Oh Shakespear...

Whenever I found out our class was going to get to vote on what play we were going to read my first thought was please not Shakespeare, anything but Shakespeare. Of course much to my dismay everyone chose to read a Shakespearian play. I have always hated having to read Shakespeare. I had to bear through so much Shakespeare in my senior English class and it was no fun. Honestly, I have never understood why students have to read any of Shakespeare’s plays because they are practically in a different language. The play we chose to read, A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare, was no different than any other plays by Shakespeare. It made little to no sense to me and it was just another story about love.

 I am never able to understand what Shakespeare is trying to say in his plays. It seems as if it was written in a different language. The same goes for A Midsummer Night's Dream. As I was reading through the first act I was not able to understand really any of what was going on. Shakespeare tends to take the long way to get across what he is trying to say. For example, when the play starts, Theseus says "Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour draws on apace. Four happy days bring in another moon. But oh, methinks how slow this old moon wanes! She lingers my desires, like to a stepdame or a dowager long withering out a young man’s revenue." (1.1.1) Could he not have just said I am so happy that we are getting married in four days? I believe that would have made my life so much easier if he was straight to the point with everything.

The other thing that bothered me about this play was it was just another story about love. It seems all of Shakespeare’s plays have some kind of element of love, which gets very old. Granted this play actually ends happy, but you had to know it was given the fact it was a comedy. With all his plays being about love it makes them very boring and also very hard for me to read. I mean there is only so much you can write about love before it gets old. When I have to keep reading things like what Hermia said, "My good Lysander! I swear to thee by Cupid’s strongest bow, by his best arrow with the golden head, by the simplicity of Venus' doves, by that which knitteth souls and prospers loves, and by that fire which burned the Carthage queen when the false Troyan under sail was seen, by all the vows that ever men have broke (In number more than ever women spoke), in that same place thou hast appointed me, tomorrow truly will I meet with thee." it makes me want to barf. It is so tiring listening to how much people love each other and how their life won't be the same without their lover (1.1.7).

Overall, I believe I could live my life without having to read another play written by Shakespeare. They are no fun to me what so ever!

Work Cited

Shakespeare, William. No Fear Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 1595. New York: Sparknotes, 2003. Sparknotes.com. Web. February 27, 2011.