>>Apparently various education groups are advocating for dropping Shakespeare from school/university curriculums as his work “is full of misogyny, racism, homophobia, class discrimination, anti-Semitism”. I'm sure Chaucer and Dickens must be on the firing line. Homer and the Iliad also looking to be cancelled amongst many more. no doubt.
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>I tried to read Shakespeare a couple of times but was lost and found his plays very difficult to read. Of course, English is not even my second language. This could be a reason.
>And yet I grew up really enjoying the works of Shakespeare; reading, going to the theater plays, listening. All thanks to a wonderful translator, Samuil Marshak, who translated many works of Shakespeare into the Russian language. He - Marshak - made the works of Shakespeare very poetic, rhyming and the language that an average person could really follow and enjoy.
>Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack your thread that has a different purpose.
>Getting back to the purpose of the thread. I always knew that his play The Merchant of Venice had an anti-Semitic theme. And I am Jewish. But it didn't bother me at all because I knew that that was the culture back then.

Very interesting and amazing that the plays could be re-written in another language so well. iro Merchant of Venice and your comments - what a level headed and insightful comment. Respect. In addition, it is possible I imagine, that Shakespeare himself may not have been anti-semitic but was commentating on life in his time? I dont know if there is eveidence that he was anti-semitic in his life generally? But even so, his writings are outstanding and I believe one must seperate the artist from his art.

Too bad that must all be destroyed in the wake of the woke movement. I hope The Gulag Archipelago becomes mandatory reading for all high schoolers but wont hold my breath.