Seriously, I have no idea. I have been a great big Anglophile my whole life, so I’ve picked up bits and pieces of knowledge; and for some reason, in the summer of 2006, I memorized all the British monarchs in chronological order from William the Conqueror up to Elizabeth II. So there’s a lot of stuff I don’t know – especially about the monarchs before Edward IV – but I have all these facts in my brain about the different kings and queens (Edward I was incredibly tall & conquered Wales; Richard the Lionheart’s marriage was apparently never consummated; Henry II was Thomas Becket; Victoria had mysterious hemophilia).

Oh, God, and when they did it backwards, and said Frank Sinatra is God – so perfect.

I think you are the only other person in the world I know who loves TRSC! So exciting. I loved their Hamlet rendition! Cut the crap Hamlet, my biological clock is ticking, and i want babies now!

Much Ado About Nothing! I am very, very fond of that film – I had such a crush on Denzel Washington in that movie. 😛 If you ever get a chance, really, go to the Globe, see one of his plays as a groundling. And if you can, get there a bit early so you can be right up by the stage. I’ve done it several times and it’s absolutely magical. I love live theatre anyway, but being a groundling at the Globe is the best way to see a play; you get absolutely caught up in the action. Ferdinand in The Tempest shook my hand, and Touchstone in As You Like It fussed at me for laughing at him.

I don’t think worse of you! I’m just sad for you because I love Shakespeare soooo much, and my life would be less awesome without him. 😛

Aw, thank you! I expect I won’t say anything very funny when I get to his really good plays and have to exhaust my supply of superlative adjectives. 😛

I love the Reduced Shakespeare Company! I have their Shakespeare one on DVD, and it cracks me up every time I watch it. Especially Macbeth, with their idiotic accents. (I’m giggling just thinking about it.)

To be honest, though Shakespeare is cool to read, the best thing you could possibly do is see his plays performed. I read a number of his plays in school, but it’s when I saw them performed that I really felt how absolutely magical they are. I think Romeo & Juliet was the first of Shakespeare’s plays I ever saw – an acting troupe came and did it for our high school – and even though I’d just got through reading it in English class, I was staggered by how funny and brilliant and sad and clever it was. There’s no substitute for live theatre, but can I suggest the film of Much Ado About Nothing? It’s one of my favorite of his plays, and the film is excellent.