Shakespeare.

[Arch]

OH MY LANTA.
Well last year we had to read Romeo and Juliet, which is yes a classic i suppose. Now this year we've been doing Macbeth, which is far worse in my opinion.

ANYWAYS
my question is what do you think of Shakespeare's plays and do you think kids/teens should be reading something written many years ago. (for school)

My opinion is that i 100% hate it cuz i find it very hard to understand, although yeah i suppose
there classics although id much rather read / study something else.

[Misawa]

It would be scandalous to remove Shakespeare from education. I can't say I ever cared much for his stories, but his work is vital to kids' understanding of the English language.

[MrGazet]

I've never seen any of his plays but I've read some of his pieces.They are okay.not my type..I'm not into classic books.I guess kids should learn them after all

[Hecktix]

Like Misawa said Shakespeare within English Literature at school is vital for the understanding of the English Language, afterall he created a lot of the language we use today.

It does annoy me when people say "I don't like Shakespeare it's not in real English, it's too hard to read", you should try reading some medieval literature. Shakespeare placed the foundations for what the English Language is today.

His plays are works of art in my opinion, I love reading them, watching them and performing in them. By far is Shakespeare my favourite writer.

People who say they don't like him because he's boring; most of his plots involve sex, violence & treason. Isn't that usually the case in most modern day films?

[Immenseman]

Oli, I think Shakespeare is almost like a fine art, it could easily be argued anyway. People don't appreciate his work merely because they can't grasp what a wonderful writer he was. I'm not a huge fan but I respect what he did because he single handedly gave literature a breath of fresh air.

[Hecktix]

Oli, I think Shakespeare is almost like a fine art, it could easily be argued anyway. People don't appreciate his work merely because they can't grasp what a wonderful writer he was. I'm not a huge fan but I respect what he did because he single handedly gave literature a breath of fresh air.

Yeah I always refer to Shakespeare's work as art. I also think he pretty much kick-started traditional English Theatre too, as an event for everyone anyway

[LuketheDuke]

(I remember Hamlet coursework from year 11 and it was torture!)


His Sonnets and techniques like iambic pentamiter are maybe important for students to learn but his plays are only as important as contemporary plays and novels.

For instance the recently deceased John Updike is unknown to many but he was a 20th century pioneer of language and wrote some great stuff.

[Crimson]

I personally think the education system looks too deep into things. I'm sure Shakespeare didn't spend 5 months analysing his work and trying to give them several ambiguous meanings...

[Arch]

Yeah id agree, we've been doing Macbeth for about 4 months and it just drags on
Last year we did Romeo and Juliet the whole semester gets annoying.
although it may be good writing and stuff just killer how they lay it on you, and for so long too

[Immenseman]

I do agree to an extent that learning about it under such scrutiny takes the magic away from Shakespeare.