After reading the assigned poems for the week I began to wonder, “Why Shakespeare? What makes him one of the most popular and thought provoking poet/play writer of the 1600 century?” Shakespeare’s ability to appeal to the common man in his poems and plays has allowed him to cross the centuries and connect with readers today.
Shakespeare, unlike most 1600 century writers has been able to connect to the common audience. Though Romeo and Juliet was written about two upper class families the themes of love, loss and misunderstanding enable the common people to connect with the story. The power of these themes and there connection with humanity as a whole, allow Shakespeare to connect with audiences today, though he wrote the play over 400 years ago. Each of Shakespeare’s plays contain universal themes that still enable the story to tug at the heart strings of the modern day audience.
In addition to Shakespeare’s plays, his poems also contain similar qualities. Sonnet 73 Shakespeare writes about the universal theme of death. His ability to connect his work with universal themes and his literary skill in conveying his images and thoughts in a manner that is timeless itself, allows his work to continue to be appreciated today.
4 comments:
I had never really thought about this question before, just sort of taken it for granted. But really, you make a good point. People aren't just famous for no reason, (unless you're Paris Hilton of course)Shakespeare was generally known for connecting with the common man, and in many of his plays the upper class is ridiculed. His formal writing and complex plots would also appeal to the nobles and the educated. Nice work!
this is really interesting because i never really thought why shakespear is famous and remembered after so many years. He is even in education and you can take classes just on shakespeare. It just reminds me of what great things people are capable of.
They say that there are only twenty or less stories that are just being constantly reused and retold in different formats. Shakespeare certainly had a knack for setting the bar high in each one of those categories, though!
I completely agree with you. What makes Shakespeare still so popular 400 years later is the relatable qualities to his plays and poems. He incorporates comedy, romance, and drama into universal human situations. One of his plays, "Taming of the Shrew" was adapted to a musical "Kiss Me Kate" in 1948 and then into a movie, "10 Things I Hate About You" in 1999. While they have been modernized as time passes, Shakespeare's main story line lives on and is relateable to many audiences.
Post a Comment