"I wasn't always such a great fan of Shakespeare, mind you. I can guess we all at one time had it rammed down our necks at school, which tends to take the edge off it"

Christopher Eccleston reflects on his evolving relationship with Shakespeare, capturing a common experience shared by many. The admission of not always being a great fan suggests a journey from indifference or even resistance to eventual appreciation. There’s a nod to the reality that, for most people, their first encounters with Shakespeare happen in school settings, where the works are often presented as obligatory rather than enjoyable. The phrase “had it rammed down our necks” is viscerally evocative, implying force, discomfort, and a lack of agency. This suggests that Shakespeare, rather than being discovered organically, is introduced in a way that may feel coercive or overwhelming to young minds.

Such an experience can dull the allure of the material. When art and literature are mandated rather than explored, students may come to associate them with tedium, struggle, or frustration. The phrase “takes the edge off it” communicates that the initial excitement, the spark that artistic works are capable of igniting, is often blunted by the manner of their presentation. There’s humor and self-awareness in Eccleston’s voice, candid about having shared that sense of reluctance despite his later accomplishments and recognition as an actor renowned for Shakespearean roles.

Implicitly, Eccleston’s words critique educational practices that prioritize rote learning over personal engagement and living appreciation. The statement resonates for anyone who rediscovered a work, an author, or a genre as an adult, only to realize how much their creative potential had been obscured by earlier teaching methods. It acknowledges the universal tension between education as a system and the authentic encounter with great literature. Ultimately, Eccleston hints that genuine enthusiasm for Shakespeare, or for any art form, often arrives later, freed from the pressures of curricula and the anxieties of adolescence, inviting audiences to encounter such works on their own terms.