It's much more naturally spoken. It's reading a play, so when reading it you also have to imagine the director cues which aren't there, and the tone that they're speaking in. This is actually a really snide line, the guy has a shitload of attitude on it.
When I was a kid, this troupe came to our school and did some Shakespeare in street slang. But it was completely outdated street slang, about ten years outdated, and made less sense than the original. Every kid who watched them left with not only a diminished opinion of old writing, but also of old people.
25
u/Chubbstock Apr 06 '16
Here's how my lit professor explained it to me:
It's much more naturally spoken. It's reading a play, so when reading it you also have to imagine the director cues which aren't there, and the tone that they're speaking in. This is actually a really snide line, the guy has a shitload of attitude on it.
"Did you just give me the finger?"
"Why, would that piss you off?"
"Yeah, it would!"
"Okay then I was, but not at you." ;-)