I have been told more times than I can count from friends or peers that they hate Shakespeare. But why is that?

Listen, I completely understand. You’re sitting in freshman year English class, trying to get through “Romeo and Juliet.” Despite your teacher’s best efforts, you’re most likely sitting there thinking, “I don’t understand this,” or “Why are we even learning this?” You’re probably a little lost in the plot and struggling to connect with any of the characters. 

My first Shakespeare experience was at the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia when I was maybe 11 or 12 years old. I had never seen or read Shakespeare before, and while the language was a little bit confusing at first, the general plot of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was fairly easy to comprehend. When you hear Shakespeare performed by brilliant actors on a stage, the words aren’t so confusing. The sentences carry the story forward, and the characters come to life. 

Since then, I’ve seen “Midsummer” for a second time, “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Twelfth Night,” “Macbeth” (or the Scottish play, as I say to relieve my superstitions), and I have performed “Romeo and Juliet.” All of them were infinitely better than when I had to sit there, reading them in class. But why? 

Well, for starters, Shakespeare is meant to be performed. When the words are said by those who already know how to convey them, the feeling and expression is clear. There is no need to overanalyze the plot when you’re sitting in a theatre, watching actors use their talents to tell you all you need to know. 

And here’s a secret: those actors are doing your job for you. When I played Friar Lawrence in Haven’s production of Romeo and Juliet, we would spend at least 45 minutes before each rehearsal analyzing the text and talking through what each line meant so that the audience didn’t have to. 

Shakespeare doesn’t need to be stuffy and British. Think of Baz Luhrman’s “Romeo + Juliet” with Leonardo DiCaprio. Is that adaptation stuffy and British? Certainly not. Many productions take on tons of different interpretations of Shakespeare’s text, changing the settings and taking creative liberties with casting and characters. The “Much Ado about Nothing” production I saw was set in a city in modern Spain. The “Midsummer” I saw a few years ago had genderbent casting and a boarding school-like setting. 

And the argument that Shakespeare is no longer relevant to modern-day teenagers is frankly just stupid. I bet you’ve probably seen “10 Things I Hate About You,” or maybe “She’s the Man.” Believe it or not, 10 Things is adapted from Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, and “She’s the Man” from “Twelfth Night.” These stories are funny and relevant, even if the Shakespearean language makes it feel like they’re not. 

So the next time you’re struggling with “Hamlet” or “Macbeth” in class, and you’re wondering why you have to do this, my best advice is to go on YouTube and search up whichever play you’re struggling with. Watch a stage production of the show, and maybe read along in your script too. 

Those nightly readings will go by much quicker and maybe you’ll discover you never really hated Shakespeare at all; you just hated the way it’s been presented.

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