Keely Malone

A WORLD WITHOUT SHAKESPEARE?!

William Shakespeare was an English playwright and poet. With a birth date unknown, he was baptised in 1564 and died in 1616. Many people argue, saying “Is Shakespeare still relevant?”. In my opinion, I don’t see where the English language or Arts would be without him today!

Shakespeare’s plays with a modern Interpretation:

  The Twelfth Night – She’s The Man

In the Twelfth Night Viola gets separated from her twin brother (Sebastian) in a shipwreck and she thinks that he is dead. Viola decides to disguise herself as man and calls herself Cesario. Viola dressed as a man goes to the Duke to look for work as a musician. She then finds out that the Duke loves Olivia but she doesn’t love him back!! Viola begins to fall for the Duke and the Duke’s “would-be-lover” falls in love with Cesario (who is really Viola!). Olivia ends up marrying Viola’s brother, Sebastian, and Viola is forced to reveal to everyone who she really is. In the end she marries the Duke 😀 

“Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”

She’s the Man (one of many people’s favourite movies) is based on the Twelfth Night. The use of Shakespeare’s “gender-bending, disguises and love triangles” have been made suitable for people in our generation to actually enjoy haha. Amanda Bynes plays the role of Viola. Viola pretends to be her twin brother at his new high school, when he goes away on holiday. Viola falls in love with a boy named Duke and the girl who Duke is in love with (Olivia) falls in love Viola (pretending to be Sebastian of course!). When Viola is playing at a soccer grand final against her ex-boyfriend, Sebastian returns and there is no other option but to say who she really is. Olivia ends up dating Sebastian and Viola ends up dating Duke… this is so similar to the Twelfth Night it’s insane!!

Romeo and Juliet – West Side Story

Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona. There is a long history of hatred between the Montague and the Capulet families. Romeo and Juliet are star-crossed lovers and arrange to be married in secret. Juliet fakes her death so she can escape from home and be with Romeo. When Romeo finds her like this, he did not know that it was only a hoax and poisons himself! Juliet then realises what had happened and kills herself… the feud between the two families end.

“I love thee, I love but thee with a love that shall not die till the sun grows cold and the stars grow old.”

West Side Story is based on Romeo and Juliet and is set in New York’s upper west side. The rivals gangs Sharks and the Jets represent the Capulet and Montague families. When Tony (ex-member of the Jets) meets Maria (Bernardo from the Shark’s sister), they instantly fall in love. They start meeting in secret and plan to run away together! Tony is told that Maria had been shot for loving him. Except when he sees Maria and realises that this wasn’t true, he is shot. The hatred between the gangs end, just like in Juliet. The only difference between their endings is that Maria does not die in this movie.

Words/Phrases Shakespeare created which are still used today:

Many words and phrases which Shakespeare created are still used today. Some ways in which he created words were by changing nouns into verbs, changing verbs into adjectives and connecting words that have never been put together before! Some of these words and phrases include:

addiction

cold-blooded

fashionable

fair play

 break the ice

for goodness sake

knock knock, who’s there

lie low

swagger

“A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool”

Shakespeare’s Universal Themes:

All of Shakespeare’s plays are centered on relationships between self and others. His plays support the concept of “Divine right of kings”- the belief that monarch’s power comes directly from God and that the monarch is only answerable to God. Shakespeare’s themes such as love, fate, corruption and power are still relevant today. These are universal issues, making them relatable to today’s society. Lovers still fight against the will of their families, married couples still cheat on each other and men still kill on another. The vocabulary in which Shakespeare used may have changed, aswell as the way that the characters dressed, but the themes that Shakespeare used are still the same.

“The course of true love never did run smooth”- A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Characters then and now:

In Shakespeare’s time, woman are considered to be possessions to men. Women in his plays were STRONG, CAPABLE and INTELLIGENT! Women would often dress as men, making them free to go out in the world on their own, save men’s loves and help them with love. Some women didn’t dress like men but would act like men eg: Lady Macbeth. Women in Shakespeare’s time were also often seen as nagging and argumentative. Shakespeare gave many of his female characters a sense of will and intelligence which outshone the males!! Men would play the role of women back in Shakespeare’s plays as there were no actresses back in the “Elizabethan times”.

These character roles have greatly impacted today’s society. In many movies a lot of girls are seen as strong and independent, just like in Shakespeare’s plays. In some movies women are also seen as heroes and intelligent, influential people! One of the most known girl superheroes is Wonder Woman!!

To sum up the purpose of my blog in four words… SHAKESPEARE IS STILL RELEVANT!!! 🙂