Much Ado About Shakespeare

My relationship with Shakespeare has been a love hate one. Many times I find myself in total awe over his pure brilliance but other times his work leaves me completely perplexed. During these frustrating moments, while I am struggling to fathom the complex metaphors that Shakespeare frequently uses, I find it very difficult to appreciate the actual meaning behind his plays. But at the same time, I realized that his way of turning simple ideas into a maelstrom of complications and difficulties is part of the beauty of his work. Were his stories to have been simple and uncomplicated, they would be just like everyone else’s and therefore Shakespeare would not be the praised poet, dramatist, and writer that he is today and has been for many centuries.

I was first introduced to the amazing Shakespeare during middle school. Of course I had heard his work quoted and praised over the course of my life but I had yet to pick up one of his many plays and see for myself what all the fuss with Shakespeare was about. So when I learned that I had to read it for school I was excited and optimistic. Then there I was, sitting in class, attempting to read the first lines of A Midsummer Night Dream. After stumbling over the first few pages and with my frustration growing, I put the book down. My teacher had warned me that it would take a little while to get used to reading because of the different use of words and sentence structure, so I gave it one more try. Although reading it for the second time was easier, understanding it was a whole other process. I had to look at it word by word to grasp any sort of meaning. Once I got over the initial frustrations and was finally was able to understand what the characters were saying with the help of my teacher and fellow students, I started to like Shakespeare. He has a unique way of describing people and things, which makes them very interesting and beautiful.

So now, after having a fairly positive experience reading several plays of Shakespeare, I have decided to strengthen my relationship with this great writer by taking the Shakespeare class. Hopefully, by taking this class, I will be able to better understand his work and therefore, fully appreciate it for all that it is.
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