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You Always Remember Your First… Shakespeare
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Of course I have a Shakespeare action figure. Don't you?
I remember it well. I was a nerdy 11-year-old browsing my parents’ bookshelves looking for something to read. The primary school library no longer held any new delights and I was keen for a challenge.
The shelves were full, but hardly inspiring for a young girl – Wilbur Smith, Robert Ludlum, Geoffrey Archer, Danielle Steele… I’d almost given up when I finally struck gold. Two Readers’ Digest book sets, one of classics and the other the complete works of Shakespeare, just waiting for me.
I hauled the books off to my room and debated where to start. I eventually chose Shakespeare because I thought it would give me some literary street cred (I did mention I was a nerd). I decided to ease myself into the world of The Bard with a comedy, which seemed much more likely to be appealing to my uneducated palate. I opened the first page of The Comedy of Errors and I was hooked.
I’ve read many other Shakespearean plays and sonnets since that time. I’ve never really ventured into the histories (happy to receive recommendations) but have meandered through the comedies and tragedies and I still have my high school copy of Othello filled with my scribbled notes.
HSC Othello (Act 5, scene 2)
Despite my many other Shakespearean encounters, The Comedy of Errors remains a sentimental favourite.
Do you remember your first Shakespeare? Were you forced to read it at school or did you, like me, read it because you thought it would sound impressive that you were so amazingly literate and cultured? What age do you think is a good time to start reading Shakespeare and what would you recommend to someone for their first experience with the Bard of Stratford-on-Avon?
And now for a little light entertainment: ‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare’ from the Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson 1953 musical Kiss Me, Kate.
6 Responses to “You Always Remember Your First… Shakespeare”
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Oh, I want!!! My first Shakespeare was the Scottish play, for school. I put off reading it until the day before our first class, I was so scared of reading “difficult” material. And OMFG – what a revelation!!! Witches, murder, horror, ghosts. Could it GET any better????
It helped to have an excellent annotated version, but that first read I didn’t stop to look anything up. The story drew me in to the point where I’m pretty sure I began channelling an Elizabethan groundling
I love King Lear, such a wonderful warning about power, with fabulous characters. As a high school Englsh teacher it is always a joy to introduce junior classes to Bill through Macbeth (Yes, I said it!) – it grabs them for all the reasons Janette mentions.
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My favourite remains Macbeth, although I loved Merchant of Venice as well. I really really really didn’t like Midsummer Night’s Dream, which incidentally was my first Shakespeare.
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Love it!
I didn’t really get into Shakespeare until year 12… when we studied Macbeth. Awesome. Still to read all the plays. Love the action figure!
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My first Shakesperean read was The Merchant of Venice. I had a wonderfully inspiring teacher who had us all learn a monologue, then took us to the city to see Macbeth in an intimate theatre setting. I loved every minute. Classmates were less impressed.
I had to read Romeo and Juliet at school. But I didn’t really get into Shakespeare. Not until I saw the movie Midsummer Night’s Dream about 15 yrs ago. I could not believe Shakespeare said all that cool stuff. Got home and dusted off the Shakespeare volume and remember startled that he did write all that cool stuff.
Encouraged my daughter to read Midsummer Night’s Dream first.
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