Reading Shakespeare

Hi y'all!
I would like to know if people who have English as their 1st language are able to understand Shakespeare...

Something like this would be ok?

"Anon he finds him
Striking too short at Greeks; his antique sword,
Rebellious to his arm, lies where it falls,
Repugnant to command: unequal match'd,
Pyrrhus at Priam drives; in rage strikes wide;
But with the whiff and wind of his fell sword
The unnerved father falls. Then senseless Ilium,
Seeming to feel this blow, with flaming top
Stoops to his base, and with a hideous crash
Takes prisoner Pyrrhus' ear: for, lo! his sword,
Which was declining on the milky head
Of reverend Priam, seem'd i' the air to stick:
So, as a painted tyrant, Pyrrhus stood,
And like a neutral to his will and matter,
Did nothing." [hamlet]

English is my first language and in English lessons, the top sets are taught to read Shakespeare but unless you spend a lot of time reading Shakespeare or you are learning a shakespeare text (or are just extremely clever) then no, most of the time we don't understand half of what he wrote.

I disagree, I can't speak for everyone but I don't think Shakespeare is beyond the reach of the average English speaker. There are many archaic words and wierd grammatical structures, but its pretty easy to at least get a general sense of what's going on. The quote above, for instance, is kind of overwraught and "Latinate" (i.e. trying to imitate classical latin), which might give some people trouble, but I think most would understand that it describes a battle between Pyrrhus and Priam. With only a little more effort (like the notes usually included in student editions) you could understand and appreciate every sentence.

That said, it's extremely difficult to follow in spoken form. I've often wished when watching a Shakespearean play that I had a text to follow along with. A lot of Shakespearean actors speak in a very slow, over-enunciated way to get around this.

***I've often wished when watching a Shakespearean play that I had a text to follow along with***

In practice, that's not an easy thing to do if you want to keep an eye on the action at the same time. I've tried it several times. You can either have the text of whichever play you are watching, or hump The Complete Works of Shakespeare along with you to the theatre.

Can't say I'm a big fan of Shakespeare, it doesn't really appeal to me. There are better plays from that period in my view, Shakespeare has the advantage of being a recognized name, however.

>>I disagree, I can't speak for everyone but I don't think Shakespeare is beyond the reach of the average English speaker. There are many archaic words and wierd grammatical structures, but its pretty easy to at least get a general sense of what's going on.<<

Sure it's not beyond reach but it still takes a little work. It's not like the average Joe can just pick up a piece of Shakespeare and understand it straight away. That's all I meant.

I think it's mostly the flowery language used that makes it difficult. The words themselves are perfectly understandable.

I can read it. Never understood why people claim they can't.

Will, the Bard of Avon, wrote some beautiful Sonnets and they're quite easy to understand.....

"Take all my loves, my love, yea, take them all;
What hast thou then more than thou hadst before?
No love, my love, that thou mayst true love call;
All mine was thine before thou hadst this more.
Then, if for my love thou my love receivest,
I cannot blame thee for my love thou usest;
But yet be blamed, if thou thyself deceivest
By wilful taste of what thyself refusest".

See?...Easy peasy....if thou familiar be'est with all the hasts and hadsts and maysts....

Anyway, the sentiments expressed show that nothing's changed since Will's time over 400 years ago.