Why Shakespeare?

I suppose instead of jumping in to analysis and discussion on the Shakespearean play I'm currently reading (Hamlet), I should start with an introduction as to how I first came to love his work. My first experience was as early as my seventh grade honors English class, where we read "As You Like it". I knew the day would come where I'd have to take the plunge into his work, but had no idea it would be that early. . . the strange word choice, seemingly backwards-grammar, and all around unfamiliar writing style did, admittedly, escape my understanding most of the time. The point was, (and often, still is) that the characters and their story were all there, it was only a matter of learning the langauge.
Since then, I've read several other plays, including Macbeth, A Midsummer Nights Dream, & Romeo and Juliet. Since my first attempt at reading his work, my ability to understand and translate the language of his work has developed quite a bit. . . but I still enjoy watching the plays more than anything. It's true what they say; Shakespeare is meant to be performed and watched, not read. In my trips to the Utah Shakespearean Festival, I've been able to see performances ofMacbeth, A Comedy of Errors, Henry V, Much Ado about Nothing, As You Like it. I've also found film adaptations to be a great way to enjoy his works, and have seen many more of his works in this form.
My favorite experiences with Shakespeare's work, however, are those from my high school theater experience (not as an actor, but as a theater techie). Each year in September, we would have a Night of Shakespeare, and get to watch the students of the Advanced Theater class perform various scenes and monologues from his play.
One of my two favorite scenes was a monologue was from "As You Like it". . . it was by the character Rosalind, talking about the man she was in love with, but best of all, portrayed by a boy in drag. What a delight, hahah. Not to mention, it was interesting to see a woman portrayed as they would have in the times before women were allowed to perform onstage.
The other was a sort of summary of "Julius Ceasar" . . . or rather, JULIA Ceasar. The title role was given to an actress, but that's not what really made this scene stand out to me. The actors, all 20-30 of them, were dressed completely in white, with even a white stage (via a tarp); so when Julia was slain and her enemies came to dip their hands in blood, it really stood out. And boy, did they get blood everywhere, they would cup it and let it drip from their hands as they stood. . . so much so that the sound of it dripping on the tarps was exactly like that of rain drizzling on the rooftops. It was one of those amazing and powerful moments in theater that you never forget.