As 2016 marked the four hundredth anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, the British Council in China had been promoting a sequence of "Shakespeare Lives" Activities on-line and off-line to commemorate the great playwright with extraordinary ongoing influence on English and the world. This somehow aroused my interest in Shakespeare's plays. Needless to say, "to be or not to be" is often heard of and quoted. But what truly happens in that story?

    In January, I began with Shakespeare's famous tragedies in translated Chinese version, only to find it was not so boring and difficult to enjoy as imagined. Macbeth was the first one to finish, for it was short. And Romeo and Juliet was the second. The name of "Romeo and Juliet" had long been a symbol of romantic love. Yet when opening the book, I found that the storyline didn't go as I'd expected. But it touched me that Juliet attached great importance to her marriage with Romeo. As to Hamlet, what impressed me the most was Hamlet's dilemma and delayed reaction. He knew who murdered his father in the first Act but considered this very carefully by collecting evidences. After confirmation, he still hesitated and struggled, unlike the characters in Chinese Wuxia Stories who could not wait to take action to revenge their fathers' or mothers' deaths on the enemies. Was Hamlet weak or timid? Probably that was not the point. From his lines, it could be seen that he thought about the matters about life and death and that he was in awe of people's life, which moved my heart.

    After reading Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and King Lear, I assume the charm of Shakespeare's works doesn't lie in the plot, though at his time the story might be fun and unique, but in the wonderful drama lines--how he wrote and in the thoughts behind--why he wrote, which give later generations much space for thinking and digesting. So, I may still want to read these plays again only to appreciate the language and some details. As is known to Shakespeare's readers, his tragedies involve deaths so the end is not pleasant, stirring up feelings of pity in the heart. However, in my eyes, the story itself is not the "be-all and end-all". While exploring the beauty in the texts, readers are encouraged to ponder on life, human nature, and even themselves, for his works focus on the eternity, heaven and hell, which dig deep into life and death.

    Well, with a little knowledge about Shakespeare's tragedies, I'm now wondering what his comedies may be like. Moreover, I hope in the near future, there will be an opportunity to watch Shakespeare's plays on site. Drama is drama; unlike novels to be read, it would be better to be watched and read aloud.