Shakespeare: Glorified Writer Or Truly Gold

“All that glitters is not gold,” wise words considering they were written over four-hundred years ago. The Bard of Stratford-upon-Avon, otherwise known as William Shakespeare is considered by many to be the one of if not the greatest English writers in all of English literature. He was known for exploring the timeless themes in his plays like love, death, betrayal, guilt, jealousy and plenty more. Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, The Merchant of Venice all household names for students around the world. Shakespeare’s works have been vital parts of English curriculums from High School to College. He is in no doubt an important figure in the history of English literature.

He may have been famous four-hundred years ago and may have been influential to English literature to an extent. But why is he relevant today?

I for one ask that question, with every Romeo and Juliet, with every Othello act and scene that I read I begin to wonder “Why am I reading this guy?”. Surely there are more modern and relevant writers who deserve more attention than someone from four-hundred years ago. Shouldn’t Shakespeare’s ideas be outdated for a modern era?

Some movie directors thought the same. Baz Luhrmann, Australian movie director known for directing Hollywood hits like Moulin Rouge and the Great Gatsby directed the Shakespeare appropriation Romeo + Juliet. He thought some aspects of Shakespeare’s original wouldn’t resonate with a modern movie audience. So many aspects of the original were changed for better or worse. I thought it was quite alright but I could hear cringes from the rest of the viewers who were also watching. Those cringes weren’t without reason, however. Baz Luhrmann took on the tricky job of setting Romeo & Juliet in a sunny, Miami-Esque Verona. Romeo + Juliet had all of the actors speak Shakespearean English which made for some interesting lines. Perhaps the Shakespearean English was the reason there were laughs in the room, clearly, it didn’t resonate with audiences.

Despite some flaws, Baz Luhrmann has hit the ball out of the park with some changes to the original for the film. Instead of swords, guns, instead of horses, Mustangs and instead of Elizabethan doublets, fresh Hawaiian shirts.

A trait that Baz Luhrmann and Shakespeare share is their creative use of drama.

An argument that can be made for Shakespeare’s relevance is the intense drama in both the original and the Baz Luhrmann version that so many modern audiences identify with. Watch any modern reality TV show, Master Chef, Ninja Warrior, The Block, Survivor. People or at least most people don’t stick for the cooking or the home renovations, they stay for the drama. Shakespeare is arguably the most prolific example who has used this formula for success in his writing.

A point that some have against Shakespeare is that because Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets were written over 400 years ago they are irrelevant.

Matthew Truesdale, an English teacher at Wren High School in Piedmont, South Carolina begs to differ. In response to a certain Dana Dusbiber, a long-time teacher at Luther Burbank High School who says Shakespeare a white male, from over 400 years ago isn’t relevant to today’s ethnically diverse students.

Matthew’s counter-argument to Ms Dana Dusbiber is, “To dismiss Shakespeare on the grounds that life 450 years ago has no relation to life today is to dismiss every religious text, every piece of ancient mythology (Greek, African, Native American, etc.), and for that matter, everything that wasn’t written in whatever time defined as “NOW.”

I have to say I agree with Matthew on this one. He is correct to reference how other older texts, such as the Bible or Quran which are hundreds of years older remain relevant to their respective believers. To say Shakespeare is irrelevant just because of the age of his texts is preposterous. Mrs Dana Dusbiber’s position on Shakespeare is understandable. Ethnically diverse students indeed deserve exposure to a wide range of literature that is relevant to them. However, it's not like Shakespeare is the only topic studied in English. Not only that, but don’t ethnically diverse students experience loss, tragedy, love?

Shakespeare may have written for an audience that existed long ago but his themes are universal, they are relevant to everyone.

Romeo and Juliet should be relevant to anyone who has experienced young-love or any kind of love. Have you ever seen a girl and fell in love at first sight? Romeo and Juliet are teenagers. They’re experiencing what most teenagers go through except in a different era and on a more dramatic scale. The both of them fight with their parents over what they believe is right, they do things behind their families backs which often backfires and their changing bodies influence them to make rather impulsive decisions. These struggles should ring close to home for any current teenager.

This brings us back to the beginning. “All that glitters is not gold”, a quote thrown from the start. Was Shakespeare just a glorified writer or was he truly gold? He was gold.