Hannah Roorda asks,

To be or not to be?

These words have been quoted, paraphrased, abused, parodied, and used in every possible manner. And yet, they have never been separated from the man who originally penned them?—?one William Shakespeare (and indeed, whenever Shakespeare is mentioned, these words always manage to enter the discussion.)

Shakespeare has always been recognized as a master playwright, some-time historian, social critic, and philosopher. Despite his good standing in the literary world, some have taken it upon themselves to criticize his work as being unoriginal; pointing out that it is quite apparent that many of his best stories and characters were stolen from other authors. However, this is quite possibly what makes his work so enjoyable and profitable. In fact, I propose to you that Shakespeare wrote plays the way musicians write jazz?—?borrowing from every source worth listening to and creating something new in the combination. Americans should love Shakespeare.

My commentary on Old Bill doesn’t go much beyond this modest (or perhaps outrageous) proposal, except for the addition that Shakespeare’s work reflects his culture?—?overtly Christian. Instead, I would like to point you to some resources to help you begin to examine the Bard and his philosophy and worldview for yourself.

To Read:

From Shakespeare:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream — Perhaps Shakespeare’s best-loved comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is light, amusing fantasy. It influenced modern culture’s views of fairies and fantastic creatures, impacted ideas about love and reason, and has inspired generations of followers. More than that, Shakespeare’s Christian views on the nature of God shine through spectacularly, no matter how hard critics try to cover them.

Macbeth — Shakespeare on Human Nature, Sin, and Corruptibility. A dark tale with a somber, though noble ending. It is considered a tragedy, but in the end, the wrong is punished and the good guys win.

Henry V — If you read only one of Shakespeare’s histories, this is the one. On kings and authority, men, battles, death.

Much Ado About Nothing — More love, marriage, deceit, comedy, malapropisms (though the word had not been invented) and speech. Shakespeare reserved his wittiest lines for Beatrice and Benedick.

From Others:

The most-authoritative Christian book on Shakespeare that I can honestly recommend to you is Brightest Heaven of Invention by Peter Leithart, put out by Canon Press.

To Watch:

There are a lot of Shakespeare film-adaptations out there?—?where do you begin? Well, you’ve got to start somewhere, and I don’t recommend you begin with Laurence Olivier’s Henry V. In fact, I recommend you stay away from Olivier’s idea of Shakespeare, as he misses a lot of the philosophy and worldviews, the humor and earthiness, and ends up with plays filled with pomp, circumstance, elaborate and incorrect costumes and props, and it becomes just so over the top it makes you want to swear off Shakespeare for the rest of your life.

Instead, I recommend:

Much Ado About Nothing
(Directed by Kenneth Branaugh, 1993)

Henry V
(Directed by Branaugh, 1989)

Hamlet
(Directed by Franco Zeffirelli, 1990)

10 Things I Hate About You
(After you recover from your shock… this is a modern take on The Taming of the Shrew, and not a bad film. It does keep the essence of the play, and it translates to modern times rather well, giving you new perspective on old truths. Caution: Rated PG-13 for crude sex-related humor and dialogue, alcohol and drug-related scenes.)

The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged)
(A stage production which, if nothing else, perfectly captures the spirit of Shakespearean humor, if not the letter. Any serious Shakespeare buff needs to watch this and lighten up. Caution: Crude humor and language.)

To Do
Anyone who really wants to appreciate and understand Shakespeare has one final task?—?participation. Shakespeare is supposed to be done live?—?go see it, get involved, and only then can you enjoy the Bard fully.
My Local Troupe.
Touring Troupes Worth Seeing.