Yes, I read Shakespeare in HS and college. Didn't really care for it, and I read a lot then, as I do now. An odd thought occurred to me as a watched a few minutes of some Romeo and Juliet makeover movie starring the Titanic guy. The question is this: would Shakespeare approve of the fact that millions READ his plays? I mean, he did write them as PLAYS. By PLAY, I mean an artistic work meant to be performed on a stage by actors, and WATCHED and HEARD by patrons. So why is it that millions of people have only one exposure to Shakespeare . . . through the written word an not the actual play? So an institution believes that exposure to Shakespeare is necessary for a balanced education . . good. So if you only have a given, limited, amount of time and resources to devote to Shakespeare, why would not give it to them in the form in which the author intended the audience to experience the work? Show them the play!
[aside] Granted, They still would have been bored to tears, but they wouldn't have had to spend $5.00 on Cliff Notes.
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