[LauraleeBraswell]

William Shake spear is ridiculously over rated. Many of his plays had sexual innuendo that at the time people could pick up on and laugh at. But old English is not our language. It's outdated and not contemporary.

[Crazieman]

Old english is just terribly unusued.

If you read the KJV bible enough, you pick up on definitions and meanings.

[goldstategop]

Isaac Asimov wrote that one of the reasons English still reads like a 16th language is that modernizing it too radically would mean we could no longer comprehend Shakespeare. So he acted as a brake on the development of English. This is striking since by Shakespeare's day, Chaucer's Middle English was already obsolete. No one today understands Chaucer without translation but everyone "gets" Shakespeare even if the meanings of some words have changed with the passage of time. Next to the KJB, the greatest cultural and literary influence on the thought of English-speaking peoples has been Shakespeare's plays and sonnets. They have a universality that defy their time and place.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[bannie]

It's not Old English: It's Early Modern English. Chaucer is Middle English. Old English is way out of my arena!

Shakespeare, however, is as plain as artistic poetry. After studying the story, 9th-graders should be able understand the meaning of Romeo and Juliet, as it is acted out. It takes work; but it's beauty is worth it! (I don't think he's overrated!)

[gingerky]

I hope you are joking.

[ASA Vet]

Many of his plays had sexual

It must run in the family.

[Temple Owl]

Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice; take each man's censure but reserve thy judgement.

[blackbart.223]

"It's outdated and not contemporary."

Marilyn Manson is contemporary. Do you prefer him?