Hacker News Reader

Why do you think there's no point in reading Shakespeare?

I like many people, read Shakespeare in high school and disliked it. Reading it again as an adult is a completely different experience, and one I highly recommend.

My favorite play is Titus Andronicus. How often do you have Anger, Rape, and Murder personified on stage, or forced cannibalism? The Quentin Tarantino of Shakespeare for sure.

View on HN

One of the greatest joys I find is when something of an outrageous reputation actually lives up to that reputation. The Beatles, SICP, a couple examples. Shakespeare is perhaps the greatest example.

Some people have argued that nobody should read Shakespeare until after forty. I'm younger than that, but it's true that one of the greatest pleasures of reading great literature is recognition - RE-cognition - and you have to live some before you can recognize something in a piece of art.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com