Silence and Joy

I thought I hated Shakespeare. In a style of language which is no longer used, it was hard to understand. Reading hour after hour was boring.

Now I find that what I really hated was reading it for English class. Shakespeare wasn't meant to be read - it was meant to be performed. Shakespeare wrote plays. For the stage. When performed well, his words come alive. His words are beautiful, and funny, and tragic. Each time I listen, I hear something new. 

My favorite play is Much Ado About Nothing. Of the dozens of times I have watched the Kenneth Brannaugh/Emma Thompson version, it wasn't until recently, while seeing the Joss Whedon film, that I first really heard these most beautiful words, spoken when Claudio first discovers that Hero has been won for him:

Silence is the perfectest herald of joy.

I were but little happy if I could say how much.

-Lady, as you were mine, I am yours.

I give myself for you and dote upon the exchange.

I know this feeling. Sometimes, there aren't words to express happiness.