Monday, 23 April 2012

Rant 114 23/4/12 Subject: Shakespeare worship

Rant number 114




In honour of mr Shakespeare's birthday - my thoughts.

OK. This is probably a controversial subject to cover for some - but I'm going to just come out and say it:

I don't really care for Shakespeare

Don't get me wrong, some of his stories are timeless and all that - but I really don't care for all the luvvyness that surrounds them.

I think that my school (and the national curriculum) instilled this hatred in it for me - by making me study and analyse and direct the plays until they have no meaning any more. That - and a lot of it just isn't that interesting.

I really don't get why its such a big deal - I really don't : the language annoys me, the 'comedy' elements rarely endear me, the characters get on my nerves and the stories just don't talk to me in a way that I enjoy.

I'm more of a Dickens man myself.

I just don't get it why the theatre is still recycling the ideas of Shakespeare so much even now. Not a year goes by without a story based on one of his (or plagerised shamelessly.) Why can't we just let it go by now?

I think the thing I like least once again is the 'hidden meanings' to everything. According to my school - not a sentence he wrote without instilling some kind of deep seated social commentary and comment. Its bollocks - he was trying to write stories and sound poetic, just like everyone else.

I understand that he has made a great contribution to theatre and a great contribution to modern storytelling. Just let it go now - and stop telling me about it. I'll take your word for it: I really don't wanna know any more.

Oh, and the quotes - the endless bloody quotes. If I see one more bloody luvvie on TV quoting the famous 'to be or not to be' speech, I am going to invent a way to climb into the screen and beat them to death with a chair leg.

That is all.

Rant over.

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