My brother was substitute teaching English -- a class on "Hamlet." The students were bored silly, of course.

Then he began discussing the "What a piece of work is man" part. He read it to them as rap ("It's just rhythmic prose," said he) and they began to take notice. By the end of the class they actually thanked him for giving them a new look at The Beard Of Avon!!

You can do this with any rhythmic speech. For example:

Let SPORUS tremble -- WHAT that thing of SILK
That mere white CURD of ASS'S milk
Satire or sense can SPORUS feel?
Who breaks a BUTTERFLY on a wheel?

And in the DOUBTFUL war, before he WON
The Latian REALM, and built the destin'd TOWN;
His banish'd gods RESTOR'D to rites DIVINE,
And settled sure SUCCESSION in his LINE,
From whence the RACE of ALBAN fathers come,
And the long GLORIES of majestic ROME.

"What GAT ye to your dinner, Lord Randall my SON?
What gat ye to your DINNER, my handsome young MAN?"
"I gat EELS boiled in broo: mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm weary wi' HUNTING, and fain wald lie DOWN."

How many ROADS must a MAN walk down
BEFORE they call him a MAN
And how many SEAS must a white dove SAIL
Before she SLEEPS in the SAND?

The problem seems to be in the words - poetry, after all, was meant to be spoken and rhythm was one way to remember the work. No, I don't care for rap. But I do like good poetry.

For your homework, turn into a rap format the complete "Iliad" -- in the original Greek. For extra credit do the same for either "Beowulf" or "Snorri's Saga."