shakespeare.

Last night I finished reading Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. I so enjoyed it! His descriptions of mercy and justice [see my earlier post "Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment"], his Biblical knowledge and references, and his wonderful way with words, along with an exciting plot and interesting characters, had me hooked from the very beginning. I highly recommend it.

Several years ago, I received the complete works of Shakespeare for a Christmas present. I read and quite enjoyed The Tempest... and perhaps I read a bit of The Two Gentlemen of Verona... but soon other things in life seemed to come up, and I eventually put the books away.

Well, lately I've been challenged to take it up again. You know what? Reading Shakespeare really isn't hard. I think that's the drawback most people feel toward him. He write in English, and as an English speaker, I find that I am quite capable of understanding the vast majority of what he writes! And above and beyond that, he is a wonderful poet. I absolutely love rhythm of any kind, whether it be in music or poetry; in fact I prefer it far above mere "rhyme" - yet Shakespeare makes good use of both, of which I am most appreciative. I am curious to know why he chose ten syllables per line to be his general pattern though... anybody know?

Today my mom and I watched an old film version of his The Taming of the Shrew, starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. We laughed the whole way through! What a sense of humor that guy had...

I have found, having been so advised by other Shakespeare readers, that it helps to read a summation of the story before you begin reading the original text. Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare is the book that I've been reading; it sums up the plot and characters, infuses many lines from the original text, and gives the reader a good understanding of the plot before commencing a further study of the "genuine article" - namely, Shakespeare himself!

I think I'll probably read The Taming of the Shrew next, since I've just read the Lamb's tale and seen a film adaptation. "Kiss me, Kate" [a common phrase in this story] will certainly be stuck in my head for a while! Petruchio's methods may seem harsh in dealing with his wife, but by the end dear Kate submits a thorough comprehension of a wife's due submission to her husband, in word and deed.

I'm learning from Shakespeare to learn what I can, and enjoy the great humor and artistry, and of course the use of our dear old English.