Hi, > It took me a long, long time to "get" Shakespeare. [...] > One of these days I will sit down and read as many plays as I can. Or find a > Shakespeare reading group. Or start one.
If you're really interested in Shakespeare you might find him more approachable if you see one or 2 of the plays first. Or possibly join a dramatic society and play one of the parts. Not surprisingly the plays are often more accessible for the seeing. "Taming of the Shrew", "Romeo and Juliet", "Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Macbeth" are all very watchable and easy to follow. At my school we had readings every evening from the King James Bible. I think the way the great writers of that time used the language has never been surpassed. On the subject of quills: At the weekend I went to an exhibition of work, and book signing, by the illustrator Quentin Blake. In one cabinet was a series of sketches he'd made of creatures using their own quills, including a duck, a swan, a porcupine and a vulture. Very interesting to see the differences (as well as the sizes of the quills). -- Cheers, Bob
