To quote the Bard himself: "O wonderful, wonderful and most wonderful wonderful ! and yet again wonderful, and after that, out of all whooping !" And to quote me: YAY !

Once you have caught the Shakespeare bug, there will be no stopping you. I would say, rather than thinking of which particular plays to start with, go and see *whichever* play is being performed live nearest to you by a good company. If you can, go and see it a couple or more times during the run - there is always more to see and hear.

Before going to the play, you could read the plot-line and get an idea of the characters and situations. There is a very good series (can't remember the publisher) which has the play text in Shakespeare's words on one side of the page and translated into modern English on the other.

On the other hand (and especially if you plan to see the play more than once during its run), it would be even better to go and watch it totally "cold" - and let the good acting draw you in. THEN you can do your "homework" before you go and see it again. If you find that you are after scholarly footnotes, the Arden Shakespeare editions are among the best, I think. Having said that, the Royal Shakespeare Company uses and recommends the Penguin editions.

Another thing: Just as much as these plays are meant to be participated in by watching them (rather than reading them), they are also for acting in. A lot of theatre companies run workshops alongside their productions. Speaking the words and becoming the characters is a fun and positive way to get "into" Shakespeare.

If you aren't in the UK, you won't have the RSC or The Globe on your doorstep, but both have excellent websites with a lot of very good material and links to many other places. Another very good resource (and resource for links) is the company "Shakespeare4Kidz" - (don't be put off by the title !)

All the very best,
- jeanie