Shakespeare

Ever read Shakespeare? I'm partway through Romeo and Juliet...kinda confusing language, but it's quite beautiful when you look at it. Although it leads to provoking thoughts. *lol* since the actors were all guys in Shakespeare's time, what did they do for when Romeo kisses Juliet upon several occasions? hmmm...

We've read it for school on more than one occasion. One time our LA teacher gave a special treat: get out of school and go to Stratford, Canada and see "The Taming of The Shrew." One catch: We had to read the play first. It was boring and the language was confusing. But once you see it in play format, it's so hilarious! Though it was a little odd they were using old language and Italian place names but the setting was western. Whatever.

Later that year we read Romeo and Juliet. We acted it out as we did it. For Act Three, we split into groups and twisted them. Me and my friend had Act Three, Scene One (that's the scene where Tybalt kills Mercutio and Romeo kills Tybalt), and we were with a bunch of guys! We did it "D-town" style. The Montagues were East Side druggies and the Capulets were West Side drug dealers. We had graffiti paper as a backdrop.

It got weirder in Scene Two (which is kind of romantic). That group was all guys. They ended up thumb wrestling. :-s

Anyway, my basic take is, reading is boring, but watching's pretty cool.

We read R&J last year in english. apparently i was the only one that found it funny. Now we're reading macbeth. lady macbeth is... different to say the least. macbeth is a bot of a whimp, and the witches have the best parts! lol great fun it is to read shakesphere!

omg niteowl, act three scene one, i was supposed to play tybalt! the guy who ended up playing him literally could not read. he's soo... what's the word, over the top reckless aristrocate! lol and irrevent! *ahem*

I don't really see why people like Shakespeare so much; his writing doesn't impress me too much. Pretty imaginative ideas, though. Anyway, the best thing about studying him in 10th grade was that we got to see Shakespeare in a Nutshell or something like that, where they did the plays really fast and it was hilarious. Especially at the end when they did a bunch of them together and got them all mixed up and such. Fun stuff.

I've read Macbeth and R&J in school.

R&J is priceless for it's sexual innuendos, we went into far too much depth with them.

I've read both macbeth and romeo and juliet - due to school. I really disliked macbeth though this could be because I read it in year 9 and my attention span was very short to say the least, plus the tracher hated me to the extreme. However I quite liked Romeo and juliet though I do agree challenenging to read at times, but the words a quite beautiful. *AH* I never thought I'd be saying I liked shakespear *hits self*
Wu x

Firestarter wrote:I've read Macbeth and R&J in school.

R&J is priceless for it's sexual innuendos, we went into far too much depth with them.

My teacher didn't explain much of it, thank god. Unfortunately, that ment I was cracking up through half the play, while everyone around me had this blank stare on their faces. It was rather amusing during this one monoluge of Juliet's..It was wrong. Extreamly wrong.

Shakespeare was nothing more than a copycat. All of his so-called fame came from the theft of theatrics from the Greeks and the Romans. His style of writing is not appealing to the senses and the mind, but to the body, and that is the reason I wholeheartedly hate Shakespeare or those who try to mimic him.

Meshugenah wrote:

Firestarter wrote:I've read Macbeth and R&J in school.

R&J is priceless for it's sexual innuendos, we went into far too much depth with them.

My teacher didn't explain much of it, thank god. Unfortunately, that ment I was cracking up through half the play, while everyone around me had this blank stare on their faces. It was rather amusing during this one monoluge of Juliet's..It was wrong. Extreamly wrong.

I think I know which part you're talking about..

OOH! Remember the hilarious rant Mercutio goes on? Unfortunately, I wasn't playing him at the time.. but I played him a few other times. Best character ever.

Well nuts to you Incandescence. Personally, I like Shakespeare, but only when I'm studying the plays. I like going into depth and looking at overall theme and stuff. Its a lot more boring when I'm just reading it on my own. I've read Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth and Hamlet so far, but seen movies of quite a lot else (best way to learn the plays if you ask me, LOL). Never managed to get to a play of one though [makes mental note to seek out theatre that plays Shakespeare] I recently did a project on who Shakespeare actually was, or might have been...fascinating stuff! (for those of you who want more info, look up "shakespeare authorship question" on your favourite search engine for some interesting websites). So I guess you could say I'm a fan hehe. It depends on my mood though, and the play. Sometimes I adore Shakespeare. Other times I'm like...zzzz...

I had to read Shakespeare for school as well, English last year. Really, I'm not much of a fan. I'd much rather read a book by an author who gets to the point, without dancing around silly words. His characters were boring, and the whole thing was too long-winded. With all that descriptiveness and silly small-talk, what happened to the romanticizing?

Why not Hemingway?

I love Shakespeare. I want to join the Royal Shakespeare Company in London and become a Shakespearean actor. There is nothing I love more in this world than Shakespearean literature. Maybe my mother. You know how there are certain things that thrill you? Writing, or reading a good book, perhaps. Maybe it's sports, or maybe bungee jumping. Maybe you like the thrill of roller coasters, or the rush of adrenaline after a tattoo. Me? I live for the thrill of theatre. Everything about it excites me. The wave of silence after curtain on closing night, the exhiliration of sharing yourself body and soul to a house full of mostly strangers, and words. Words, most of all, are what complete the sensation for me. I don't care whose they are, if the show is well written, it's ultimate, sacred, untouchable. In my life, there is nothing more pure and unadulterated than Shakespeare's words. Reading his language is like seeing the sky for the first time, hearing it is like being touched just right, and speaking it? If there is better I have yet to experience. The words caress my voice and pallet, roll off mytongue and linger upon the air. They hang on my lips like a kiss held just a moment longer than necessary. It's my opiate. My drug. My addiction. My salvation.

It's a hard thing to understand, especially if you don't care for him. But Shakespeare is going to be my life's devotion. The man was a genius, and I'd appreciate a little respect for his artistry.

Incan. WTF are you talking about? Everybody re-tells or incorporates old stories into their own literature. the last new plot was used up before written language. incorporating mythology into stories has been popular for as long as we've been out of new plots.
shaksperian writing sounds nothing like greek and roman liturature. shakespear was a poet, it takes work to understand shakespear. no greek or roman would have apreciated doing work on their off time. romans hated doing work on their on time. when you can write an original hamlet quality play, in a fortnight, then you'll have some room to complain.
your allowed to re-tell stories, people do it all the time. movies are constantly remade in later years with or without the same title.

Yes! Shakespere is poetry, and sometimes it does take time to understand! I don't think his charactizations are that bad. Honestly, Lady macbeth is hilarious (well, not intended, but still...) and Romeo and Juliet, there were so many innaprotiate references in it i was amazed they have you read it in english! One must connect the dots, and i think many don't like reading his plays becuase of that; they'd rather have everything handed to them on a silver platter with every little reference already researched and analized.

Also, when read correctly, shakespere is the most beautliful thing! My friend was practining hamelet's soliloquy, and it was really good. Such a difference from the people that read in english class. It can take work to understand it, but i think it's worth it. He may get.. tedious, at times, but there is so much (well, me at least) that i can learn when i read it. I can't explain it exactly, but i love it.

im related to Dunkan! i hail from the Macnaughten Clan, who held castle Fife some time before Dunkan came along.