> Like many of you, I had assigned reading for several Shakespeare plays in high school. I loathed these assignments. I wasn’t interested at the time, nor was I mature enough to appreciate the writing. Even revisiting as an adult, the conventional selection — Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, etc. — are not highly ranked on my list. For the next couple of decades I thought that Shakespeare just wasn’t for me.
I feel this. I think trying to teach these things to immature teenagers is a real disservice and forms a lifelong disdain for many of the great works. I was in my late 30s before I tried Shakespeare, Old Man and the Sea, The Count of Monte Cristo, etc. again. I loved them, but I easily could have never touched them again after the hatred I developed during high school.
We found a local group that does Shakespeare in the park every summer. When our son was about 12, we took him to a couple shows including A Midsummer Night's Dream which he had acted out in class that year.
Seeing it on stage, with actors who know what they are doing, made Shakespeare "click" for him and really for me too. We've probably seen about 10 different performances by now and all of us actually look forward to the next one.
I highly recommend it for anyone who thinks they don't like Shakespeare but is open-minded enough to give it a shot again.
I feel this. I think trying to teach these things to immature teenagers is a real disservice and forms a lifelong disdain for many of the great works. I was in my late 30s before I tried Shakespeare, Old Man and the Sea, The Count of Monte Cristo, etc. again. I loved them, but I easily could have never touched them again after the hatred I developed during high school.