Throughout most of my life in school, I have heard the constant disdain over the works of Shakespeare. I have seen it in TV shows, forums and in the classroom. The fact is, many have become fixed on this idea that the bard is a boring writer. I mean I'm not innocent. When I was younger, I could only infer that it wasn't a coincidence that so many people dreaded the thought of reading a play by him.
We may all recall a time we had been watching a show set in high school in our preteens. There was at least once in the entirety of the show, where a teacher may have been teaching a unit on Shakespeare and everyone in the classroom was disengaged. Although it's just a hypothesis, I think this sort of influence from the media has caused us to have a certain image of Shakespeare before ever reading an actual play or poem.
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So, when I finally picked up William Shakespeare's renowned play, "Hamlet," I really didn't know what to expect. I wasn't a big fan of reading, so one could only assume that I'd set the book on fire by the second scene. But, that didn't happen. To my surprise I felt like I was reading what was the basis of all dramas today. I mean man, Shakespeare's plays sure are wild. Language difficulty aside, there was so much character depth, intensity and emotion that my first thought at the end of it all was, "Now that's how it's done." Whatever that means. Anyway, the point is that I was overwhelmed.
Due to my great experience, I was shocked that when my classmates gave Shakespeare a try, they thoroughly disliked it. I had believed that up until then that it was just because of word of mouth that people deemed Shakespeare's plays boring. Much to my surprise, people were just not into it.
I didn't consider however, that my first encounter with Shakespeare was the result of me going out of my way to read a play. No one forced me to. It was done very much on my own accord. I wouldn't be surprised if one were to suggest that students today are not into Shakespeare because they dislike the way in which it is taught. Popcorn readings, selective focus on just subtext, no real questioning on human motives, underlying themes, and personal opinions on the text; it's no wonder kids are tired of it.
It's possible that when students just don't get what Shakespeare is trying to say, they give up. I give up on math quite often so it's understandable. However, reading, despite the existence of various forms of media, is still as popular as ever. People like to read, but they need to connect to the story and characters to be interested. Shakespeare's plays are no doubt a pain to read if it's your first time. Most people will just say, "Why even bother?" That's fair. However, coming from someone who is often picky with books, I can't help but tell you it's worth a shot.
Shakespeare, at one point in your life, needs to be read out of the classroom. As teenagers we may never have had the motivation to understand the complex themes of say, "Macbeth." As we grow older we start to relate and see just how similar the characters are to people we've known. This is why there are so many adaptations of these plays on film. Above all else, if you're looking for literature that'll make you emotionally attached, Shakespeare is your guy. I literally cried whilst reading "Julius Caesar."
Even if the idea of reading a play by Shakespeare isn't really appealing to you at the moment, one summer in the future, I'm sure you'll grow tired of reading young adult fiction, at least for a time. Take that opportunity to really get to know what Shakespeare has to offer. The sooner the better. It'll make future Shakespeare units, if you're still in school, much more interesting (or at least bearable).
Even if you're not an avid reader of books in general, at some point in time, it is worth having a true opinion on William Shakespeare's plays. School induced opinions don't count. If one day you're at the end of "King Lear" and feel like you've been slighted by reading the play, write an article titled, "Why Shakespeare Is Overrated". J.R.R. Tolkien would have been one of the first to like and share it.
