Recommended Reading: Stories of Shakespeare

http://www.cambridgeshakespeare.com/programme/

I admit it.

Despite having a degree in English,

I find Shakespeare hard to understand.

There! I have said it.

Not that the stories are hard to understand - NO! it is the language they are written in that is so hard to penetrate. The stories are generally about love, honour, greed, traditions, war, peace, etc etc. The comedies are actually really funny - once you understand the language. When I studied for my degree we had several Shakespeare plays on the curriculum. I ended up borrowing tapes from the audit library and listened to the plays acted out. Suddenly it was so much easier to understand! Even if you don't get every word, it is still easier to get the meaning. 

I recently found a book by Mary Macleod retelling three of the Shakespeare stories - Macbeth, Hamlet and Taming of the Shrew - in modern everyday language. This is another good way to understand the plays without battling with the ancient language. I was amused to realise that JK Rowling MUST have borrow some phrases from Macbeth for the Harry Potter books...

We are actually very lucky as the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival puts on performances in the college gardens every summer. It can be such a lovely event - if the weather is good - to bring a picnic (and some nice wine!)  and sit on the grass in the college gardens watching a Shakespeare play. There are no stages, it is just played out in the gardens. I try to catch a play each summer with The Ladies Who Dine. Last year I saw Romeo and Juliet as we had young visitors from Norway and we thought it would be easier to understand as the story is more familiar. We normally prefer the comedies, but perhaps we are ready for Hamlet this year...?

PS: Sorry about the annoying PAX search labels... I am having problems getting rid of them! Grateful for hints!