What's so good about Shakespeare anyway?
I really can't get over how Shakespeare is considered so great. First, nothing Shakespeare wrote is even English. More importantly, whatever he wrote lacks realism and completion. Take Julius Caesar. I remember one scene where the two enemies are about to fight. They talk, threaten, boast, and talk, and all of a sudden the fight is not even there anymore. How realistic is that? Then take Macbeth. In a good story, isn't it supposed to be explained somehow who the third murderer is and the old man Ross talks to? Now we're left to wonder all the mysteries in that story. I bet if someone in this century tries to imitate Shakespeare's, he's not gonna make it as a writer.
Now, it's not that I hate literature in general that I'm complaining about this guy, because I don't. I am a lover of literature in general and am saddened because modern literature is almost nonexistent. In fact, because I love literature so much I wonder why Shakespeare's works is under that section when I see them nothing as failures.
Understanding and Appreciating Shakespeare
Shakespeare is probably the most difficult dramatist to understand for a few reasons: First the language of the 16th century are quite detached from modern English, Secondly, Shakespeare's use of symbolism is not always clear and obvious. For example, cite Ophelia's use of flowers before her suicide. There are still debates about the significance of those flowers, and how they apply to the person they are given. Also, keep in mind that most shakespeare, (his sonnets excluded), were meant to be performed, not read. The meaning an actor gives to his or her character can be lost to the reader.
However, I digress. Shakespeare is important to the understanding of western literature for many reasons. A. He has stood the test of time, and has not been forgotten. B. Some critics would argue (particularly Harold Bloom) would argue that shakespeare redefined the way people understood human psychology, and was able to probe deeper into the human psyche then any author before him. C. Shakespeare is universial, not in language, but in themes. Once one has surpased the trapings of language, it is not hard to understand the various human themes shakespeare touches upon in his works. Shakespeare, though he may not have intended it, was not just a wonderful playright, he was very intuitive when it came to the human spirit. Thus, a great deal of his works still can effect the modern reader, and still influences literature today.
You Have Not Lived Or Loved
Hi,,,no hard feelings,,,,
YOU HAVE NOT LIVED OR LOVED .....you are "missing the forest for the trees"....it is beautiful! You have to go to another level beyond the written word...through interpretation and emotion and possibly experience,,,but, I "GOT" these in 6th grade due to extensive reading as a child.
Shakespeare is not SHAKESPEARE for nothing!
You need to look a little deeper
You're viewing Shakespeare through the prism of modern culture -- which is your first problem. Shakespeare did something with drama, at the time, that few -- is any -- had done before. He took concepts, mostly already established works, and presented them in away that appealed to all. Shakespeare influences much of what you read today. It's hard to see this looking back, after the fact. Shakespeare’s genius goes much deeper than a clever plot. Like a symphony, Shakespeare created works of true depth, layer after layer of meaning all coming together to establish a common theme. Shakespeare was very simply, in a word, clever. Only but few have even come close to matching Shakespeare when it comes to the command of language and the manipulation of it.
