My take on Othello:
I had a challenging time understanding the text in this play. However, as I continued to read I gained more of an understanding and was comprehending the story much better in Acts III and IV than in Acts I and II. I really enjoy the story and understand why it is a classic. I would like to find the 1951 version and watch the full length movie. I also think that if there was a book that adapted the text into a format that would be easier to read and understand I would enjoy that as well.
If you would like to post a response to this I would be interested in reading your comment.
Hi, again, Kevin. Yes, I do think Shakespeare is an acquired taste. The language presents a significant barrier for modern readers, and yet, once I get into it, I get great pleasure out of hearing the language in my head. It seems to resonnate differently than modern English.
ReplyDeleteMy high school English teacher, Mrs. Jackson, was in love with Laurence Olivier, so we read all the Shakespeare plays for which there was a movie and then watched the movie. I got great benefit from her crush!
There is an adaptation of Shakespeare called "Tales from Shakespeare" by Charles Lamb, I think. It's a prose version of the plays. I had this book on my shelf as a child and read it, I think, so perhaps that made understanding the plays easier.
Also, people keep making modern film adaptations like "O" of Shakespeare's plays. If you like battle sequences, Akira Kurosawa's "Ran" is a visually stunning Japanese adaptation of "King Lear." Then, there's the romantic "10 Things I Hate about You," which is an adaptation of "Taming of the Shrew." This film also stars Julia Stiles, who starred in "O." I think Heath Ledger is the main male character. Those films are good access points for getting into Shakespeare, as they provide the overall plot. Nancy
I also started understanding the play around Act III. I am not sure if it was because I had watched "O" and so was more into it, or if the wording just became more clear the more I got into it.
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