Shakespeare’s works have enlarged my consciousness and sensibility many times over since first encountering him in gr. 10/1965 in the “Pyramus and Thisbe” play within the fanciful A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and more seriously/deeply in Macbeth (gr. 11/1966). I was also introduced to his most famous sonnets in gr. 12/1967; he is, incidentally, the most famous and prolific (154) sonnet-writer. I have been to more of his 37 plays than anyone else’s; I have read, seen, and studied 21 of his most famous and popular plays and own the BBC Shakespeare set on DVD. (He is, of course, unrivalled as the greatest writer in English ever.)
(recommended: the perfect desert island book)
I also own many Shakespeare classic movies including The Hollow Crown series, Pacino’s Looking for Richard, and Branagh’s recent take on Shakespeare: All Is True. On LP record, I have Olivier’s Othello, Burton’s Hamlet, and the classic MGM movie of Julius Caesar. Suffice to say, I am well-acquainted with Shakespeare’s works, and used to teach the sonnets, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest, King Lear, and Twelfth Night variously over 30 years.