Do they still teach Shakespeare in high school? Are there still students trying to read Macbeth or Hamlet and wondering why Shakespeare thought he should use language that is just confusing and hard to understand? Do they wonder what kind of a sadist would do that to kids just trying to finish a report on Ophelia?
So, here’s the answer. Shakespeare is not, to the best of our knowledge, a sadist. He did not write his plays to cause high school students to scream into their pillows as they try to decipher what Iago means or Shylock is saying. What Continue reading →