Is It A Crime To Hate Shakespeare?

I loathe Shakespeare. It was inflicted on me when I was at school and I hated having to learn "Al You Like It" and The Merchant of Venice" off by heart. The only piece that ever caught my attention was the Seven Ages of Man. However, that never stopped me from visiting Shakepeare country when I was on holidays. It sort of made me happy to think that it was all part of my past.

You are not alone. We were forced to read it in school and I thought it was the most painfully dull things I have ever read in my life.

I enjoy Shakespeare, and I think a lot can be learned from Shakespeare's plays. That said, I don't think it is a crime to not like Shakespeare - everyone has different tastes. Sometimes though, you have to take the good with the bad. I know a lot of people who hate math, but had to work their way through it.

No, it isn't a crime to hate Shakespeare, or to be as ignorant and bigoted as you obviously are. Believe it or not there are people who read Shakespeare for pleasure and for his insight into human psychology. If you read mysteries or other kinds of fiction, what use does that have? You read it because you enjoy it, and that's all the use that's necessary. Sorry that you weren't taught well so that you could appreciate Shakespeare.

Well i was made to read julias caesar in high school. i wasn't too impressed. but of course I love romeo and Juliet. Because i am a romantic and it is such a wonderful story. Two people who loved each other so much they would die for one another. I mean if that isn't romantic then what is?

lol of course it isn't sweetie and I think it is horrific that you were given an ultimatum of this kind! Okay so Shakespeare is classic literature but in some ways so is the bible and the pc brigade would be up in arms if students were forced to read it! We did a little bit of Shakespeare and were then given a choice between him and Steinbeck! Of Mice and Men won hands down! I'm kinda with you I can read his stuff but its hard going!!!

So many of these people agree with your opinion, it is truly frightening...hardly anyone can understand the root language anymore. I heard a while ago that the average American reads at a 5th grade level. I didn't read at the 5th grade level when I was in 5h grade! I was reading high school level. You people scare me quite a bit, as I get older & realize what the US is turning into...

I don't think that it's a crime to hate Shakespeare - everyone is entitled to their own opinion (even if it's wrong! - Just kidding Wolfie).... I personally like Olde English - but I know it's not for everyone. On the other hand I'm not very good at maths. I do like Shakespeare - but I will admit the plays about Kings bore me to tears as do some of his sonnets. I'm more into Hamlet, the Tempest and a Midsummer's Night Dream. It's cool to me though because I studied the ancient Greeks too and the perfect tragedies... and I get really excited when I see the classic Greek shining through in Shakespeares tragedies.

no not at all. you are a free human being no person group or government can force you to love any other individual or group. but yes he did a great job so definitely need some respect.

Loving or hating Shakespeare probably depends on how good a teacher you had ... we had a fantastic English teacher who made Shakespeare such fun and so interesting that I have always enjoyed the humour and passion in Shakespeare long after leaving school .. It's a shame you didn't have a good teacher to explain the Shakespearean humour and double entendres that are throughout every play .. but if you didn't then I am not surprised you don't enjoy it ...

i cant see the fascination either. i loved english at school but just did my gcses so i only skimmed shakespeare.my daughter is doing it at the minute in more depth than i ever did it and when i was helping her to try and decipher his meanings my brain was totally scrambled.much too boring. she just accepts it as part of her curriculum at the minute but has no real interest in it.

I hail from a place where english is not our first language but still since i passed out from an english convent, shakespeare's julius caesar was mandatory for us. my seniors used to discourage me by telling bad things about it like how boring it will be for me, and how tough the language is when i'll have to study julius caesar. however, to my surprise, i instantly started liking shakespeare's great and rare speeches and the puns that he used to write. amazing imagination! i still remember, " Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears!"

well yes you are not alone ..i also dont understand it at all :)

I think it's not a crime. I think there are no people hated him. It's just that your not interested with him and you were forced to study about him that;s why you thought that you hate him. Am i right? I hate physics because im not interested in it but yet i have to study it to be able to finished college. Something like that .

i can't be bothered with wherefore art and thee and thou if it was ever done in modern language then I would watch it ,Richard the third was done on TV once and in a kind of modern times sense too if you know what I mean and yes I enjoyed that ,

I think that is it ok to hate Shakespeare. I can read it and enjoy it if I have the time to read and reread it enough. It is hard to read and understand. I agree that I don't think that it should be forced on you in school or in college. That stops a lot of people from taking more English classes.

No it's not a crime to hate Shakespeare, but it should be a crime to make people STUDY Shakespeare. William Shakespeare did not write his plays to be studied. He wrote them to be watched (and to make money of course). If he knew people were actually studying his work he'd probably make some quip about if he had known he would be so popular 400 years later, he'd have done a better job. I personally love Shakespeare, I have read all of the plays several times and seen more than 100 different stagings of his plays. I suggest you attend a play when you get a chance. They are very entertaining and fun. If you can't go to a live performance, try watching the movie version of "Much Ado About Nothing" with Emma Thomas and Kenneth Branaugh. It's a funny, witty play you might enjoy. Good luck!

UGH! Shakespeare! Not for me! Believe it or not, I was one of the few who did not enjoy Romeo and Juliet at the movies and I absolutely hated that one movie, see I can't remember the name of it. It is about Shakespeare himself. I was sitting in the theater praying it would end since I could not just leave. I don't have a reason, I just don't enjoy it to much. A crime to hate it? I thinketh not! Hark what through yonder posting peeks? It is wolfie34 expressing his fair opinion. Dear sir, my lady doth agree!

It took me a LONG time to get into any Shakespeare and I still don't like all of it. So I dont think its wrong, everyone has their different interests. I think English classes dwell on it so much because he was a great in literary and has been focused on for years.. so maybe they think.. why move on?

I dont think its a crime.Everyone have their own views and likes or dislikes.It also is due to right of speech. But I dont understand why would anybody hate this legend. I mean surely we were forced to read his works but I personally love them.I have read a lotta them n i love all of them. Caesar As u Tempest Romeo n .. and many more.