Macbeth - Why read Shakespeare?

I've read the speach given called Why read Shakespeare? Now, after reading the first few scenes of Macbeth I can say that while I truely do appreciate Shakespeare and I have no want to read it in my free time. It is incredibly hard to understand (for me anyways). When we are reading it in class I have abolutely no idea what's happening I only know when Ms. Maxey stops to explain inbetween scenes. I'm sure something really interesting is developing in teh stroy and I have completely no clue. I understood Romeo & Juliet when I read it and I understood two other ones that I've had to read, but this story is just not clicking with my mind. I don't know if this is happening for anyone else in the class but I feel like I just sit there listening and redaing and it just goes right over my head! 

Macbeth - Opening Scenes

The opening scenes of Macbeth really establish the characters, themes, and tones of the play. The first two scenes establish that the play is quite dark and will not be happy, as one scene opens on a stormy beach and the other on a grisly battlefield. The addition of the witches in these opening scenes also adds the supernatural theme to the play. The witches set into motion the desires and feelings of the characters by telling them about their future vaugley. And we see that begin to unfold for Macbeth when they say he will be king and soon he is lusting after the throne and plotting to kill Duncan and believeing Malcom is in his way. When Macbeth pulls Lady Macbeth into his plan and she becomes the driving force behind this plot to kill Duncan another theme of strong women behind strong men is also introduced. 

Why read Shakespeare? - The Most Convincing Argument

I feel that the most best argument that Mack proposes is A Time for Developing Interests. He tries comparing Shakepeare to music, there's music you like and music you don't like, and there is music that you're uncertain about but after giving it a chance you start to warm up to it. What was once strange to you becomes interesting. I think Shakespeare is just like that. The first time I read his work it was because I chose to, and boy did I struggle. I read Romeo and Juliet and A Mid Summer Nights Dream. Sure I had to read sections over multiple times and maybe I didn't understand it all the time. But after I got over how much I hated myself for choosing to read Shakespeare I came to see that his work had some very interesting aspects to it and was more interesting than I had originally concieved. Sure, I had to watch a movie and read SparkNotes to understand what was happening sometimes but in the end it was worth it because I left the experience with a new interest. If I hadn't read it then I don't know if I would appreciate Shakespeare the way I do now. 

Why read Shakespeare? - Five convincing arguments

1 - Shakespeare can be difficult to read. But I think that's a reason why it should be read. It's a challange and if a reader pushes through to read the story and finishes it it can feel so rewarding. Plus it can expand your mind and reading abilities. 

2 - Global connections. Shakespeare has been translated into tons of different languages. And people from all cultures take advantage of that and read his works. By all these people from all walks of life reading it all over the world, it becomes a sort of global connector. An American student could have a conversation with a Japanese student just because both of them have read Shakepeare.

3 - Generation connector. Because Shakespeare's writing has been around for over hundreds of years so many people have either chosen or been required to read it. It's a way to connect a young and old generations because it hasn't changed and peoples attitudes towards it probably havent changed much either. But now someone who has read it can bring it up in conversation with almost anybody because almost everyone at some point in their lives has had to read it. 

4 - Because Shakespeare wrote so sophisticatedly readers have to analyze and attempt to understand his writing. And by analyzing it the reader begins to try and asses the characters and events. This can help with real life because its a social skill that does not always come naturally. By analyzing Shakepeare's literature readers can begin to also analyze reality itself. 

5 - Although Shakespeare is old and can be difficult to understand it still hold a high level of entertainment value. The plays he wrote continue to be acted out today and I think that really speaks for itself. Not many plays and writers are as celebrated as Shakepeare is and his work has been able to stand the test of time as it will continue too. 

Why read Shakespeare? - What do you get?

Mack presents many answers to this question. His first answer to this question is that as you learn to read Shakepeare, you learn to read the world. Because his works (and I think most works) are considered a mirror of our world it gives the reader a opportunity to reflect upon the their world and begin to understand how to interpret people and situations as they would in a story. The scond answer is that Shakespeare allows us to get to know ourselves and where our ideas come from. Many of our owns traits are found in Shakespeares characters. We can follow them and learn from them because we relate. He also says here that many of our ideas can be traced back to Shakespeare's writing, and having that origin point is important. Another point he makes is that reading Shakespeare is like a skill and no matter what your profession is, this one is universal. It can help you no matter your major of profession because it is a skill that aims to sharpen the mind. Mack's last point states that reading Shakespeare helps you learn about the head and the heart. You can begin to understand how they are connected. Why you have feelings, have others had these feelings, and what did they do about it are all questions that can be answered once the connections to Shakspeare are made. 

Why read Shakespeare? - Students Problems with Shakepeare

Most students read Shakespeare because its assigned to them and sometimes that makes reading a book become a very gruesome process because its not something that peaked your interest its just something that required. That was not a reason Mack listed in his speech but I feel that it is a vadil reason Shakepeare can be difficult. In his speech Mack said that student find Shakepeare difficult because the first time they read his work, its not easy and its not very rewarding, his writing is difficult, but as Shakespeares own partners John Heminge and Henry Condell stated, "Read him, therefore; and again and again. And if then you do not like him, surely you are in some manifest danger, not to understand him." Even they knew that his work took some effort to push through and understand, but they said it was worth it. The second  problem that Mack addresses is the question of what do you get out of reading Shakepeare? He states that his writing (and I think most writing too) is like a mirror, allowing the readers to reflect upon themselves and the world around them. He states that as you navigate a book it is similar and practice for navigating life. As you learn abou the various chracters, issues, and complexities in a book it is excellent practice for the real world. His third issue is that students outside of an english major don't think they need to read works like Shakpeare because it will not relate to their collection of skills as they prepare to enter the professional world. But reading great works of literature absolutly relates to all practices. He says that everyone needs som basic skills because you never know where your job can take you or what may change with your profession in the future.