--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it's always funny when you see…" description: "\"I think it's always funny when you see kids do Shakespeare. When I was at school, I was in Hamlet. I played Claudius, who's supposed to be a 60-year-ol..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87f/steve-coogan-2910_beard_i-think-it-s-always-funny-when-you-see-k_2792674.jpg" --- # I think it's always funny when you see kids do… ![“I think it's always funny when you see kids do Shakespeare. When I was at school, I was in Hamlet. I played Claudius, who's supposed to be a 60-year-old man, and I was like 18. It's inherently ridiculous seeing 18-year-old boys with gray beards. That's always funny.” quote by Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87f/steve-coogan-2910_beard_i-think-it-s-always-funny-when-you-see-k_2792674.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87f/steve-coogan-2910_beard_i-think-it-s-always-funny-when-you-see-k_2792674.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87f/steve-coogan-2910_beard_i-think-it-s-always-funny-when-you-see-k_2792674.jpg) > “I think it's always funny when you see kids do Shakespeare. When I was at school, I was in Hamlet. I played Claudius, who's supposed to be a 60-year-old man, and I was like 18. It's inherently ridiculous seeing 18-year-old boys with gray beards. That's always funny.” [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Playing Shakespeare as a teenager feels absurd because the roles demand ages far beyond the actors’ years, highlighting the comedic mismatch. **In simple terms:** Shakespeare roles feel odd for teens. Key Takeaway Recognize and enjoy the absurdity of age‑inappropriate casting. Themes humor theatre absurdity Mood playful amusing Type humorous observational When to use this quote - school productions - community theatre - college drama clubs - online skits Key Concepts age perception performance art Questions to Reflect On - Why does age mismatch in performance create humor? - When is it appropriate to embrace such absurdity? A Different Perspective Casting age‑appropriate actors may preserve authenticity but reduce comedic effect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beard/) [Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gray/) [Hamlet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hamlet/) [Hamlet Played](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hamlet-played-536991/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Kids Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids-shakespeare-3391860/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Old man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-man/) [Played Claudius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/played-claudius-3391859/) [Ridiculous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridiculous/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/) [Supposed to be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supposed-to-be/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [I have an aunt who believed strongly that teaching kids that Shakespeare is 'hard' is wrong, so she handed me 'Hamlet' when I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seanan-mcguire/i-have-an-aunt-who-believed-strongly-that-teaching-kids-that/) [Seanan McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seanan-mcguire/) > [I think it's always funny when you see kids do Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-think-it-s-always-funny-when-you-see-kids-do-shakespeare/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I played Hamlet, I played Chekhov and Ibsen and all the classics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-korman/i-played-hamlet-i-played-chekhov-and-ibsen-and-all-the-classics/) [Harvey Korman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-korman/) > [Like, that was weird in 'Hamlet 2,' because I played myself there, fully myself, but then I realized, 'Oh, I'm not playing myself. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-shue/like-that-was-weird-in-hamlet-2-because-i-played-myself-there-fully/) [Elisabeth Shue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-shue/) > [It's actually now, more common to see conceptual productions of Shakespearian, which Hamlet is played as a Nazi, or a homosexual, or whatever concept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-teachout/it-s-actually-now-more-common-to-see-conceptual-productions-of/) [Terry Teachout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-teachout/) > [Hamlet has been played by 5,000 actors, no wonder he is crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/hamlet-has-been-played-by-5-000-actors-no-wonder-he-is-crazy/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [I've had this look for about a year. I usually grow this beard out around Christmas. I like to go to malls dressed as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-maron/i-ve-had-this-look-for-about-a-year-i-usually-grow-this-beard-out/) [Marc Maron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-maron/) > [The essential is to excite the spectators. If that means playing Hamlet on a flying trapeze or in an aquarium, you do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/the-essential-is-to-excite-the-spectators-if-that-means-playing/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [“In the gravedigger scene in act V, Hamlet looks upon an anonymous skull and jokes that even Alexander the Great decomposed into dust that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/in-the-gravedigger-scene-in-act-v-hamlet-looks-upon-an-anonymous/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [The two greatest plays ever written were Hamlet and Oedipus Rex, and they're both about father-son relationships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/the-two-greatest-plays-ever-written-were-hamlet-and-oedipus-rex-and/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [There are a thousand ways of playing a good classic. If it were effective, I would play Hamlet on a trapeze.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/there-are-a-thousand-ways-of-playing-a-good-classic-if-it-were/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [I was very moved to see that the name of the boat was Hamlet - an imaginary character becomes so important to people, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-was-very-moved-to-see-that-the-name-of-the-boat-was-hamlet-an/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [Cannot you tell that? Every fool can tell that. It was the very day that young Hamlet was born, he that is mad and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/cannot-you-tell-that-every-fool-can-tell-that-it-was-the-very-day/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/shakespeare-s-hamlet-there-is-nothing-either-good-or-bad-but-thinking/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [“The time is out of joint. O cursed spite,/That ever I was born to set it right!” Thus Hamlet. Yet he concludes: “Nay, come,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-time-is-out-of-joint-o-cursed-spite-that-ever-i-was-born-to-set/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) ## More by Steve Coogan > [As soon as I see period costume, I turn off. It's like hearing drama on Radio 4.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/as-soon-as-i-see-period-costume-i-turn-off-it-s-like-hearing-drama-on/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [A woman wearing a revealing dress will always be sexier than a naked woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/a-woman-wearing-a-revealing-dress-will-always-be-sexier-than-a-naked/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I like to do movies that provoke rather than reinforce conservative values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-like-to-do-movies-that-provoke-rather-than-reinforce-conservative/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I'm gonna hump ya. Like Deputy Dog... Would hump ya.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-m-gonna-hump-ya-like-deputy-dog-would-hump-ya/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [What terrifies me is that I might somehow endorse that view so people think they don't have to read books anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/what-terrifies-me-is-that-i-might-somehow-endorse-that-view-so-people/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I am lucky to be in a profession that is not age dependent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-am-lucky-to-be-in-a-profession-that-is-not-age-dependent/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I think there's as much profundity and wisdom in Shakespeare, more so in fact, than those in the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-think-there-s-as-much-profundity-and-wisdom-in-shakespeare-more-so/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I don't apologize for my behavior anymore. Whatever I do or don't do shouldn't matter. Moral certainty is dangerous. Moral certainty is what makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-don-t-apologize-for-my-behavior-anymore-whatever-i-do-or-don-t-do/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [A womb with a view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/a-womb-with-a-view/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I'm really encouraged by Pope Francis, because I think his attitude is totally laudable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-m-really-encouraged-by-pope-francis-because-i-think-his-attitude-is/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [Knowing about comedy has helped me with the drama. To see people laugh, it's like there are moments of catharsis in the middle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/knowing-about-comedy-has-helped-me-with-the-drama-to-see-people-laugh/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I happen to have a public profile. Ditto newspaper editors. It's a result of what I do, not an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-happen-to-have-a-public-profile-ditto-newspaper-editors-it-s-a/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [The fundamentalists are insistent that they know best. It's a dictatorial attitude towards personal morality, which is a modern creation that came about in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/the-fundamentalists-are-insistent-that-they-know-best-it-s-a/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I use improvisation as a writing tool to help produce material that goes into a script, but a well-crafted script shouldn't sound scripted, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-use-improvisation-as-a-writing-tool-to-help-produce-material-that/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [If the person who can effectively sanction ill-conceived wars can play the electric guitar, which is a symbol of rebellion, then that whole worldview…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/if-the-person-who-can-effectively-sanction-ill-conceived-wars-can/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) [Explore all 145 Steve Coogan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) ## More Beard quotes > [A beard is something that is almost like a mirror to the viewer. When someone sees you wearing a beard, they're seeing something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/a-beard-is-something-that-is-almost-like-a-mirror-to-the-viewer-when/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“Nay! Faith, let me not play a woman! I have a beard coming!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/nay-faith-let-me-not-play-a-woman-i-have-a-beard-coming/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The barman sidled toward them out of a back room. He was a grump-looking old man with a great deal of a long gray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-barman-sidled-toward-them-out-of-a-back-room-he-was-a-grump/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was born with a beard. We're quite hairy down in Latin America. We don't have to use sponges when we wash dishes. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devendra-banhart/i-was-born-with-a-beard-we-re-quite-hairy-down-in-latin-america-we/) [Devendra Banhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devendra-banhart/) > [“beard framing a face that had started to show his age, weathered and lined from years”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-allibone/beard-framing-a-face-that-had-started-to-show-his-age-weathered-and/) [Richard Allibone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-allibone/) > [If I can play, and change the mind of one person about being a Muslim player and having a beard, then I'll feel as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moeen-ali/if-i-can-play-and-change-the-mind-of-one-person-about-being-a-muslim/) [Moeen Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moeen-ali/) > [“Pride is like a beard. It is just keeps growing; the solution?- Shave it every day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ong/pride-is-like-a-beard-it-is-just-keeps-growing-the-solution-shave-it/) [George Ong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ong/) > [“I have no idea why this is. I’m sure somebody with a beard and too much time on their hands would say it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-spalding/i-have-no-idea-why-this-is-i-m-sure-somebody-with-a-beard-and-too/) [Nick Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-spalding/) > [They were bullyin' him, Hermione, 'cause he's so small!" said Hagrid. "Small?" said Hermione. "Small?" "Hermione, I couldn't leave him," said Hagrid, tears now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-were-bullyin-him-hermione-cause-he-s-so-small-said-hagrid-small/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Allow me," said the elf, proffering Gimlet's beard to Frito, who was now sneezing uncontrollably.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-harvard-lampoon/allow-me-said-the-elf-proffering-gimlet-s-beard-to-frito-who-was-now/) [The Harvard Lampoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-harvard-lampoon/) > [Never insult a mans beard, you either get thunder or lightning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/si-robertson/never-insult-a-mans-beard-you-either-get-thunder-or-lightning/) [Si Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/si-robertson/) > [If we didn't live venturously, plucking the wild goat by the beard, and trembling over precipices, we should never be depressed, I've no doubt;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/if-we-didn-t-live-venturously-plucking-the-wild-goat-by-the-beard-and/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [If I had to choose between the two ways of approaching the deity, I should prefer the existential relational way, to the abstract philosophical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-moore-cross/if-i-had-to-choose-between-the-two-ways-of-approaching-the-deity-i/) [Frank Moore Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-moore-cross/) > [“Shave that Moses beard and you might have better luck. Women don’t want to kiss carpet, you know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kody-keplinger/shave-that-moses-beard-and-you-might-have-better-luck-women-don-t/) [Kody Keplinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kody-keplinger/) > [If Elmore Leonard met Jim Thompson down a dark alley at midnight they might emerge a week later with thick beards, bloodshot eyes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/if-elmore-leonard-met-jim-thompson-down-a-dark-alley-at-midnight-they/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) [Browse all 588 Beard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beard/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think it's always funny when you see kids do Shakespeare. When I was at school, I was in Hamlet. I played Claudius, who's supposed to be a 60-year-old man, and I was like 18. It's inherently ridiculous seeing 18-year-old boys with gray beards. 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