Why Shakespeare Is A Must-Read

If you haven't had to read Shakespeare in school yet, you probably will at some point, but regardless of whether or not you've encountered him, now is the perfect time to get acquainted with this great author. Here are a few facts about him, and ten reasons why you should read his work.

About The Man: 
Full Name: William Shakespeare.
Date and Place of Birth: April 23, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
He's often called "the Bard of Avon" or "the Bard" - "bard" is an old-fashioned term for "poet".
Other Facts: At age eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, a local girl (not to be confused with the actress of the same name), and they had three children, a daughter named Susanna, and twins, a son and daughter called Hamnet and Judith.
In the mid to late 1580's, he went to London to make his fortune as a playwright, and the rest is history. He wrote thirty-seven plays (seventeen comedies, ten tragedies, and ten histories), one-hundred fifty-four sonnets, and four long poems.
By 1613, Shakespeare had returned to Stratford, where he died of unknown causes on April 23, 1616.

Ten Reasons to Read His Plays:

1. - His stories and characters cover the spectrum of human emotions, so you can always find someone to relate to.

Katherina (the one with the long hair) is a super sharp-tongued gal
(she's the shrew in The Taming of the Shrew),
and Bianca, her younger sister, is Daddy's little angel,
so the girls have a huge sibling rivalry, which is no fun.

2. - His plays teach lessons worth knowing (like Romeo and Juliet; if those two hadn't let their emotions run away with them, they'd have lived).

See what I mean? Their relationship is one hundred percent hormones.

3. - Some of his plays have inspired modern films (She's The Man, for example, is a re-imagining of Twelfth Night), and unless I'm mistaken, you'll find that the originals are much meatier.

Viola's reaction when she realizes Olivia loves her: "I am the man."
I'll bet that's where they got the title for She's The Man. ;)

4. - His tragedies are moving.
 

Ophelia from Hamlet.
Poor thing - after her boyfriend
breaks up with her, she goes nuts.

5. - His comedies are mirth-inducing.

Petruchio, Katherina's husband, carries his bride home
from the reception at her dad's house as part of his taming process.
It's as boisterously amusing as it looks!

6. - I've never been able to really get into his histories, but if you like that sort of thing, you can't go wrong with Will. :)

These old books look rather history-ish to me.

7. - His plots grip you from the get-go.

Curious as to why the lovely Hermia is lost in the Athenian woods?
Read A Midsummer Night's Dream to find out!

8. - His writing stirs your soul.

My favorite quote from All's Well That Ends Well. I try to live by this.

9. - His characters become either your life long friends or enemies (depending on whether they're good guys or evil ones).

You can't help liking Olivia in Twelfth Night - she's so realistic.
She's vain of her beauty, stubborn-willed, and fiercely passionate.

10. - In him, you will find an enduring, caring companion; as his friend and fellow playwright Ben Jonson wrote, "He was not of an age but for all time!"

I love the contented look on his face. 

So, to paraphrase a line from Hamlet, get thee to a bookstore! :)

P.S. - The top pic is an old illustration (I couldn't find out who did it), the second is a gif I made using a clip from the 1968 film of Romeo and Juliet (I made all the gifs), the third is a gif from a clip from the 1996 Twelfth Night, the fourth is a painting by Arthur Hughes, the fifth is an illustration by Willy Pogany, the sixth is an image I found on Shakespeare Online, the seventh is a painting by John Simmons, the eight is a quote I got from QuotePixel.com, the ninth is a painting by Frank Dicksee, and the tenth is a pic I got from newartsnyc.com.