Thread: Shakespeare

I am reading MacBeth, and I was just wondering if you non-native English speakers find it really difficult to understand Shakespeare. Does it look like a different language to you?

Originally Posted by basurero

I am reading MacBeth, and I was just wondering if you non-native English speakers find it really difficult to understand Shakespeare. Does it look like a different language to you?

It needs to get accustomed to but then it goes rather well. Actually I like it more than the modern English.

Originally Posted by Ramil

Originally Posted by basurero

Actually I like it more than the modern English.

Я аналогично думаю.

It's early modern English, as I was always interested in Middle English and have been studying it for a while, Shakespeare looks more familiar to me than those wild legal books.

Our love will aye endure, what he to me liefly saith!

It's like another language to native English speakers even. I remember when I had to suffer Shakespeare at schoo.

I did like the Tempest though. Ooh, and Midsummer's Night Dream.

Shakespeare's not that bad, he just takes a bit of getting used to

And he had grrrreat one-liners!

One of my favourites, from Coriolanus: (Coriolanus telling off one of the senators (I think - it's been a long time since I read it)):

Hence, old goat!! (...) Hence, old thing, or I shall rattle thy bones out of thy garments!!


Heheh..... I like using that one

Originally Posted by basurero

I am reading MacBeth, and I was just wondering if you non-native English speakers find it really difficult to understand Shakespeare. Does it look like a different language to you?

Yeeah, I finid it difficult to begin. Annoying.

As for me (a native-english speaker), I have an easier time learning russian- or any other language for that matter - than trying to read Shakespeare.

Shakespeare = migrane city

there was something i found on the web when i was practising calligrapy and trying to write in cryllic , it was a whole pages of shakespeare translated into russian and they had done a pretty good job of somehow keeping the prose the same , prehaps there is something to be said about the true grammtical sense of the english language and the russian, moreso than today basterdized version

im not a native english speaker, but i read english pretty well,
as for reading shekespere's books, i find it really complicated,
thats why i dont read his books! but i enjoy reading his quotes that talk about logic and philisophy that usually comes in 2 lines or less, and it makes alot of sense!

My thesis of mastering a lang is being proved.

Какой тезис?

In your topic "What's better".

Shakespeare can seem like a different language even to native speakers!

Am I really the only one who doesn't mind reading Shakespeare?!
It may have something to do with the fact that I'm probably twice as old as most of you (put together! )
Or maybe I just had a very good English teacher.... We actually played Sharespeare in class, so that really made us understand what it was that we were saying.

Of course, it being an all girls' school, my star role was........ Romeo.... And no, I didn't kiss my classmate!!!!

I find Shakespeare kinda cool, but it's pretty hard to understand. lol. Some of the quotes are funny as.

i enjoy reading shakespeare it is a purer form of wordplay

I've never read Shakespear in English (and am perfectly content with that)

Originally Posted by BabaYaga

It may have something to do with the fact that I'm probably twice as old as most of you (put together! Laughing )

Let me guess. You were born in the 13th century in the Scottish Highlands and your surname is McCloud

Originally Posted by Vadim84

I've never read Shakespear in English (and am perfectly content with that)

Originally Posted by BabaYaga

It may have something to do with the fact that I'm probably twice as old as most of you (put together! Laughing )

Let me guess. You were born in the 13th century in the Scottish Highlands and your surname is McCloud

There can be only one!!!!

Guys, watch your heads