A Midsummer Night's Dream - The Original Classic Edition

This is probably Shakespeares most delightful comedy, and Im glad I have read it in several editions and seen various versions of the play on large screen, small screen, and stage. I wish schools would teach this instead of trying to get the kids to understand Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar. Even if they dont understand this one, they can tell that its fun and somewhat vulgar, with Bottom running around in an asss head and the Queen of the Fairies falling in temporary love with him. Fairy might not yet have had its most recent meaning, but Bottom in an asss head suggested exactly the same thing then that it suggests now

While I was getting my doctorate in English, my Shakespeare teacher worshipped Shakespeare instead of enjoying it for what it was worth. She almost went ballistic when somebody pointed out vulgarities and slapstick in the plays, because we too were supposed to worship Shakespeare instead of analyzing him. Sorry, but I was right and she was wrong. Shakespeare was a very bawdy writer, and he enjoyed being bawdy.

I thought it was great. Characters like Bottom and Robin Goodfellow were hilarious. Shakespeare seems to know how to make a tangled mess of everyones lives very well. It amazes me his power to make that seem funny at times and then seem incredibly sad at others. I have to say, I really enjoyed this comedy better than his tragedy.

Youll read this, and will just fall in love with it.