As soon as I read the first line of Trisha Pintavorn’s article I Hate Shakespeare, I knew I completely identified with her.
I am also a literature nerd who cherishes books, but hates Shakespeare. Reading Shakespeare in school never fails to make me feel inferior and stupid. My frustration peaks when my enthusiastic teachers ask for thoughts or answers and I cannot give one because the night before I had stopped reading due to total frustration. Shakespeare, the most revered author in English history, makes me angry. As a senior in high school intending to study English in college, this terrifies me.
While Trisha has overcome her hatred of Shakespeare, I have not yet reached that point. However, she has inspired me to give Macbeth another try before my English class begins in January. I will, no doubt, find it tossed carelessly under my bed collecting dust- a crime that would earn me twenty-five to life in the eyes of English teachers everywhere. This time, I will not read three lines and then proceed to toss it aside; I will read the entire play with the goal of understanding it and appreciating it.
I would like to thank Trisha for sparking my new interest in Shakespeare. It made me feel better to know that I was not alone in my struggle against Shakespeare. Who knows? Maybe by the time I finish Macbeth, I’ll consider Shakespeare a friend just as Trisha does.