50%

I have always had problems with reading Shakespeare. First off there's the fact I really don't understand the language, I get the basic gist of whats going on, and I'm never confused but it makes it really hard to relate with the characters and notice any development, which makes them come off as simple and two-dimensional. Whenever class is stopped to explain how a particular passage was considered witty by Elizabethan standards, which is necessary, it ruins the entire flow of the story. Shakespeare's play on words is quite clever, but the majority of them use concepts and words that are hideously out of date. Also I cannot help but think that if Shakespeare was alive in this day and age, he would be writing jokes for Popsicle sticks. My biggest issue is that no one realizes that his plays were meant to be performed, not read, and that to do so just ruins the whole thing. So please, for the love of whatever deity there is, all you English teachers out there, stop making people Shakespeare. It's a waste of time, just take the students to see an actual play or show them one of the movies. That being said, I already know the story, and the ending is no surprise, the flow of the story is utterly destroyed by the overly complex language. On a positive note, I really like Mercutio and enjoyed his speech about queen mab, he is one of the few acctually clever characters. But even he is uncomplex.