As I am coming late to this thread, I have several comments.
I have found the titling at the Met a distraction from watching the operas I went to see.

Today, I was driving up to Albany and one of the local NPR stations was broadcast today's Met production of Barber of Seville. Due to timing, I only caught the second act but thoroughly enjoyed the music and singing without the need to understand the words. Many years ago, the whole family used to gather to listen to the weekly Texaco Opera from the Met.

There have been a few references to Shakespeare. I recommend Harold Bloom's comments on The Merry Wives of Windsor in his book Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. There is no need to read the whole book unless you want to. I am now in my third month reading this tome. Basically, he contends that MWW is the least of Shakespeare's plays, written to satisfy a royal command. I cannot accept that this trivial play could have inspired Verdi as it did. He does not, however, improve the story.

As far as the music goes, the music of opera has almost always been contemporary to the period when it was written. Asking West Side Story to be written in the music of Shakespeare's time would have been a nonstarter. As such, all opera is a collection of period pieces, meant to be enjoyed by the audience it is written for.

Many years ago, I bought Songs of the humpback whale. I simply lay in the cone of the speakers and allowed myself to be immersed in the sound. Good opera has the same effect of me.