When I was in high school, we had to read Romeo and Juliet in 10th grade. (Oh help. That’s the same age as my offspring. o__O) My recollection was that it was excruciating. The language was too hard, it was boring, the characters were dumb, the movie we had to watch (Zefferelli!) was awful and embarrassing, and etc, etc, etc.

{We were to have read King Lear in 12th grade. I can guarantee you that I read enough to get a decent enough grade, but I’m pretty sure I never finished it, and thought it was pretty awful, too}

I was left feeling like I wasn’t smart enough for Shakespeare, that there was a club that I just wasn’t allowed to be in. But that was OK, because if the club didn’t want me, I didn’t want it, either.

Only…….of course……..I did, but I never found the right path to get myself in and feel successful.

Now that I’m a grown up, and recognize that yes, I really am smart enough, two different online classes have found me at just the right time. Both are in their third week, but they are self-paced, and anyone can join in at any time.

The first is Shakespeare: On the Page and in Performance. Video lectures and roundtable discussions from an on campus class at Wellesley, combined with rehearsals and performances of various scenes from the readings make up the coursework. The class will cover 6 different plays, and I’m trying to take the experience fairly seriously — reading every word, watching all of the videos, participating in forum discussions the best I can, without letting it take over my life. The professor’s love and knowledge of Shakespeare is very infectious. He and his students are having a lot of fun, and it’s impossible not to respond to that.

The second class is Shakespeare and his World, and I’m enjoying it as well. I’m not working quite so hard at participating, but I have read both of the first 2 plays (between the two classes, I will end up reading 12 different plays). Each video in the class introduces an artifact relating to Shakespeare or his life and times and the professor uses the object to spark a story and of some kind about, well, Shakespeare and his world.

As of today, I’ve read three plays. The Merry Wives of Windsor. A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

And: Romeo and Juliet.

And you know what? It was all kinds of awesome.