Shakespeare . . . I mean, that's it. No more introduction needed.

 Sonnets

Shakespeare is a writer that you have to read at school. We all have to do it - Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth etc. We learn that Shakespeare is a writer to be studied, not enjoyed. Of course, it doesn't help that, his English being the English of the sixteenth century, his work requires some deciphering.

I haven't started on the positives, have I?

Well, I am just trying to be honest. I mean, I think I was put off the works of Shakespeare because of those reasons, and it took me a while to realise that Shakespeare's work can be enjoyed and appreciated just as any other writer's work. Shakespeare's work isn't meant to be studied, it is meant to be felt. 

My advice would be to not let any of those reasons deter you from reading Shakespeare. Read his writing for yourself, decide for yourself.

Shakespeare's reach can't be denied. And, it is understandable. He used the language well, and his sonnets are the perfect example of this.

Shakespeare's sonnets are musical and haunting. They fall through the centuries and land delicately in the twenty-first, sending out ripples. Though, perhaps that isn't quite the image to call to mind - ripples fade away, right? I am not sure that Shakespeare will.

Oh, I don't know. The sonnets are beautiful. Some of them, or bits of them anyway, you will recognise. Others, you won't. But they really are beautiful - some of the finest poetry ever written. 

These are not original sentiments. However, they are accurate, in my opinion.

All that can really be said is that you should read Shakespeare for yourself. Decide for yourself. Don't let the dusty English lessons put you off. And, the sonnets are an excellent place to start.

If I could offer some advice, I would say, read them aloud to yourself - feel the words in your mouth and how they fall together. Read them with your heartbeat. And, give each individual sonnet the time and attention it deserves. They can be read one after the other, but they are better appreciated when read slowly and given the attention that they command. And, if you stumble over an archaic word or two, take the time to find out its meaning, then go back and read the sonnet again. Take the time.

This blog is not for the academics. Definitely not. But, you know what, Shakespeare's works and plays were not just for the academics - he wrote to entertain the people.