Yes but people also had to grow up faster in those days as well since there was no child labor law and if you were lucky you might reach age 40 (assuming you survived childhood that is). Life was both short and hard back then. In Shakespeare's day there were no actresses either. A girl just didn't go on the stage back then. Even in the 19th century Actress had a different meaning than now. It was another name for prostitute. Instead of a girl all female parts were played by young boys back then. I believe that in Japan they still have men playing women's parts on stage. Or at least that's what I've heard.
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Originally Posted by bevdeforges
Reading Shakespeare isn't just about getting through the language to figure out the story. It isn't just about "reading" or "English" - but about the themes and the history and the human emotion contained in the stories. There's psychology and philosophy, and all the dirty jokes, too! And getting at that takes a good teacher, who can encourage discussion and point out the "good parts."
When we read Romeo and Juliet in school, our teacher (I think it was Mr. Kazarian, who taught both English and Social Studies) spent alot of time on the opening scene, which is usually cut in production these days because it seems to be out of place. In it, Romeo is wandering around with a friend of his, moaning and gnashing his teeth over some girl he has been madly in love with - I think her name was Rosalyn or something similar. A scene or two later, he sees Juliet and BANG, he's madly in love again and old Rosalyn is forgotten.
We had a LONG discussion about how Romeo and Juliet were probably only about 13 years old, and taking a long, hard look at that first scene really casts a very different light on the play. It's a much greater tragedy if you see it in light of the kind of puppy love that is so typical of 12 and 13 year olds.
Then, too, we read The Taming of the Shrew with Mr. Sullivan, who took great pains to point out the "dirty stuff" - and definitely piqued everyone's interest in the play. A great introduction to word play and double entendre (and some education in basic anatomy for a few of us!).
You read Shakespeare as a teenager because there is so much stuff there. If the archaic language is an obstacle, there are the dirty jokes, or the psychology or the existential issues ("to be or not to be") that are part and parcel of adolescence. But you need a great teacher to help you "get into it." I was lucky in that we had several really great teachers when I went to school.
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