www.folger.edu/blogs: Shakespeare is everywhere in America—on our stages, on our screens, and in our everyday conversations. This year, as America commemorates the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding, we’re exploring the larger-than-life role played by an English playwright from more than 400 years ago in American entertainment, education, and history.
1 comment:
I think it’s absolutely fascinating to discuss the prevalence and relevancy of Shakespeare, especially in how it’s only grown in the past decades, in the United States. While it feels like almost every discussion or debate to be had around William Shakespeare has already been said, I believe his work speaks for itself. To me, the prevalence of Shakespeare isn’t necessarily the fact that his plays are still among some of the most commonly produced works across the United States to this day, but rather how he has affected modern culture in even inadvertent ways. Particularly, the cycle of allusions and how the troupes Shakespeare “invented” are still used and expanded upon in much of storytelling today. With all that said, the legacy of Shakespeare is considerably muddied, as there is still so much we don’t know about him as a consequence of time. Shakespeare has been tied to the association of “classic”, when he drew upon countless inspirations from existing work in his era as well. There is considerable proof that Shakespeare’s originality is somewhat fabricated, but it brings up a larger debate of what is considered original, or of anything can be at all. While Shakespeare’s works are still worthy of being studied and expanded upon today, originality and different perspectives that aren’t English/Euro-centeric deserve to be highlighted just as much in addition.
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