Who decided Shakespeare was a classic playwright? I mean .., some of his plays are funny as hell (Comedy of Errors and Merchant of Venice), but most are entirely unreadable and unless you're following a translated copy, unfollowable.
I'm not saying we can't continue to produce the plays. I just don't think he is as extraordinary as he was 500 years ago.
A friend of mine has often joked "Shakespeare? Aw, he's just a bunch of old cliches." The joke plays off of Shakespeare's MASSIVE influence on subsequent writers. The "greatness" of Shakespeare isn't really apparent to a modern reader encountering him now. He won't seem like anything special, certainly not anything revolutionary. But that's because the modern reader exists in a literary world largely shaped by Shakespeare. Many of his ideas and concepts have become the norm. But to appreciate his influence, you'd have to read what came before him. And the following words? Shakespeare invented them... accommodation aerial amazement apostrophe assassination auspicious baseless bloody bump castigate changeful clangor control (noun) countless courtship critic critical dexterously dishearten dislocate dwindle eventful exposure fitful frugal generous gloomy gnarled hurry impartial inauspicious indistinguishable invulnerable lapse laughable lonely majestic misplaced monumental multitudinous obscene palmy perusal pious premeditated radiance reliance road sanctimonious seamy sportive submerge suspicious
I'm not saying his contributions should be nullified. I just think $23 for a complete works is not out of the realm of reality.
Although I have acted in two full-length stage performances of Shakespeare (and thus spent a great many hours memorizing those poetic lines), I agree that reading the plays is dry and tiresome. But you could say the same about Tolkien, and it doesn't discount the achievement or the impact.
I read Wuthering Heights in high school. Not the hardest read, but super depressing. And I visited the Bronte sisters' home in Haworth, England. I've done my time. @Jenee
And now I'm going to spend way too much time trying to remember the thesis statement of my paper on Wuthering Heights for 10th-grade English.
I've been to Stratford-upon-Avon (April '99). Visited Shakespeare's house. Saw the Royal Shakespeare Company put on a performance of a Midsummer Night's Dream there. It was excellent.
No, that was my thesis about Emily Dickinson. My 11th-grade English teacher wasn't amused when I brought up the "Yellow Rose of Texas" thing.
You were probably closer to my mother than I was right then. In fact given both of your propensities to fall for right-wing bullshit, you might still be.
