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Relevance of Shakespeare
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Can a man born over 400 years ago still influence the world today? Absolutely, and such a man was William Shakespeare. William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, actor and writer. He is often regarded as the greatest writer of all time. That ideology hasn't diminished over the years at all. His influence is still present when it comes to plays, movies, and other cultural aspects of the world we live in today. William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire, England. His birth and education have been argued about for some time now because there no written evidence of the exact information. This actually led to full out conspiracy theories challenging that idea that Shakespeare actually existed. However, these are just mere speculations that have sparked unwarranted debates over the years. Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway when he was 18 years of age. He had three children: one daughter Susanna, and two boys Hamnet and Judith. Like before, little known existence of Shakespeare was archived until he hit the London theater scene in 1592. 1952 marked the year where theater, poetry and the …show more content…
Is Shakespeare still relevant today? That answer is a resounding yes. The first evidence of the matter is think of your English and reading classes throughout school. Starting in middle school for me, we read his most famous books. In middle school alone I was exposed to Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, and Henry V. That's quite a lot at such a young age but that helped spark the interest of Shakespeare and show just how important he is to our culture. In high school, many of the same books were revisited to go in deeper to the meanings and ideas beyond the words of Shakespeare. School is the main rendition showing how relevant he is today, because we all experience similar things where he is one of the main focal points in those years of
“William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564” (Fandel 8) in the small English town known as Stratford-upon-Avon. William
Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway at 18 and had three children, twin girls and a son,
Shakespeare was and is an extremely crucial figure in the English language. Period. Some may say that “Shakespeare’s use of the English language is irrelevant in today’s modern world”(Dusbiber 1), or simply “Shakespeare is useless”. Some may also refute that there are other great writers out there that are from all sorts of different cultures, that can teach students of different ethnicities the same ideas and same topics that Shakespeare teaches, which may be the case for some people. However, if you look at the
He has retained that modernity for seemingly three centuries. Thirdly, he is the father of all western playwrights. Everybody from Ibsen to O'Neil uses techniques and ideas which can be traced back to Shakespeare. Whatever dramatist in whatever language you are required to study, familiarity with Shakespeare can only be an advantage. Finally, it is fun to study drama. It is fun to dramatise and dress up and fall over dead behind improvised curtains and fence with blackboard pointers, cook up a witches brew and come to school with a spade over your shoulder for the Graveyard Scene.
"William Shakespeare [ at the age 18 ] married Anne Hathaway [ who was 26 ] on November 28, 1582, in Worcester, in Canterbury Province" (William Shakespeare Biography). Their first child was, a daughter who was named Susanna, born on May 26, 1583. They had twins, Hamnet and Judith, two years later on February 2, 1585. "After the birth of the twins, there are seven years of William Shakespeare's life where no record exist" (William Shakespeare Biography). A tragedy stuck this family when Hamnet died at the age of eleven due to an unknown cause. " In 1597 he was able to purchase a large house, New Place, in his native town" (Encyclopedia International).
Is Shakespeare old? Outdated? Shakespeare is something that is taught all across the country in many classes at a variety of ages.Books like “A Midnight Summer’s Dream” and “Romeo and Juliet” and just a few of the examples that are taught. There are some controversies as to whether it should actually be taught or if it is simply a waste of time. Many classes all around the world teach Shakespeare for a number of reasons. As a student who has been taught Shakespeare is an advanced fashion, I have come to the conclusion and strongly believe that it should be taught everywhere. Shakespeare should most certainly be taught because it teaches children important life lessons, it provide a different education, and shows people what the word “love” really means.
Do you think Shakespeare should be taught in schools? If you say no, then let me tell you why you are wrong; most people believe that Shakespeare shouldn't be taught because it’s hard to comprehend or that doesn't relate to us, the readers. But in reality, it gives us a new perspective on how people must have lived back then or on how they responded to situations that we might never have to go through in our lives. For example, in Romeo and Juliet, we are introduced to two young adults that are enemies but they fall in love to show that love is blind and that is true love might exist ( even though they moved on from their previous crushes, Rosaline and Paris ) , this gives me the first situation I want to talk about, which is the problems teenagers or people in general have to deal with and those are love and relationships or commitment . People who say that it doesn't relate to us, please let me explain why it wrong; first, everyone, who has been in a relationship will know that relationship aren't always perfect because you will have problem, arguments, and obstacles.
In the article on the Bard’s birthday, is Shakespeare still relevant?, The author Alexandra Petri, says that “High school students are forced to consult books like “No Fear Shakespeare”.” What she's saying is that students in high school are being forced to learn and know about Shakespeare. Furthermore, it's believed to say that for high school students don't think that it is relevant for them to know about Shakespeare. “Why do we keep dragging class after class, kicking and screaming, through the wilds of “Romeo and Juliet”(Alexandra Petri 373). Alexandra explains that students are taught the poems and plays when the students don't understand the language. Furthermore, students won't pay much attention to the work. So the real question is if people believe he's relevant to high school
Shakespeare is well-known throughout the world today, as it is taught to teenagers in their high school years. The relevance of Shakespeare’s play in today’s day and age is up for great debate as to whether or not it should be taught at all. Many believe that it is a necessity to English class and the overall English language, while other believe it to be a waste of time and energy considering how difficult it is to understand. Shakespeare is no longer relevant in twenty-first century classrooms; therefore, it should not be a requirement in English classrooms. Many English teachers are told that they must teach their students Shakespeare without their opinion on the subject, even though they come to know the children in their classrooms and
Many of his characters and sonnets are known in their original and altered state, although never beyond recognition. "Outside of the classroom, there are movies, ballets, live theater and Shakespearean festivals. Even popular music and television commercials have been built around notable Shakespearean characters like Romeo and Juliet." (Why Do We Still Care About Shakespeare?) Characters, betrayals, and story arcs of Shakespeare's works are referred to or used as plot devices in multiple medias such as Disney's The Lion King, Harry Potter, and even The Muppet Show (Posts about Pop Culture on Shakespeare In Action).
Shakespeare has perhaps contributed the most to the English language of any writer known to man – literally. Over 1000 words and phrases that he coined as part of his plays and prose are now in common use across the globe. He changed nouns into verbs, verbs into adjectives, added on previously unheard-of prefixes and suffixes and in some cases made words out of nothing. Even culturally sensitive words such as ‘ode’ (The ANZACS) and scientific jargon (‘epileptic’) are in fact products of Shakespeare. Bernard Levin probably summed this up best when he wrote: “If you cannot understand my argument, and declare "It's Greek to me", you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger, if your wish is father to the thought, if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle… had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, … - why, be that as it may, the more fool you, for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare;…” (Bernard Levin. From The Story of English. Robert McCrum, William Cran and Robert MacNeil. Viking: 1986).
William Shakespeare's Relevance Today For as long as formal education has existed in Britain it has been a largely standard assumption that teaching the works of William Shakespeare is relevant and necessary. Perhaps the relevance of his writing is taken for granted, perhaps it is necessary to re-examine the role of Shakespeare for the modern audience. There are indeed many people who question the relevance of this 440 year old playwright to a 21st century audience, taking it even as far as perhaps the greatest heresy of all, questioning the necessity of GCSE pupils learning Shakespeare at all.
Everyone knows that William Shakespeare was one of the greatest poets and playwrights of all time but he lived over 400 years ago. So is he still relevant to people of today’s world? The answer is YES, he definitely is, his writing is brilliant and everyone can learn from it. Especially teenagers who are always like “Why do we have to learn about Shakespeare? It isn’t relevant anymore!”
Even though that Shakespeare influenced the world over 400 years ago, his stories, sonnets and plays are all still relevant today. But why are William Shakespeare still so relevant today? It’s the idea and the issues that that Shakespeare addresses that constantly draw people towards him. Shakespeare had a very rare, but good, understanding of the daily situations and the many different emotions that human go through, which are portrayed in his characters.
In November 1582 he married Anne Hathaway. He was 18 and she was 26. They had 3 children. May 1583 they had Susanna then two years later had twins, Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet died at the age of 11. Susanna married a physician in 1607, and Shakespeare's other daughter married to a vintner in 1616.