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Why do we as a culture drone on about shakespeare, teach it in school etc, surely there are thousands of other live and dead authors, playwrights, poets that are as good or better?
Who gives a monkeys, its very difficult to follow his old language as well.
Move on i say.
The first and main reason, and this is just how I feel, is that in his body of work he was able to address ALL THINGS HUMAN. It encompasses emotions, motivations, actions, reactions, relationship types, intellectual processes, natural occurrences in a human being's life, and some unnatural. All that, under such different settings as fantastical, historical, realistic.
The fact that he's done it so well over 400 years ago is what makes him remain so current, as we are, in essence, just as human as the theater goers back then were. Sure we speak somewhat differently, but the contents of his plays still speak to and about each of us.
As for his "old language" being difficult to follow, one simple trick, which also serves those who are not appreciative of having to study Shakey: read it aloud. It suddenly becomes so much easier to understand.
I shall stop myself, otherwise I won't know which scene I'll end up performing for you to prove Shakespeare is actually quite fun and the source of all secrets of humankind.
Rosemary, that's for remembrance... Jealousy, the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on... Ummm... Can't decide... To be or not to... Where art thou...? Out! Damned spot!
Very interesting that I come across this write now because today in acting class, we had to recite a Shakespear monologue. I know why they do it because Shakespeare is very complex in his language and the acting style, and on the side of that it one of the most difficult things to memorize. They give us these assignments to challenge us; a lot like when they put a lot of algerbra on a ath test. As far as why Shakespeare is more popular than his play writing counterparts, I would say it is because he was ahead of his time. Such as "Romeo and Juliet". Most plays during that time were written as a comedy or tragedy or romance but "Romeo and Juliet" was a feel of more than just that, making it ahead of it's time. As far is if it is true whether Shakespeare wrote all of his plays or if here was just passing off someone else's work, no one really know. I guess we have only evidence to go by on that case ;)
I find Poe to be more interesting. He was on opium.
Also, the movie looks like it will be interesting :)
We continue to teach and learn about Shakespeare because he was a legend. His work was some of the best that the world has ever seen. Simple as that.
I don't think we are "obsessed" with Shakespeare. I read Julius Caesar at school when I was 13 and that was about it in terms of having it foisted upon me. I probably spent longer learning about longshore drift or the abolition of Prussia.
Unlike the latter two, studying Shakespeare led to a lifelong interest for me. I'm glad I was given the opportunity just as I'm sure other students were glad to learn about, say, differential calculus or pi bonding in homonuclear diatomic molecules, which may have led to lifelong interests of their own.
Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer. The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles.