Can anybody tell me if Shakespeare is relevant to today and if so why or why not? I have to give reasons for why he is relevant for school and I have totally no idea.
Thx
2007-07-21 15:06:17 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Homework Help
Shakespeare wrote about people - and people haven't changed that much. Young men and women still fall in love with people their parents consider inappropriate, just like Romeo and Juliet. The still lust for power, just like Mark Anthony, they still behave foolishly, just as they do in A Midsummer Night's Dream. And it is this factor that makes Shakespeare relevant today and will keep him relevant as long as people interact with each other in the basic relationships of love, hate, fear, pressures of war, and ambition.
2007-07-21 15:41:16 · answer #1 · answered by old lady 7 · 7⤊ 0⤋
Yes, he is. He wrote very honestly about societal problems, relationships, war, peace, love, fantasy, etc...and managed to be accepted by both the peasantry and the nobility. Although the outside facets of society have changed today, we still have the same issues in our lives. We still face unrequited love, we still struggle with revenge, and we still have the urge to tell off our bosses, to their face, and have them think it's a compliment :-)
I would suggest reading some prose versions of his works. The language and meter that he uses can be difficult to understand if you're not used to it, and unless you've got someone who can show you how to work with it, that can hinder you from understanding what he was trying to get across.
Also, his works were not meant to be read - they were meant to be seen and heard. Get some DVDs of anything with Kenneth Brannaugh...he's an amazing Shakespearean actor and director, and brings the plays alive in a way that's both true to Shakespeare and easy for today's folks to understand.
Hope that helps!
2007-07-21 15:19:04 · answer #2 · answered by hsmomlovinit 7 · 8⤊ 0⤋
I'm certain someone will call me illiterate, uneducated, stupid and any adverbs they think will apply. I don't care! I don't think he was relevant even when/then.
2007-07-21 15:27:48 · answer #3 · answered by LucySD 7 · 4⤊ 7⤋
Read him and then decide for yourself. It's called applying intellect.
2007-07-21 15:10:03 · answer #4 · answered by chameleon 4 · 2⤊ 8⤋