Thankfully Dame Judi Dench Kept at Shakespeare

Dame Judi Dench as Titania, in A Midsummer Night's Dream

[Dame Judi] said she has a lifelong hatred of the Merchant of Venice after being taught it badly at school, being made to read lines monotonously in turn.

“I remember having to read in a class and them saying you have to read six lines each,” she said. “Six lines each of the ghastly Merchant of Venice, regardless of who was saying them.

“It made it a complete nonsense. I never liked the play and I should never have played Portia – there, I’ve said it.

“It ruined the play for me, completely ruined the play.”

Reference: Judi Dench: Bad teaching put me off Shakespeare play for life.

At worst, a bad teacher can certainly leave a repulsive taste in students' mouths about whatever subject they may have had the misfortune of studying with that bad teacher.  Let's be grateful, then, as fans, audiences and readers, that Dame Judi kept at it anyway and acted Shakespeare on stage.  I haven't had the pleasure of watching her perform in such a role, but I've had the privilege of seeing Shakespeare so many times now on stage and film.  Along with studying him at Northwestern University, I'd like to believe that every actor and director of those performances were, like Dame Judi, proxy teachers to us all, too.