The problem with some literature is that we are forced to read it. This pressure to accept what others deem as noteworthy has a tendency to weaken the resolve, however, rather than strengthen it.
Somewhere in the hazy underworld of high school literature, each of us was assigned one or more of Shakespeare's plays. And because of this, most students have recoiled at the thought of trying to decipher the King James English or learn a new vocabulary for the human spirit. It's sad, but true.
But everyone should give Shakespeare a second chance. Perhaps, with the exception of the Bible, no other corpus of work has had a greater impact on the English-speaking world than Shakespeare's body of work. It is difficult to imagine Hollywood, network TV, or any outstanding novels void of his influence in one way or another. His themes are universal, and they have touched nearly every creative portion of the human psyche.
Reading Shakespeare is discovering a great poet, perhaps the greatest who ever lived. Some call him "the bard." Bards are worth listening to. Or take Othello. Who wouldn't respect a writer who had a board game named after one of his characters.
Enough said. Just read him.
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