Shakespeare is Not too Hard to Understand

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The question was Is Shakespeare Too Hard to Understand?  The Shakespeare Standard gathered recent views on this, for example:

The BBC spoke with Fiona Banks from Globe Education in response to Julian Fellowes’ statements about Shakespeare only being understandable to those with expensive educations, and Banks replies, “Shakespeare’s for everybody. We can all understand him.” Banks isn’t the only one speaking out against Fellowes’ assertions of who can understand Shakespeare’s language. The Guardian gives voice to actors and educators from the Royal Shakespeare Company and The Globe who dismiss Fellowes’ opinions as “patent piffle.”

To which I also weighed in, after Anzin Hoshin Roshi shared the article above on Google+:

 

"Patent piffle" ... I like that!

Shakespeare takes time to understand, along with patience, reflection and study. He's probably the antithesis to modern day texting, Tweeting, and posting, where language is often reduced to its simplest, most parse elements. So, not surprisingly, he comes across as complex to many.

"Is Shakespeare too hard to understand?" I don't think so, but it's a matter of personal judgment. For those who've really had no encounter with him, then reading a play or watching one on stage is just the beginning of understanding him. Besides literature and drama, his plays are so rich in psychology, history and culture, that it can all seem daunting and impossible.

That said, Shakespeare is for everybody and he does belong to us. From the very beginning, for instance, I found that he spoke to me. But maybe Julian Fellowes was right, after all: I've had very expensive education (lol).