Is Shakespeare still relevant today? I said yes when I first read the question, because it just made sense, then I disagreed with myself and said no, then I thought about it some more, and decided yes again. It was all very confusing, until I decided to research it and get another opinion.
The first search result was: Five reasons why Shakespeare is still relevant. BUUUT... their points didn't seem to convince me. So I decided to go PAST the first few search results. Finally, I've painfully decided that yes, he is still relevant today.
Firstly, his work is as/even more popular than they ever were, which means many people are interested and entertained by his work. And people have every right to be interested, I mean, they contain a lot of violence (which exists today), strong feelings written with the most expressive words and language (which we can all relate to), and very memorable characters (whether they were EXTREMELY annoying, or extraordinarily lovable). We can all relate to his work somehow, even if it's just one line from one of his plays.
Secondly, Shakespeare lived in a time of social ambiguity, very similar to ours. His plays can reach out better to modern audiences, bewildered by change and violence than to the people of his times who had no clue as to why Shakespeare was writing about changes, deception and senseless violence.
IN THE END, as much as I don't want to admit it, because I hate Shakespeare and I find his work very boring. However, the messages he sends through those plays are genius, and it can relate to the time we live in today, whether it's us personally, or the issues occurring around the world. So yes, I'm concluding that he is still relevant today, as schools all around the world teach high school students about his work. His plays are classics in English literature for their expressive language and dramatic structure. His plays offer actors some of the greatest roles, look at Romeo and Juliet (Leonardo DiCaprio). Movies based on Shakespeare plays tend to do well at the modern box office.
Also, have you ever thought of words or quotes you use now that Shakespeare has made up? I know you're probably saying no way, because we don't use words like thou, and i'the. But, there are lots of famous quotes that we say today that Shakespeare made up. I was surprised too, but I was even more surprised to see that some of the MOST USED sentences/words are his. Did you know:
The first search result was: Five reasons why Shakespeare is still relevant. BUUUT... their points didn't seem to convince me. So I decided to go PAST the first few search results. Finally, I've painfully decided that yes, he is still relevant today.
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| Shakespeare taught at schools |
Firstly, his work is as/even more popular than they ever were, which means many people are interested and entertained by his work. And people have every right to be interested, I mean, they contain a lot of violence (which exists today), strong feelings written with the most expressive words and language (which we can all relate to), and very memorable characters (whether they were EXTREMELY annoying, or extraordinarily lovable). We can all relate to his work somehow, even if it's just one line from one of his plays.
Secondly, Shakespeare lived in a time of social ambiguity, very similar to ours. His plays can reach out better to modern audiences, bewildered by change and violence than to the people of his times who had no clue as to why Shakespeare was writing about changes, deception and senseless violence.
IN THE END, as much as I don't want to admit it, because I hate Shakespeare and I find his work very boring. However, the messages he sends through those plays are genius, and it can relate to the time we live in today, whether it's us personally, or the issues occurring around the world. So yes, I'm concluding that he is still relevant today, as schools all around the world teach high school students about his work. His plays are classics in English literature for their expressive language and dramatic structure. His plays offer actors some of the greatest roles, look at Romeo and Juliet (Leonardo DiCaprio). Movies based on Shakespeare plays tend to do well at the modern box office.Also, have you ever thought of words or quotes you use now that Shakespeare has made up? I know you're probably saying no way, because we don't use words like thou, and i'the. But, there are lots of famous quotes that we say today that Shakespeare made up. I was surprised too, but I was even more surprised to see that some of the MOST USED sentences/words are his. Did you know:
- Knock-knock jokes were based off him?
- Also,when people say, fight fire with fire, which means to use the same method as another person did to get revenge? (King John) You can read more about the origin of that saying here
- For goodness' sake.
Well done Joelle. I was really amazed when you said that he was behind that knock-knock jokes. That's extraordinary! I LOVE how your blog post is short and concise, it 1.makes me life easier 2.makes it more enhancing to the audience. Good job x
ReplyDeleteI always love your blogs they're always so easy to read :) I love how you always put your own opinion in them. I really liked how at the bottom you put a few facts like the knock, knock jokes were based on him and we still used his sayings today :) Good Job :D
ReplyDeleteAnd as promised, I shall comment!!!!! JOELLE, THE INTRO WAS SO.. BLOGGER-Y! I LOVED IT! I loved the fact that it was straight forward and to the point, and I agree with you very much, especially the part about him phrases stemming back to him. Did you know that he basically invented the word Swagger? So there you go Justin Bieber. Kudos to the Biebs for referencing Shakespeare. And kudos, Joelle, for writing something extremely interesting. If anything, my short attention span did not wander off for a split second. My train of thought kept progressing as the post did. A JOB WELL DONE!
ReplyDeleteN O T B O R I N G A T A L L
I don't know why, but this entry made me laugh out loud! Not sure that any other person in class could be as negative and positive at the same time - like a good 'sweet and sour chicken' at the Chinese takeaway! Good work!!
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