Shakespeare Opinions and Impressions
So, Shakespeare tends to get a bad rap; students do not tend to enjoy his writing and for this they give many reasons. Create a post where you describe your opinions and feelings abut Shakespeare's works and having to read them. What are your thoughts and impressions? Write at least one meaty paragraph to explain. Sign your entry with your class period, first initial, last name (e.g. 1C. Donaldson).
Shakespeare's material of writing is commonly disliked by many reader. I feel it's because of the way and dialogue he puts into his stories. As a young teenager, a lot of the vocabulary is confusing and including the different roles of the actors and backgrounds all of this can create confusion for the ready. I feel as though if he were to switch the way he talked in his text more readers would be able to relate more. His dialogue is more of a old time type of speaking. That could be a major reason on why many teenagers do not lik his writing (2 C. Grant
ReplyDeleteCaylin, I completely understand that Shakespeare's language can create a barrier; however, the more you read, the easier it will become. I wonder if in another 500 years our language will be so drastically different from what our future generations will speak.
DeleteShakespeare's spears plays are masterpieces. They are stories with vivid details and characters. My personal opinion on Shakespeare is that the language may not make sense in terms of our native English language. Characters in the stories often say phrases that have deeper meaning and can be difficult to comprehend and understand these phrases. Besides that, I'm perfectly fine with Shakespeare. I adore African History and Othello will give me a good look at it. I'm actually excited about reading Othello. I hope Mrs.Donaldson gets this. Thank you and I will see you soon. C Hill 1st Period.
DeleteShakespeare's work to me is very boring, it is predictable and hard to comprehend. The plays were written a very long time ago so that means that they are going to be unfamiliar, complex, and hard to follow. The passages are very wordy and seem that they are never going to end, also theres nothing that grabs your attention and pulls you in. While reading his plays often times i would find myself day dreaming or thinking about other things that have nothing to do with the play. To me the plays mean nothing, they are all similar in some way, someone falls in love, someone dies, or theres a fight.They really aren't all that great, and don't have any good points to them. 2K. Marshall
ReplyDeleteI believe you can't be anymore wrong. Shakespeare defines literature and is the main reason that many of us can write the way we do. He is the definition of a writer. His stories are known around the whole world and have gave an amazing starting point for literature. He has set the bar extremely high for writers and what I have seen no one has hit that mark yet. His story show romance and action but also has a sense of humor. All the stories anyone have ever written are off of one of his stories most likely. If you do not believe his stories are great and have changed the world you are only tricking yourself. 2K. Carroll.
DeleteThey aren't great? They have no good points? Are you sure?
DeleteHe has stood the test of time. He is a significant author because he touches on universal themes that we understand. He shows us what the world was once like and that despite the era, people really have not changed much at all.
I agree with you that most of Shakespeare's work is very boring and that it is hard to understand, but I disagree with the fact that you said they have no meaning. Every work of literature has some kind of meaning and purpose. Whether you understand the meaning or not, there is always a meaning. Shakespeare allows us to see how the world was back then and allows us to find similarities and differences in the world now. It allows us to see that the world has really not changed that much and we handle things pretty much the same, just with some innovation to them. I myself am not a big Shakespeare person, but his writing does have a purpose and meaning.
DeleteL. Miller 7th
I believe Shakespeare only has a "bad rap" because of the way he writes. People see his style and the English he uses and don't take the time to decipher it leading to misunderstaning and confusion. In reality if someone takes the time to figure out what he's trying to say and use to old such as spark notes, or other summary sites and\or side by side explanations they would eventually be able to understand Shakespeares style of writing. I have read numerous plays of his and using a side by side copy have adapted to his writing and I am able to better understand and enjoy his plays.
ReplyDeleteThe side-by-side versions are very helpful.
DeleteI believe Shakespeare’s plays could eventually interest me but right now they don’t. The way he uses old English is very hard for me to understand. The fact that I can't fully understand what’s happening in the play, turns me off to most of his works because I can't stay engaged. I get either bored or confused. I know I can look up spark notes and other notes online that can help me understand the play but I’d rather read it like any other text instead of constantly having to stop and look something up. But when I do begin to understand his plays, they are usually really interesting. I like his plays but I think I’d prefer to read a super revised edition. 2C.Gunn
ReplyDeleteFair enough.
Deletei agree with you. Once they become second nature to decipher then they are interesting and fun to follow. Mostly because to or generation they are entirely over dramatic and classic all at the same time. I love books i can get lost in, with a little movie that plays in my head. but if i cant understand then i cant imagine and that is frustrating. (A. 1C Kocienda)
Delete7th G. Baddal
ReplyDeleteShakespeare's work does not pertain to my interests due to the time period and the location of which it was written in. However, thinking about the general idea during that time period, I am surprised about his brilliance in his work and the idea of making new words to keep with the rhythmic schemes within each of his plays. His effort and dedication to each of his plays shows alot about his passion of plays and how hardworking he is with his work. Even with the fascination of his brilliance in his work, I cannot enjoy his work since during our modern time we see many similar and way better remakes and different types of plays then back in the day.
To me, Shakespeare is the most boring thing to read. It's hard to read and what they're saying always mean something else then it says. I get confused with what it's trying to say. Although, when there is someone there to explain the "deeper meaning" of the text it's easier for me to interpret and understand. 1: A McIntyre
ReplyDeleteI understand how the language is a barrier.
DeleteI think the reason students are reluctant to read Shakespeare is because his writing is so old and often hard to understand. Although he has good stories we want to read newer, more modern things and are likely not open to reading him because we don't know whats going on. I have the No Fear Shakespeare version of The Taming of the Shrew and it's so much easier to understand because it is translated into modern text. Students should understand that there is all different kinds of writing and Shakesperian is one of the more popular and more used in today's classrooms so we should have open minds towards it.
ReplyDelete1st- A. Marott
This is a very thoughtful post. I appreciate how you weigh the importance of Shakespeare with the realization that the issue many students often have with his writing is just the language.
DeleteOver the years, I have heard of Shakespeare a lot. Last year when we read Romeo and Juliet, I was so bored and I could barely stay awake. The dialogue and the Shakespearean wording makes it all the harder to read and it does not interest me nor does it attempt to keep me awake at the least bit. I hope when reading Taming of the Shrew that it is more interesting than the stupid love story of Romeo and Juliet. It was so hard to get into and the words and phrases made it hard to understand. Maybe if it was translated to easier dialect and was easier to read, it would be more enjoyable. It was painful to sit and hear my classmates speak in this tone and it made Shakespeare's work make me cringe.
ReplyDelete- 1 A. May
This makes me sad. PLEASE, check out the side-by-side translations that are free for you to read online. I promise that it will help your understanding of the text.
Deletei have read some Shakespeare over the years and have seen many remakes and parodies of his works. Shakespeare has been remade so many times and so overdone that everyone knows the plot of all of his major plays by heart. It is out of time and teaches very little we do not already know.
ReplyDelete1-J. DiSario
So, if I walk up to you in class and ask for a detailed summary of one of his plays, you would know enough about whatever title I choose in order to to do it well?
Delete1A. Osborne
ReplyDeleteI, honestly, truly, am not a fan of Shakespeare. His works are somewhat difficult to understand, mostly because of his style of wording. I believe it's just due to his time era. Shakespeare was alive many, many years ago. Therefore, the style of writing would be much different. As for regards to his storytelling, I think the ideas he comes up with are phenomenal, especially for his time period. He expressed subjects that were controversial for the time in his works, and for that, he should be praised. Shakespeare is ICONIC.
AWESOME!
DeletePersonally, I can not standing reading Shakespeare plays, but I love their outcomes. By the end of the stories, had it not been written in that ancient style of Shakespearean English, I would probably appreciated reading them more. At first, with Romeo and Juliet, I had a hard time understanding what in the world I was reading, but by the end of the book I'd thought about what I'd read and it was really good! Now that I'm reading another Shakespeare play, I chose to read through summaries before I started the book. That helped A LOT! I was first exposed to Shakespeare plays and poetry at a very young age, so I think I have more appreciation and tolerance for it. On the other hand, if we were able to chose the books we are assigned, Shakespeare would not be my first choice. 1Z. Simmons
ReplyDeleteI understand. I am open to suggestions for next year; I am being seriously genuine-- no sarcasm. I would love to hear what ideas you might have.
Delete1st K Watkins
ReplyDeleteShakespeare's work is really difficult to comprehend. All of the humor that is supposed to be funny and it's not. I don't understand why Shakespeare has to write in plays and then on top of that he has to make it into a poem. He writes really cheesy stories, Romeo and Juliet was so cheesy because they both fall in love and then they both somehow kill themselves. I also don't like drama and all of Shakespeare's writing is very overly dramatic to me. I feel like he tries too hard to show the emotions of the characters.
Okay, so I get that you do not appreciate the romance; it is not everyone's preference. I do hope to find the humor in Shrew. He wrote plays because despite having no modern technology, people still wanted to be entertained. Performance is entertaining. Every time you watch a movie or television, you are watching a filmed version of a play which is written as a script... just like what Shakespeare did. hmmmmmmmmm...
DeleteI find Shakespeare to be very boring and predictable. He may have been a revolutionary writer in his time but nowadays his stories have been redone 100 times to the point where it ruins his writing for me. Whenever I read his writing in class I often find myself wishing it to end as soon as it started. Since his stories are so old most if not all the comedy is lost to this generation. The only way you could understand him is if you suffer through reading many of his play to understand the language and vocabulary of the time. 2nd R. Elrod
ReplyDelete...or read summaries beforehand. ...or find a modern translation to help.
DeleteIn my view of Shakespeare's writing it would not seem like work that I would read. The main reason is when reading the original work it's hard to stay focused into the story with thefact that English was written differently. If I got into Shakespeare I would have to have the modern English translation with it. Many of Shakespeare's work is very similar to each other like for example Othello and Romeo and Juliet are basically in a way the same story kind of. So in a way reading Shakespeare just gives you the same concept over and over, although he has done different work it's more likely going to be a love story. Overall Shakespeare's work is just difficult to read while being similar and if it's needed in the original English translation. 2c. White
ReplyDeleteOthello and Romeo and Juliet are so very different! This makes me wish you had signed up to read Othello. I do understand how Shakespeare presents a language barrier, so use that translation. I can show you where to find a free one online.
DeleteOverall, Shakespeare's writing does not interest me and many others. As much as I love an aggressive sword fight or passionate romance, the writing is simply predictable and outdated. It is difficult to enjoy something that I can not fully understand, considering the fact that the writing is not modernized. Also, his word selections and vocabulary are difficult to comprehend in this century. The endings can be cliche and don't relate to current readers. However, I do appreciate the passion he has as an author. His work is well written, considering the time period he wrote in, and is classic for a reason. If his work was recreated and modernized, most would probably enjoy them much more. 2.J Deeter
ReplyDeleteNicely written and thoughtful. Shakespeare's endings, at least some of them if not all of them, have become cliche. However, they were not cliche when he wrote them. Many writers have recreated Shakespeare's plots. Feel free to use a modern translation to assist your reading.
DeleteShakespeare's work is extremely hard to read and comprehend. I enjoy reading it only because a lot of books and movies are based off of his work. Like The Taming of the Shrew is very similar to 10 Things I Hate About You, which is one of my favorite movies. In my opinion, it is better to just read a more modern version, so you can understand the content and the depth of Shakespeare's words without being taken under with confusion. I think the time period that Shakespeare writes about is very interesting and I enjoy learning about it, but I do not believe it is worth the confusion of the wording in Shakespeare’s plays.
ReplyDelete2. Z Lipscomb
A modern translation is the answer to your problem! I can show you where to find a free one online.
DeleteIn my opinion some people do not enjoy Shakespeare writing because they might feel it is boring. People have to understand that in the time frame Shakespeare was alive and the things he wrote about is very different than how things are now. I wouldn't choose to read Shakespeare on my own time because his writings do not intrigue my interest. But I have been reading one of his books "Taming of the Shrew" and its actually very interesting in my opinion. It is very hard to enjoy most of Shakespeare's writing because compared to the books and literature we have to this present day our generation of books are far more interesting. But It is very interesting to me the dedication he had for his plays. He shows a lot of passion.
ReplyDeleteI think you will find Shrew to be quite funny. It is about the classic "battle of the sexes."
DeleteI tend not to like Shakespeare's works because of the way it is written. He writes in a older version of English so it more difficult to understand unless you have a translation. Even if you have a translation the characters way of life is different since it is a different time period so you have to understand that too. Also he tends to write a lot so you can get lost easily but you are focused and can understand things easily you may like Shakespeare's works better than someone who does not. I also do not like his works because of the stories and how the characters are since I think some of their actions are childish but that may be because they are in a different time period and I can not really relate.
ReplyDelete2G. Cime
You are correct! Many of his characters are childish and silly. That is the way many people are; don't you think?
DeleteI enjoy reading Shakespeare and I find it entertaining. His works pull me into the story and make me feel like Im apart of whatever text Im reading. His work uses aspects of comedy and romance that help intrigue readers to keep reading. However, I find his vocabulary hard to understand due to his plays being in a past time and many students do not like his works because of his use of vocabulary and students also find his plays confusing. Because of this, Shakespeare gets a bad wrap with students and many students do not enjoy reading his works. On the other hand, I find his work as magnificent and astounding. (2P. Bonner)
ReplyDeleteShakespeare's work is one of the best there is in my opinion. It defines literature and is the reason for some of the amazing writers we have today. Every work that has ever been written most likely pertains to one of Shakespeare's works. His stories have gave a sturdy base for literature. Without him writing would not have such a high bar that no one has even hit yet. Shakespeare is one of the main reasons I and many other people read and without his stories our world would not be as bright and smart as it is now. 2K. Carroll.
ReplyDeleteI am not a fan of Shakespeare’s works. I appreciate the cultural and historical impact his plays have on this world and how they continue to be important to this day, but I can never dive into one of his works. They are hard to follow because Shakespeare uses an older English that I am not used to. I tend to enjoy more modern works like The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. I can easily understand what the author is trying to convey, therefore, the book flows faster when I read it. Shakespeare’s plays uses a great deal of unfamiliar, old words and dialogue that slows down the story when I read. That is why I am a big fan of The Outsiders, because the words are modern, Hinton does not use a spectacular amount of dialogue, and his story plots unfold throughout the story, where Shakespeare’s plots are easy to predict. (2 A. Grainger)
ReplyDeleteSince the language seems to be the barrier for most students, do you think laziness is part of what causes lack of interest?
DeleteShakespeare has never really interested me. The form of writing that he uses confuses me when i try to read his works. I will say however, that his works are some of the best put together pieces of literature that there is, even though it doesn't catch my interest. His stories always make sense for the time period that they are taking place in which I think is part of the reason it is hard for people in modern times to understand them. I feel that if Shakespeare never would have written his plays, the world would not be the same today as it is. 1H. Kimble
ReplyDeleteHave people really changed so much that we can't connect the experiences of Shakespeare's characters?
DeleteShakespeare's plays aren't bad they have good chacters and plots. His writing was extremely popular when it was written, but it doesn't appeal to people today as much as it use to. The language he uses in his writing is confusing to me. I understand the writing when it's explained in a way that makes sense to me. His writing just uses a completely different version of English that is hard to understand for me. 5C. Fields
DeleteI think that Shakespeare is old but still important. Shakespeare was the first form of Comedy and tragedy put into a play form. I think that having to read it is important but it could be a tad bit more creative in the form of reading it because kids our age get very distracted very easily. I think it would be more effective if it uses our skills of computer use and online skill to complete this task.
ReplyDeleteCameron 5th pd
That would be interesting. Graphic novels and Crash Courses are interesting too!
DeleteI totally agree. I get distracted so easily and if somebody were able to keep
Deleteme from constantly drifting from the book, by any means, I would be open to try new things.
Initially I wasn't ever interested in reading Shakespeare but after having to read Romeo and juliet last year I began to become more interested in it. I personally feel as tho it is the old English in the plays that makes them seem less appealing to people. I think that the plays have good plots to them that translate better into the modernized versions of them. I feel like if people were introduced into the works of Shakespeare they would show more interest in them because the difficult languages can make them difficult to understand for many people causing people to lose interest in them due to their lack of comprehension. 6 m. Mcmahan
ReplyDeleteMany people believe that Shakespeare wrote in Old English, but in fact he wrote in Modern English. It is not the same as our contemporary language, but it is modern nonetheless.
DeleteShakespeare has always been really confusing to read to me. Most of his works are something you have to break down and focus on each word to understand the meaning of what he is saying. Once you understand the plot, you really understand what the story is about. Not all of his works are the same, some are funny and some are serious, so none of his stories are really the same vibe, which is something I like. Shakespeare's stories like to confuse me. I'm not the kind to really understand a deeper meaning just from reading it once, it will usually take a good week. I think Shakespeare's works are good ideas, but Shakespeare in general would not be my first choice to read. (5E. Barfield)
ReplyDeleteI have to take my time when reading Shakespeare too.
DeleteWorks by Shakespeare are definitely on a higher level to me. Most of the time in the beginning of a Shakespeare work i'm confused by all of the old, complicated words, but after the beginning the wording becomes easier to comprehend. Shakespeare works always have deeper meanings and lessons available, with a hint of comedy that is subtle but noticeable. Having to read Shakespeare provides me with an eclectic view of the time and is overall interesting to me. Although it may be hard to relate to sometimes, Literature wouldn't be the same without Shakespeare works. (5, H.Love)
ReplyDeletevery true
DeleteI feel like Shakespeares writing is dificult at first to understand. But as you read and learn how and why he writes how he does, it begins to pull together. I have had a problem like that reading Sherlock Holmes. At first, the writing was tricky, but as i read, i began to understand. Its also fun to read his writing, it gets your mind moving.
ReplyDelete6th Koen Ardis
Yes, the more you read and decipher it, the easier it becomes!
DeleteI believe Shakespeare tends to get a "bad rap" with many students because of the hard interpretation of the writing; I personally tend to get lost within the writing because it can be hard to understand so that can cause the context to be hard to follow along with. The aspect of Shakespeare being "cliche" can come from the influence Shakespeare has given to many modern people, therefore we've seen it before. With the experience I've had with reading Shakespeare I felt a bit lacking(?) because I couldn't keep up with what was going on (6 B. Brown )
ReplyDeleteI agree. Even now, I have to be sure to slow down and check my understanding when I read Shakespeare.
DeleteShakespeare's writing seems to get a bad rap because of his usage of the old English and the difficulty of the words during that time period. But his writing currently influences every aspect of literature we know had high schoolers. (6, J. Chapman0
ReplyDeleteTo me, Shakespeare's writing is very hard to understand. When we read Romeo and Juliet in 9th grade, I really had to focus on what every line said in order to comprehend what he was trying to tell us as readers. I feel like his writing is very detailed and the fact that the writing is not from this day and age makes it difficult to read. I hope that since I have only read one or two Shakespeare books that this time I can comprehend it better than before.
ReplyDelete(6 H Craig)
I hope so too! I am sure that after a few scenes, it will become easier.
DeletePersonally, I don't care for Shakespeare's work because it tends to be cliche. That is a wildly unfair statement, as Shakespeare created many of the cliches around today. For example, Romeo and Juliet is sickeningly sweet and tragic work, accompanied with a naive heroine and a persistent male lead. It all makes me sick. The wording can be tricky, as it is old English, but eventually I was able to adapt to it. Our language has evolved and been "dumbed down" over the ages. I guess reading his work is comparable to being thrown into a lake, at first you're freezing from the abrupt temperature change but you eventually get used to it.
ReplyDeleteAt face value without a deeper understanding, I find Shakespeare's works to be very unengaging and dull. However, when I have a deeper understanding and prior education on the topic of his work, it is way more interesting. When the scenes are broken down and dissected, it also makes the experience of reading his works more enjoyable. I love it when I can discuss them with others and come to new conclusions. I feel as if you cannot just read Shakespeare casually. This is why I am not against having to read his works for a class because you have guidance, background knowledge, and overall teachers force you to go below the surface of his works to draw connections. Shakespeare is a genius and his works are a complete experience. 7M. McDonald.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I do not find Shakespeare's works to be entertaining or influencial on myself. Of course I realize that he is a major contributor to the art of writing as a whole, however I feel as if in most of his stories he attempted to drag out the plot too often without getting in depth into some of main plots in his writings. I could say that his old style english also contributes to my lack of adulation for his writings, however that is not too big of an issue for me most times. I just feel that his writing style was a little too prolonged at points.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Shakespeare is a professional author with many experiences that we modernized humans lack today. He shaped the way for writing and the art of writing itself. Though I believe he is a good writer, I do not enjoy reading his works. Too many thys and thous. I just don't enjoy reading in general. He uses a to complex of wording. Meaning you have to look up the definitions of most of his text if your not lucky enough to get an edited version of the book with the definitions.
ReplyDelete7th J. Tyndall
I do not like Shakespeare's works because they have words that are not used by people in this era. These words leve me confused. If I took the time to actually look up what the words meant I would probably like reading Shakespeare's works.
ReplyDelete7J. Elmer
I think that Shakespeare was very good at what he did, but in his literature his writing is very old fashioned and it can be hard for many people to comprehend, including myself. As we did read Romeo and Juliet last year, i wasn't very interested in his work. It still isn't my favorite, but I think that is because of his language. I also think that his story's are very predictable and cliche, but they are very entertaining. All around i do think he is a great writer but it is not something that i am interested in. (7 H. Hines)
ReplyDeletePeople in school telling me, always in the barber shop Shakespeare ain’t bout this, William ain’t bout that My boy a big dude on freaking King James and them he they say that man don’t be putting in no work SHUT THE HECK UP! Y'all people ain’t know squat all ya stupid heads talk about William Shakespeare ain’t no writer, Shakespeare ain’t this, William ain't write these plays, SHUT THE HECK UP. Y'all don’t live with that cool dude. Y'all know Willy got caught with Anne Hathaway, making dynamic characters and stuff. Shakespeare been writin fire plays since freakin, I don’t know when! Y'all stop playin' him like that! Them english teachers been talking bout him like he's the Messiah. If I catch another student talking sweet about William Shakespeare I’m having a civilized debate with them! I’m not playing no more, you know those dead playwrites be rolin' with Christopher Marlowe and them!
ReplyDelete7 D. Mooney
Shakespeare just is not gripping to me. his stories, while incredibly influential to modern writing, are not all that impressive to me. He was not the most creative guy, and relied to much on nonsensical dialogue to fill plot holes and missing points in his scripts. While I am not a fan of reading Shakespeare's work, I believe it is good for us to at least have to read one of his plays. It is very helpful for young readers to read books and plays from different time periods and genres in order to visually see how writing styles change over time and between genres. He is called on of he best writers in history, however I have to disagree. There are more modern writers who can create better characters and much deeper plots than he ever could. In all honesty I'm just not too impressed.
ReplyDeleteThough Shakespeare's wording can be complicated and vocabulary is extensive to modern readers, some of our favorite movies are based off of his brilliant writing. Back when he first wrote his stories people could understand and relate to his writings, but now they're nearly impossible to read without prior knowledge or a modern version of it. I believe that his writings can be a insight to the time period in which he lived, and their sense of humor or drama then. The main issue with reading his work now is that we aren't able to begin to understand the depth of his tales. I personally find his work intriguing, the way his characters speak to each other, being able to see them interact just by reading his words. This only goes for some of his works, others can be long and nearly dreadful to read. I feel that the right kind of readers who take time with his work will understand it and like it, and others may think it is tedious and obnoxious. (7 C.Going)
ReplyDeleteMany people tend to dislike Shakespeare's style of writing because it is too hard to comprehend or his word choices are not what is typically spoken today. In my opinion, that is a terrible reason to dislike someones work that has proven to stand the test of time. Shakespeare's works are world famous because his plots and story lines have spoken to many people across the world. Many of the plots and actions in the plays can relate to many events that occur in the present and can actually be easy to understand if you take your time or get a translated copy. Overall, word barriers should not be the reason for the dislike of ones work. 7M. Crawford
ReplyDeleteI think that many students don't like Shakespearean writing because they don't really understand it. Being that the vocab used in the plays are so different from the English we use now, students are not really able to relate or enjoy his writing. Another reason that students don't like Shakespeare is because they are forced to read it. If they were able to chose if they read it or not, the students that did read Shakespeare would be a lot happier about it. If they didn't want to read Shakespeare they could choose from other literature to read. Another you could make students more excited about reading Shakespeare is by letting them recreate their own version of the play afterwards. I know this because last year in Mrs.Salter's class me and Mr.Gebhardt remade Romeo and Juliet into Bo and Phyllis. You may have heard of it because it won an Oscar for best play write.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you on the topic of the vocabulary and language being hard to understand. However, I do not agree with the whole "being forced to read it." Yes that is the case for some students but personally I would not have been able to find my love of Shakespeare if i weren't "forced to read it". Also, if I was not required to read Shakespeare I wouldn't have chosen on my own to read it because of my preconceived assumptions about his works. I do not think on their own a student would choose to read Shakespeare because he has such a bad rap. Yes they may be happy because they aren't having to work at understanding something, however they would have no idea if they may actually like Shakespeare because they had never tried to read it. (5 M. McAlister)
DeleteIn my opinion, I personally don't care for Shakespeare's works because it doesn't really relate to anything I really know. The content isn't something I'm really interested in and can be hard to understand. For example, Romeo and Juliet was a confusing love story and I didn't quite understand the language they would say reading it. It wouldn't be just direct, it would have a deeper connotation. His writings are also very Victorian and don't really seem to relate to the modern day. I appreciate his works but wouldn't choose Shakespeare as an option of choice when reading something. (7 S.Brown)
ReplyDeleteShakespeare was a very influential writer during his time period and I'm sure many people during his time would have enjoyed his work, but I am not a big fan of his writing simply because I do not understand modern English. Reading it in a school environment is not as bad because you have a teacher there to explain what is going on to you, but if I were to read it on my own I would not understand what is going on. On the other hand, Shakespeare's story-lines are quite interesting to me. I enjoy comparing Shakespeare to books that we read now and seeing what books were influenced by Shakespeare's writing. I am often entertained by the constant mix of romance, comedy, and action that Shakespeare incorporates into his writing. Shakespeare is a true legend and his work will live on forever. (7 E. Degue)
ReplyDeleteFor me, Shakespeare's works are hard to read and understand. If Shakespeare's language didn't get in the way of the content, I still wouldn't read his texts. Not because the plot is bad, but I would rather read other works of literature. I think this is the case for most students. Shakespeare's works simply do not connect younger audiences. My impression of Shakespeare's works before I read them was pretty much the same during and after reading his plays.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't gravitate towards Shakespeare's writing, but the few times I've read his work I have enjoyed it. Once you get past the slight "language barrier", his plays are quite interesting. I have a hard time understanding some of the jokes, probably because of the time period it was written, but when the teacher (or book) explains the joke I find it funny. I know many people feel the plot lines are cliche or predictable, but what's wrong with that every once in a while? Overall, I feel like Shakespeare is a inspiration to many, after all, his works' have influenced many modern day plays, movies, and books. (7 B.Bair)
ReplyDeleteI believe that Shakespeare can be seen as boring and predictable because its "cliche" but things are only "cliche" now because for the most part Shakespeare is where everything originated from. When people would read lines from his scripts such as "love is blind", "wear your heart on your sleeve", or "star-crossed lovers" they were seen as a new and interesting way to say something else. People would continue to speak his words so often that it would now become what we call "cliche". Even though sometimes Shakespeare can have a very drawn out but predictable plot, i still think sometimes it is fun to re-read Romeo and Juliet. (6 M. Scott)
ReplyDeleteI find that Shakespeare's writing is over used by people wanting to impress others. With the complicated way he writes and the confusing characters this makes his works very hard to comprehend. They use his titles and select phrases to appear more educated than they really are. In my opinion, he takes great lengths to create his point, and he created over dramatic and unrealistic characters. This just really disinterest me in the reading and makes the process to complete the reading longer. One thing that I appreciate about Shakespeare is how his writing has effected the development of entertainment throughout the modern age. One could look anywhere and find a theme or plot concept that was originated by him. This is the main reason why I want to be able to read, comprehend, and enjoy his writing.(6A. Lee)
ReplyDeleteTo me Shakespeare was a great writer during his time. However, since it has been many centuries since he has written material we as the readers cannot fully understand the language it is written is because it is not the English that we know. Therefore I think that if there were more translations of his plays into the English that we could understand it would help us read and be able to annotate his work better. 1 A. Davis
ReplyDeleteLast year was my first year reading in depth a Shakespeare writing. It was evident that the writing was much different than one I have ever read before. It is difficult for teens especially of this modern time to, have the patience to read something that we aren't accustom as well as it being in "play' form. For some readers like myself the play format can be extremely confusing and to a point hard to follow. Although Shakespeare is known for his amazing stories and more, his writings require a maximum amount of focus and concentration. (6 A. Zac - Williams)
ReplyDeleteWhen I found out that we would be reading Romeo and Juliet in ninth grade, I was so excited. However, when we started reading it I became bored and uninterested because I could not understand what was going on. However, when we discussed as a class what was going on I found the plot very interesting. I loved the plot ideas of Romeo and Juliet but the language used prevented me from enjoying it as much as I could've. I think others think the same and that is why many people do not enjoy reading Shakespeare. I am excited to read Taming of the Shrew this year, because I have a copy that has a modern day edition on one side and the original on the other. I think this will allow me to enjoy the work even more. ( 7 R.Luxemburger)
ReplyDelete2S.Laguerre. I personally do not mind Shakespeare's writing because I have a King James Bible and do understand the text but I understand others who do not favor Shakespeare's work for that same matter. His text is often confusing and does not often appeal to the understanding of today's youth. For example "hath" and "thou" are quite weird to comprehend in today's language compared to "has" and "the" which is what those words translate to. Aside from confusing language I very much enjoy his work. Shakespeare has set the foundation for lovers in the theatre community and for everyone out there in the world from comedy lovers to hopeless romantics. His work translates to everyone and anyone who feels something in their heart and soul and that is why I take interest in his work.
ReplyDeleteI personally did enjoy Romeo and Juliet, only because my teacher made it fun for me, we acted it out(even though I hate being in front of the class) and he explained it as we went and asked us questions. And also made great jokes. But by myself i find it difficult to keep up with his wording. And what he tries to say its even more complicated to get references, metaphors and symbolism. Even with clues and helpful notes on the side i only understand so much. I struggle a lot without Shakespeare type language and throwing it into the mix is even more stressing. It also difficult to annotate if i don't understand what is being said, i cant withdraw meaning and note that there is meaning. Its so much better making it fun and explaining along the way. (AK 1C, Kocienda)
ReplyDeleteI believe Shakespeare often gets a bad rap due to the way he writes. It is often difficult to comprehend because of the time period it was written in as well as the "old english". Shakespeare is seen as boring to most for the sole reason of it being a challenging read. In addition to this, because we hear so many people say they dislike Shakespeare, we have preconceived assumptions about the quality of his works. However, I found my assumptions to be wrong. Once I began reading Shakespeare I found it quite interesting, despite the predictable plots. Also, the challenging language helped me to feel as if I was growing as a reader. (5 M. McAlister)
ReplyDeleteI personally have enjoyed the thought of reading a Shakespearean play but never gravitated to a single one. I feel most people are similar in the thought of knowing the stories are world famous for a reason but never really read any due to the older language or the lack of wanting to read. I am interested though to read the quotes within the book that have much meaning behind them. But I am worried that it might be a little slow for my taste but I am hoping that once I get into it I will enjoy it.
ReplyDelete2W. Alban
Shakespeare personally has never interested me. Just the style of writing he has and the time period it was written in doesn't really attract me when reading it. Last year when reading Romeo and Juliet I hated it. Honestly the only way I understood what was going on was by watching some of the movies before last year and also rematching them. This year even though I still don't really enjoy his written I've learned to understand it by using a side-by-side translation and spark notes to help me out. (1 D. Bonea)
ReplyDeleteIn my own personal opinion, Shakespeare isn't my favorite author to read. While I understand that he is a phenomenal writer/author, his writing does not pertain to me very well. Honestly, I do not comprehend his writing easily and sometimes I tend to struggle, which may be my reason for not liking him. Having nothing to do with him not being a "modern writer," Shakespeare's works do not make very much sense to me. However, I do understand that without his existence, today's modern day authors would most likely not be the same, considering the impact he has left on literature in all. No matter how hard I try or how hard I want to try, I cannot get into what he has written. (1 Z. Plemons)
ReplyDeleteShakespeare's work is not very appealing to me. It is extremely boring and I think it is this way because it is hard to understand. If you are reading something you don't understand it can not catch your attention. Reading his books are hard to comprehend because of the way the English is written. I do like the love stories that Shakespeare writes, just would be way better if understandable. Knowing about the side-by-side version has helped tremendously in understanding it and has been way more interesting to me. ( 7B. Massengale).
ReplyDeleteThe style of writing Shakespeare displays does not have a particular interest to me. The diction used in his plays are confusing and typically make it hard to annotate. Shakespeare's plays are enjoyable and intriguing but I wouldn't normally read them because they're hard to understand. I hope that with more experience reading his plays, such as Othello, I will be able to enjoy them more.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Shakespeare is not an interesting topic to me because it does not appeal me. Most times when I try to read Shakespeare, it is hard to comprehend and follow along so it makes it very confusing. Shakespeare’s old fashioned writing does not interest many people, including myself. His writing is very confusing because there is always a different meaning to it, but if I use a side by side translator I could possible read Shakespeare and comprehend what he is saying. (7C. Le)
ReplyDeleteI was not the biggest fan of Shakespeare. Last year we had to read the story of Romeo and Juliet and I was stressed out at first because I assumed I that i wouldn't understand any of it because it was old writing. But it wasn't so hard after all because it was in a translated version. I loved reading it and getting to understand the story better. At first, it is very hard to understand Shakespeare because it was written a long time ago, but if you honestly take your time and read it then it would be easier to understand. I have to have lots of patients reading Shakespeare because I'm not going to understand it the first time while reading it unless I read the translated version. I agree that Shakespeare is very important to literature and that it has very meaningful stories. (S. Bates) (7)
ReplyDeleteShakespeare's work has never been interesting to me. It has always been something that had to be read because of school; however, the way its presented to me is key to whether or not I will understand it or even pay attention to it. The past two years I have been able to read the Shakespeare plays with others in a group setting and have been able to bounce ideas and thoughts off one another. Working in groups has provided me with a deeper understanding and appreciate for his works. I believe reading Shakespeare's plays is something that is beneficial to us as students because not only does provide us with many examples of good theme writing, but its relatable to our lives whether we realize it or not. His writing enables us to broaden our horizons and become better writers.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Shakespeare gets a bad rap in part because his style of writing was not particularly written for our generation. The people of this generation have so much of the same style of writing that when they try to understand something different like Shakespeare it is confusing. On the other hand, Shakespeare's audience at the time had not experienced any other type of writing so his writing was easier to understand or comprehend rather than today's audience who experience all different types of writing. Another reason in my opinion Shakespeare a lot of times gets a bad rap is because the people of this generation do not want to expand their minds to try to understand it. They would much rather give up and blame it on Shakespeare's style of writing than try to understand for the most part.
ReplyDelete6 M.Thomason
I have never particularly enjoyed Shakespeare's work. Because of its outdated language, it is hard to comprehend and enjoy. Also, all of his plots are predictable and follow a similar story line. Although his writing is very important to history of literature, it will never be something I read in my free time for pleasure.
ReplyDeleteH Manning
7th
I think that Shakespeare's work is boring and it does not interest me. Every time a teacher says "We are reading Shakespeare," I get that "Ughhhh" feeling. I do not like his work because the wording he uses when he writes is "old fashion" and difficult to understand. I hate reading Shakespeare because when I can not understand what i am reading, it makes it hard to continue reading. Another reason I do not care for Shakespeare is because I do not really enjoy his story lines or the things he writes about. While no one likes to read Shakespeare, it can also be very beneficial to read. It can allow us to work with others and improve our reading comprehension skills, as well as strengthen our vocabulary. (L. Miller 7th)
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion Shakespeare's work isn't the easiest to read or decipher, but once you start getting into it and reading more of his works, getting familiar with the way its written, then he concept of the story is pretty good. The themes are easier to grasp then the detailing of the actual work. Shakespeare isn't liked by students for many reasons, some being that they think his work is boring or too hard to read so they lose interest, but I think if his work was transitioned over to modern English it would be more enjoyable for students to read. I like to read Shakespeare's work when it is assigned, but I often have to look up a modern version of the work in order to understand what is going on. The original version is a good way of showing the history of literature and it can better our understanding of how the English language has evolved as well as better our knowledge with vocabulary we may not have know before reading Shakespeare's work. (2 K. Smith)
ReplyDeleteShakespeare's writing has never been an interest to me. First, the genre of most of his writing doesn't interest me. The common, "Romance and Tragedy" that he's so famous for don't peak my interest. Also, his writing is very questionable. From the two stories that I've read from him, the plot has been very predictable or borderline ridiculous. Some things seem to happen just because he needs them too, and no character development happens on screen, or characters just flip the described character in one sentence. The type of language is a minor issue, but it's something that shouldn't be ignored.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I enjoy Shakespeare's writing. I like his writing style. The outdated language/vocabulary is interesting to me and his work really makes you analyze the meaning of every character's dialogue. He gets a bad rap because his stories can be hard to understand. When you understand what's going on, it's intriguing and more exciting.
ReplyDelete(1 J. Alston)
In my opinion, Shakespeare's work is not bad work it just isn't the new "style". For one many people now cannot understand what he is trying to convey because they do not understand the dialogue. There is a big communication gap making it hard for people to understand. If someone doesn't understand the material than they most likely will not be interested in it or will not look further into anything other than the general topic. If Shakespeare was modernized to this era more people would be intrigued by his writing.
ReplyDeleteWhile Shakespeare's writing is often a bore to the modern reader, all contemporary writings are a product of Shakespeare's brilliance. Although I don't love reading his writings, I feel they are a necessary part of an education in literature. Obviously he is a well respected writer and I feel that is deserved. However, his writings no longer carry the same fluent tone in today's world as they did hundreds of years ago. Patriarchal tones are among the themes present in Shakespeare's writing, something that just isn't a part of society today. While he deserves all the recognition in the world, I would never read his plays for pleasure. Let's just keep it in the classroom. (D. Elliott 1st)
ReplyDeleteI feel Shakespeare writing gets a "bad rap" with students because most teens do not know how to read and/or comprehend Shakespearean English. I personally don't mind Shakespeare and I have really enjoyed Julius Caesar. Another reason he may get a "bad rap" is because many students first Shakespeare play is Romeo and Juliet. I didn't enjoy Romeo and Juliet at all because it wasn't the style I enjoyed and I was forced to read it.
ReplyDelete(P. Jacoby 1st)
Most students including myself tend to not enjoy Shakespeare's writing due to the complexity and writing style that Shakespeare's writing consists of. I personally don't enjoy Shakespeare due to the fact that my first impression of Shakespeare's writing was Romeo and Juliet which I did not enjoy. Romeo and Juliet just isn't my style of reading; I tend to not enjoy fictional material as it is which adds on to the hatred I have for the play.
ReplyDelete(J. Thomas 5th)
William Shakespeare's writing has a uniqueness to his plays. Since he uses modern English, students are not able to read his plays well as they should. Shakespeare does like to add some type of humor to catch his reader's eye. Romeo and Juliet is my favorite play he as written. He ha added his humor but also plot twists within. Some how in some way, shape and form, his stories have events which are relevant to events in present time. Stories today have different meanings than stories during that time period. For the people who enjoy those types of stories, they will enjoy them, but I will not read them in my leisure reading time. (B. Holland 7th)
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