Russell Brand wants kids to know that Shakespeare's plays are about sex

Like so many other human beings, Russell Brand has some thoughts on William Shakespeare. He did, after all, play Trinculo in Julie Taymor's adaptation of The Tempest. But the comedian thinks that the Bard would be better appreciated by students if somebody told them that most of the playwright's work was, in way or another, about sex.

And who better to tell them than Russell Brand?

"I studied Shakespeare at school, yes. I think sometimes in British schools they kind of thrust it upon you — I had some good teachers in my school, I don't want to put it down — but the way Shakespeare is presented to you, it just seems dense.

If they said to you, 'This is about sex and violence and in the time when it was written it was a very bawdy form of entertainment,' like you could go to a public execution or see a Shakespeare play.

Also it's not meant to be read, it's meant to be performed, and that's why it's really great to see it in this format. Julie Taymor has done such a good job [with The Tempest]; it's so visceral and the funny bits are funny and the dramatic bits are intense."

On the other hand, anyone wanting to know more about the story of Spider-Man is advised to steer clear of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.