Why I like Shakespeare: He's witty and dirty. Here's one of his sonnets that I think captures this the best. Sonnet 135:
Whoever hath her wish, thou hast thy Will,
And Will to boot, and Will in overplus;
More than enough am I that vex thee still,
To thy sweet will making addition thus.
Wilt thou, whose will is large and spacious,
Not once vouchsafe to hide my will in thine?
Shall will in others seem right gracious,
And in my will no fair acceptance shine?
The sea, all water, yet receives rain still
And in abundance addeth to his store;
So thou, being rich in Will, add to they Will
One will of mine, to make thy large Will more.
Let no unkind no fair beseechers kill;
Think all but one, and me in that one Will.
In this sonnet he's playing around with his name (the capitalized Will) and sexual innuendos (sweet "will" making). I don't need to tell you what he means when he's asking her to hide his will in her "large and spacious" will. I think it's brilliant how he manipulates words.
A lot of people get turned off when they think of Shakespeare because they think they can't read it or understand it, but I say push through it! This sonnet is hilarious! Sure there are some parts that are hard to understand, but there are plenty of collections of Shakespeare's works that have notes to help you better understand it. If you want to read a dirty play read "Measure for Measure." It's hysterically dirty.
Also, I'm pretty sure he was in love with a guy. Actually a lot of people are pretty sure about this, seeing how some hundred and twenty something of his sonnets were written to a younger male. I don't think the earring helps any.He frequented taverns. He left his wife his "second best bed." He constantly writes about sex and venereal diseases. He wrote love poems to an unknown guy. He went to brothels that popped up around the theaters.
And they say Shakespeare is sophisticated.
-Beast
Shakespeare and I have a special connection. I call him Billy Shake. Or Will. We're friends like that. Be jealous.
ReplyDeleteoh and a note about Billy Shake and his dirty mind. In Macbeth (I think it's Macbeth, I could be wrong). The...I don't remember the guys part but its after a bunch of deaths in the play and its like the comic relief moment....anyways the guy is talking about erections It's pretty funny
ReplyDeletei never noticed he had an ear ring haha, silly gay people :) I'm pretty sure that shakespeare was doing shrooms while writing some of his material -mid summer's night dream- guy with donkey head, fairies, etc. etc. crap is rediculous, yet entertaining and funny
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone thought Shakespeare was sophisticated. Well at least not in his life time. Even the English language, back then, was only used in Europe as the modern day equivalent of Spanish in America (Ironically enough Spanish was more considered sophisticated).
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't till hundred of years later that anyone started thinking this was high society.