow the general feel of their meaning came across. I would definitely agree that Shakespeare is better when seen as a performance rather than just old fashioned words on a page.

I doubt I'll ever be a fan, but I do feel that now I'd like to see a few more of his plays.

[MJE]

     I did a few Shakespeare plays at school, and I didn't merely find them boring, but quite literally, in the full sense of that word, incomprehensible.
     I can't say I've gone out of my way to seek him out since, but I have chanced occasionally to look through books of his plays if I've seen them, and I can't say that age or maturity have made it any more comprehensible since then. I'm not prepared to say he's not great, and that all those who think he is are wrong; but there must be some understanding those people have which I totally lack.

One needs, methinks, to see a live performance of the play one is studying.....

Aurelien's right. I wasn't a huge Shakespeare fan until I'd see Much Ado About Nothing played on stage over the summer. He's a bit dry when you're reading the plays in class, but when acted out, and acted out well, the brilliance of his writing really comes to life.

     If you don't understand the words themselves, how would seeing it acted make it any more comprehensible?

     I'm not ever likely to make a great effort to understand Shakespeare. Why should I put myself through this, when there's only too much stuff I do enjoy in life that I'm probably going to run out of time to explore fully?

Regards, Michael.

[Moonraker]

For once, Zaidi, I'm in total agreement with you!

[Pippa-Stef]

The manner in which the lines are delivered actually adds more meaning/understanding to the words. I will admitt that there were times when I couldn't work things out, but trust me- Shakespeare on Stage trumps reading his plays.

[MJE]

The manner in which the lines are delivered actually adds more meaning/understanding to the words.

     Well, as I said before, perhaps you have some understanding of Shakespeare I totally lack. But let me try a little experiment:
     I'm sitting in my mother's study at the moment, typing on her Macintosh; and on the shelves nearby are some books, some of them old books my father had; and I've just found a thick book of Shakespeare's plays. I don't know what speeches are considered more important - but let's see what happens if I open up Macbeth, for example (one of the ones I did at school and was apparently expected to understand while I was still deep into Enid Blyton), and quote a few lines, more or less at random.
     Here we go - let's start at the beginning:

----------------------------------------
                    ACT 1

     SCENE 1. - An open Place. Thunder and Lightning.

                    Enter three Witches.

     1 Witch. When shall we three meet again
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?
     2 Witch. When the hurlyburly's done,
When the battle's lost and won.
     3 Witch. That will be ere the set of sun.
     1 Witch. Where the place?
     2 Witch.                          Upon the heath.
     3 Witch. There to meet with Macbeth.
     1 Witch. I come, Graymalkin!
     All. Paddock calls: - anon. -
Fair is foul, and foul is fair:
Hover through the fog and filthy air.
                                       [Witches vanish.
----------------------------------------

     Let's try another bit later on, in case the opening is atypical in some way. I'll just have to choose a bit that looks significant at a glance, and doesn't contain too many obviously old-fashioned words.
I'll pick up again in Act 1, part-way through Scene 3:

----------------------------------------
                    Enter ROSS and ANGUS.

     Ross. The king hath happily receiv'd, Macbeth,
The news of thy success: and when he reads
Thy personal venture in the rebels' fight,
His wonders and his praises do contend
Which should be thine or his: silenc'd with that,
In viewing o'er the rest o' the self-same day,
He finds thee in the stout Norweyan ranks,
Nothing afeard of what thyself didst make,
Strange images of death. As thick as hail
Came post with post; and every one did bear
Thy praises in his kindgom's great defence,
And pour'd them down before him.
     Ang.                                           We are sent
To give thee, from our royal master, thanks;
Only to herald thee into his sight,
Not pay thee.
----------------------------------------

     That is probably enough to make the point.
     Study these words as I might, I cannot glean any meaning at all from them. That being the case, I don't see how any possible method of delivery in live performance could bring them to life, at least for me.
     I'm curious - how does this work? Can the right performance really bring meaning to words that are otherwise not merely a bit dull but quite literally incomprehensible?

Regards, Michael.

[Moonraker]

     I'm sitting in my mother's study at the moment, typing on her Macintosh

Let's hope it doesn't rain soon.

[MJE]

Let's hope it doesn't rain soon.

     Ehh? (I think I've missed something here.)

Regards, Michael.

[zaidi]

Oh moonraker! Alas! you tease more than agreeing ,but this time you did!
The play i hate of Shakespeare is Romeo Juliet !Does any one agrees!
Currently i am studying Julius Caesar
I like to read it but sometimes it bores me out! I like modern text but not real one.
I liked macbeth the most which i read was in shorter lessons and modern text in The book Shakespeare alive by brendan buxton . Has any one read that?
I asked if any one new some good websites for Shakespeare?

[Fiona1986]

Let's hope it doesn't rain soon.

     Ehh? (I think I've missed something here.)

Regards, Michael.

You said you were typing on her Mackintosh (In the UK anyway we would just say 'Mac' anyway) which to us sounds like you could be typing while sitting on your Mother's rain coat and hopefully it won't rain as your Mother will get wet without her rain coat. (Not nearly so funny when explained is it?).

Took me a moment to get his joke myself!

Edited to add: Yes, seeing the play in person probably adds to your understanding of parts of it, you can at least make an educated guess if the speech being made is in anger/joy/sorrow!