It’s fair to say that something is not for you, but Shakespeare is more than just old stories; they connect our culture back to its literary foundations. Of course one doesn’t have to know the original to love something newer; that was true in Billy Shake’s day too, since he stole those stories from history and mythology and put a new twist on them.

There is value in studying the classics: it is a lens through which we can examine a distant culture’s values, beliefs, drives, weaknesses, prejudice, and motivations to better reflect on our own. It is a cause worth pursuing, even if there’s no direct payoff. For better or worse, these rich and vibrant stories are part of our cultural canon and were written by a master storyteller and poet.