How is Shakespeare now relevant today?
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
That is the question that has passed over the lips of countless actors playing Hamlet in the last four centuries on stage and screen. It’s also a question that people in almost every country and in any language know quite well. We can thank playwright William Shakespeare, whose reach is extensive.
In April, people around the world will celebrate the Bard’s timeless works on the 400th anniversary of his death. There will be performances of his plays, readings of his poetry and new publications dedicated to analyzing his prolific and time-honored text.
Hamlet scene
Skullduggery abounds in works by Shakespeare. (Photo/istock)
So why does Shakespeare’s work continue to resonate with each generation?
“Shakespeare reveals a different face to different cultures and different people at different times,” explained Bruce Smith, Dean’s Professor of English and professor of theater at USC.
“When the First Folio of Shakespeare’s work was published in 1623, seven years after his death, Ben Johnson, who was a fellow writer, noted that Shakespeare was ‘not of an age, but for all time.’ That statement can be taken two ways: that the meaning of Shakespeare’s work is always the same or that it is always different. The second interpretation is the one that has been borne out.”
Smith is editor of The Cambridge Guide to the Worlds of Shakespeare, which will be published Feb. 11 by Cambridge University Press. Written for general and academic audiences by an international roster of almost 300 contributors, the guide boasts more than 2,000 pages exploring both Shakespeare’s world and the influence of his works on the world.
Topics range from the language and initial reception of Shakespeare’s plays and poems to studies of his works in popular culture, new media and advertising, as well as their influence on film, religion and fine arts.
Here are six reasons (among countless others) explored in the guide why Shakespeare remains an icon 400 years after his death.some debate about whether Shakespeare is still relevant, and I think that it is. This is an essay that I wrote explaining why I think Shakespeare is relevant today. Enjoy!
Teachers have been seriously debating about whether or not William Shakespeare’s work should still be part of a student’s education. Will he be voted off as irrelevant? Not if I have anything to do about it. In this essay, I will be going over reasons why the Bard’s work is still relevant today, and why it should still be taught in school. Shakespeare’s work is still significantly relevant today because the characters are relatable, works from long ago can still be relevant, and talking about the plays could make for an interesting conversation.
First, Shakespeare’s work is still relevant today because we can relate to the characters. In the article I read that was against teaching Shakespeare, the teacher argues that we are “clinging to” the perspective of one man who lived 450 years ago. I disagree. Shakespeare wrote plays based on his view of life, and were written a long time ago, but his plays are still relatable, and that is one of the things I love about Shakespeare. Some people may say that they would never find themselves in the same situation as one of the people in the Bard’s plays. While this may be true, experiences can still be related to the experiences of the characters.