We just read through his romeo and juliet piece today in my class. The writing pretty much annoys me just because the fact of the matter is most people in the class don’t know what’s going on even though they try and act like they do, and the teacher just ends up telling everyone what goes on anyways. The only person who really comprehends what’s going on is the fat girl in the corner who has her own hardback book version of every play Shakespeare has ever written. It pissed me off cuz we were in groups today, and after every section, we’d have to discuss what happened, and i have 3 annoying girls in my group, one who is a total blob, all over the place, the other is huge too and snappy, and the other is just weird and looks like she should know a lot but knows shit about it, pretending she does. They give me mean looks when I just admit I have no clue what was just read, because it’s true, the shit is stupid. I can’t stand these fat girls whose lives are based only around these stupid readings, they have nothing better to do with themselves, so they figure they might as well get good at reading something pointless. Am I the only one who dislikes this crap so much?
And he uses SO many cliches.
And this is Shakespeare’s fault? WTF?
Concentrate a little more the art and a little less on your fat fetish.
nah, it’s not shakespeare’s fault, my biggest problem is the people who live for this stuff looking at me like something is wrong with me just because i don’t understand the language. it pisses me off.
maybe it’s because you have a horrible grasp on english grammar.
Shakespeare’s plays are great reads, God help us if this is how your entire generation thinks.
First, the guy said more about human nature than any writer before or since, and there’s a reason why he’s at the top of the pantheon of writers.
Secondly, its old english that he writes in. Of course you’re not going to understand it, half the words are out of use…but there’s not alot Shakespeare could do about that. Not too mention the way you feel about reading his works is the same way I feel about reading your posts- they’re called “periods” and “commas”. Use them.
Third, its not just loved by fat girls. There are people that appreciate it, and as you get older you’ll realize that when you have memorized passages from his plays, the women fucking love it. I have yet to find one woman who isn’t impressed by a smart guy.
Lastly, remember, “Life is but a walking shadow that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more”. Try not to judge harshly on stuff that other people like- to each their own. Let them enjoy what they like, and don’t get frustrated if they’re smarter than you.
It’s the language used at the time. In 200 years when people read stuff written in our poetry it’ll be likely they have the same problem.
True story:
Date/Time: Sunday, November 5, 2006 approximatly 2-4pm
Situation: devilBASTARDdog is attending “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with the Honors program at his school in DC. DD is angry because the Redskins are playing the Cowboys. DD and a 40 yearold woman leave the play at intermission and go to a bar on Pennsylvania Ave to watch the 4th Quarter. The Redskins pull of a rediculously lucky win. DD and said woman return to the play, buzzed and smelling of smoke, with 10 minutes left. Young girls in the program think DD is weird/bad for leaving in the middle of the play. DD is drunk and happy and just wants to eat. End of story.
[quote]Ruggerlife wrote:
And this is Shakespeare’s fault? WTF?
Concentrate a little more the art and a little less on your fat fetish.[/quote]
Hahahahah.
Maybe you should learn to understand it. There’s a reason this shit has been around for like 400 years. And maybe if you did understand it you could be in the non-fat blob hot tight-ass cock crazed slut group. Cause chicks dig that kinda stuff.
[quote]Ruggerlife wrote:
And this is Shakespeare’s fault? WTF?
Concentrate a little more the art and a little less on your fat fetish.[/quote]
And also your sentence and paragraph structuring. Those “fat” girls are going to go to good colleges and get good jobs. You on the other hand…
“Alas, poor Yorick!” No Shakespeare is not for everyone and can be hard going for those whom do not understand the language. But for those who can wade their way, Shakespeare’s writings are a treasure trove. Every word has such a depth of meaning, that with every reading new understandings are discovered. Every topic is universal: love, hate, revenge, that it can transcend several hundred years to be relevant in the context of any society. It’s okay not to understand something, that is what learning is all about. Just open your mind, try to take the works piece by piece and try to relate them to yourself (e.g. how would I feel if my father were murdered and my mother married her killer?) and do not be afraid to use the dictionary. There’s something to be learned about words and what they convey if you just give it time. And the fat chicks, just ignore them, I’m sure they do not understand weightlifting either.
Maybe if you spent a little more time reading the passages and putting some effort into understanding what they mean, you could actually contribute to the discussion. Instead of putting all your focus into the how much the girls annoy you. I would be piss to if all you did was state that you do not understand the subject matter. Skakespeare is not that hard to understand anyways, try reading some of socrates or plato’s work that will really make you think.
Reading something you dont understand, for entertainment purposes, is impossible. You’re doomed to hate it.
I’m currently in a English and American Literature class. We read Macbeth. It was cool. It wasnt that difficult to read. Just some scenes were boring as all hell.
NOW we are reading Pride and Prejudice. I want to hang myself.
[quote]TShaw wrote:
And he uses SO many cliches.[/quote]
Didn’t he invent the word cliche?
Shakespear has invented hundreds of concepts, and over 200 words we use without thought today. His writing is absolutly incredible if acted correctly.
Romeo and Juliet, IMO, is his worst piece from a modern perspective, mainly becuase now the ideas be done so many times it’s completely dead.
Macbeth is still great, Othello is awesome, and all of his comedies are still relativly funny.
And if you read carefully and do some explication, you’ll know what he’s saying, even with the shitty old english. After the third play you read, you get used to deciphering it.
And please, for the love of God, ask your english teacher to tell you all about the use of paragraphs.
Shakespeare did not write to be read, he wrote to be heard. I have found that reading Shakespeare out loud or simply actively listening to your own voice in your head as you read can greatly improve comprehension and enjoyment.
I recently read an article that hypothesised that Shakespeare was actually the pen name for King James, let me see if I can dig that up.
[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
Secondly, its old english that he writes in.
[/quote]
No, it isn’t. Sorry, this is just a pet peeve of mine… old english and middle english are something else entirely from elizabethan english.
Sigh.
[quote]
Lastly, remember, “Life is but a walking shadow that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more”. Try not to judge harshly on stuff that other people like- to each their own. Let them enjoy what they like, and don’t get frustrated if they’re smarter than you.[/quote]
Oh yeah? I think it’s just full of sound and fury, signifying nothing!
[quote]Beowolf wrote:
Romeo and Juliet, IMO, is his worst piece from a modern perspective, mainly becuase now the ideas be done so many times it’s completely dead.
[/quote]
Pure comedy gold!
[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
First, the guy said more about human nature than any writer before or since, and there’s a reason why he’s at the top of the pantheon of writers.[/quote]
Fans of Geoffrey Chaucer would beg to differ.
Not even close. “Old English” or Anglo-Saxon would make your head spin; it’s the language of Beowulf and pre-dates Shakespeare by about 600-800 years. Chaucer wrote in Middle English. Shakespeare’s Elizabethan English isn’t radically different from modern English. The Renaissance is increasingly referred to among historians as “The Early Modern Period.”
On this we agree completely.
[quote]nephorm wrote:
FightinIrish26 wrote:
Secondly, its old english that he writes in.
No, it isn’t. Sorry, this is just a pet peeve of mine… old english and middle english are something else entirely from elizabethan english.
[/quote]
Yep, it’s true. Old english is a different language. You could call it “early modern english” and probably get away with it, though.