Is Shakespeare Still Relevant?

The end is nigh!

As exam block slowly approaches, so does the end of this blog. Oh how sad it will be to not dedicate my weekends to writing weekly blog entries. So very sad.

Let's save some sarcasm for the actual blog...


I just thought I'd include a quick definition:

Relevant.
Definition: closely connected or appropriate to the matter in hand.

Is William Shakespeare still relevant?

In my opinion, no, William Shakespeare is not still relevant. Why? He is a man who died just under 400 years ago. 

Is William Shakespeare's work still relevant?

Considering his plays are still being idolised, recreated and performed and his material is being etched in to teenagers brains (literally) everywhere around the world...OF COURSE!

Shakespeare, now a hated man upon many high-school students, a cherished man of teachers (unless they are marking work pertaining to him) and a respected man of many theatre-goers.

Out of what William did in his life, these following points are the most significant:

• Wrote 38 plays and 157 sonnets. Most of his plays are still world famous theatre productions.
• Via his plays he portrayed a new and improved version of the English Language, most of which is still integrated into modern English. 
• He created a diverse cast of characters for each and every one of his plays, providing the world with examples of the qualities you can inherit as a person, all good and bad.
• His plays consisted of timeless stories and plots which can still be enjoyed by many to this day due to their engrossing themes.

So regarding all these above points; is he really still relevant to modern society? Sure a lot of modern English vocabulary contains input from Shakespeare, but... does he really matter? I hate to break it to you but he has been dead for 398 years. Even though Shakespeare is dead, his countless pieces of intricate and fascinating literature work continue to thrive and live on. The man himself does not need to be here in order for students to learn from his plays or for a thespian to enjoy performing his masterpieces.

Shakespeare's work as a whole (his plays, his sonnets, his books) are all extremely relevant in today's society. Little did you know, Shakespeare created at least 1700 words that are now in the English dictionary! A few examples of these words are: submerge, watchdog, unreal.
By adding to the English dictionary, Shakespeare was able to structure his poems and plays with such decadence and control that when spoken, their effect was much larger than that of a regular sentence. For the past who knows how long, William's plays and sonnets have been studied, analysed and seen by students all around the world. Both of my parents studied Hamlet and here I am, studying Macbeth (Macbeth is better!). I even went with school to see an adapted version of Macbeth which I enjoyed very much! Shakespeare's plays being taught in school allow for students to understand the origin of a very important factor of the English language. William's plays also include countless well-formed characters who all share qualities that are good, bad, beautiful or even ugly. Students are able to take a lot out of the actions of the many characters in the plays, possibly educating them on how to be a better person based on their human morals or judgement.

Regarding his plays.. they were a hit back in the 1600's. It isn't exactly the 1600's anymore is it? BUT WHO CARES?! Shakespeare's plays are still to this day enjoyed by millions; whether it'd be on screen or performed professionally. In a previous blog entry I mentioned that his plays had been adapted into movies. This is because they are of such relevance and include themes that match in with today's society and preferences, obviously forming a well structured and though-out movie! For example, I really like The Lion King which is based on Macbeth by Shakespeare (thanks, Alyyar).

Most of Shakespeare's plays include themes of horror, action, death, comedy, romance and/or power. If you think about it, all those themes are evident in probably every movie produced and released in modern cinema. This shows just how big an influence Shakespeare and his work have been.


So, in conclusion it can be identified that William Shakespeare is not relevant in modern society BUT his pieces of work definitely are! Who knows if students will still be studying his work in the future or if his plays are still being performed? And who cares? That is the future, so for now we shall live in the present.

Until next time!