Is Shakespeare Relevant Today

Improved Essays
“To be or not to be?” A phrase that has been passed down for nearly 400 years. Hundreds of years have passed since William Shakespeare’s death, but his plays live on. Yet people still argue whether Shakespeare is relevant today or not. Shakespeare is most definitely relevant in today’s classrooms for his substantial work of literature; therefore, his writing deserves to be taught. His work has been profitable and people have been quoting him for years without even knowing it. Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth are some of Shakespeare most popular plays. Most will study or even watch them ones in their life spam. Shakespeare work has been something the society has been profiting from for years. It is taught and performed around all over the world. …show more content…
Why do some people still question if his work is relevant today? His work is relevant today and deserves to be credited because he was a respectable author throughout history. “Kill with kindness”, “Break the ice” and “Heart of gold” popular phrases most probably have used before. But do they know who they are quoting when saying them? These are just a few of the hundreds of phrases people use on the daily basis. Believe it or not, we quote Shakespeare on the daily but no one even recognizes it. Still questioning why he is relevant? His work is part of our language so why do people question if his work is relevant? Shakespeare deserves all the credit his reserves today. His work is something that should be understood by everyone because it’s so active in our society. Which ultimately means

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    A speech by Michael Mack to the college freshmen at the Catholic University in Washington D.C in September 2008 presents his thoughts on why you should read Shakespeare. In his speech Mack produces an effective argument that has great points as to why you should read Shakespeare through his use of rhetorical questions, claims, and analogies. The first device structure that Mack uses to advance his argument is his use of rhetorical questions to help grab the readers attention and persuade them to keep listening. His first rhetoric questions – ''I would like to begin by addressing what I take to be a perfectly honest response to a first reading of Shakespeare, namely - '' I don't get it." ( lines 5-8 )'…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.” - William Shakespeare. No one could have said it any better. Shakespeare is well-known for his raunchy style of writing and his famous work as well. We all have heard about the tragic love story between two young lovers called “Romeo and Juliet”.…

    • 908 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Shakespeare is a author/playwright from the late 16th and 17th century who wrote these amazing plays and stories that impacted people so much that he is still being taught in school today. Many people are now thinking and debating about whether he might be outdated. Many people might have their reasons for not wanting Shakespeare in school anymore and some might be personal opinions, but when you look at the facts. Shakespeare should be taught in schools because of, the core curriculum and the diversity in his writings. Shakespeare has been around for centuries, his work is present in a lot of modern writings.…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Kim Jong Un Research Paper

    • 1054 Words
    • 5 Pages

    It is no secret that keeping up with the times is no easy feat as new technologies are created, new trends and memes are taking over society each day, but there is one writer who has managed to stay relevant more than 400 years after his death. The great William Shakespeare wrote many plays that tackled topics much more meaningful than the exciting adventures of grand people on fairy-tale quests to slay dragons or whatever was relevant in the times of Queen Elizabeth I or King James I. His plays told stories of people from all backgrounds but most of all he is remembered for his tragedies. In many ways his tragedies are the most relevant and will retain importance for many centuries to come because it is the powerful portrayal of humans at…

    • 1054 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Is Shakespeare still relevant ? Yes , Shakespeare is in fact relevant to the ninth grade curriculum . Shakespeare should be taught to ninth graders . It should be taught because it is important to learn about different types of writing .Shakespeare should be taught to the ninth graders because students now about old time writers and things that they have either made up or experienced .…

    • 964 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    While Alexandra Petri in “On the Bard’s Birthday, is Shakespeare Still Relevant?” suggests that Shakespeare in the new, modern, age is unimportant to society now, I concede that no matter what day or age, Shakespeare is an important part of English history. Americans today tend to think of freshman english class and are reminded of the ever so famous “Romeo and Juliet”. You would think that the cherished piece of history were to be around forever, being taught the same way, forever. However, in her work, Petri insists that the studied works of Shakespeare are simply “outdated”.…

    • 97 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    These are the ways that Shakespeare's world is different from our own. There are only going to be a few out of the many differences mentioned. It's exciting to see the difference between the past and the present. Shakespeare was one of the most beloved writer in all of history and this is how different his time period was compared to the modern world today.…

    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Not every story remains relevant or popular for long though, only some do – those that make it into the illustrious Canon Club. What do those texts have that others don’t? *slide* I’ll tell you – they are exceptional because of their author’s incredible skill in the use of aesthetic literary techniques, as well as the fact that they contain universal themes – ideas and views that evoke strong emotions…

    • 1854 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    What is really interesting is how Shakespeare became more and more popular the longer he was dead. Today, Shakespeare is practiced in almost every theater throughout America, let alone all the other countries around the world. People pay a lot of money to watch a performance written by the man himself. Directors for high schools will usually always put on one if not two, reenactments of Shakespeare's plays. He has become a name that not just theater geeks praised, but a name that is known by most of the population.…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    We changed the ball scene of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to a party scene to make it more modern. We also changed it to a party since in today’s society, because people do not throw balls often, and parties are much more likely to occur. We also made it a party because they threw balls to socialize and interact with other people, and we hold parties to do that now. You can see that Shakespeare's work is still very relevant to today's society because it is possible to turn his plays into something that would happen today and the message he was trying to say still comes through clearly and…

    • 112 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    His corruption of power comes to an end when he gets murdered, and his head is put on a pike. I believe that the three main reasons that Shakespeare is still popular is because for one we can relate to many things happening in the story. Another great…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the article “On the bard's birthday is Shakespeare still relevant” they are claiming that Shakespeare is still relevant nowadays. “His plays still tell the truth, buckled down are forced to consult hooked like “no tear Shakespeare, which drives all the poetry” (pg# 372). Shakespeare is relevant because up to this day high school still uses his poetry to influence us. Shakespeare is relevant because his poems can teach us to love or to show compassion about other people or the people we love.…

    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet depicts the lives of two lovers and the events of their lives as they hide their love from their parents. Although written centuries ago, it is still relevant in today’s society. The characters Romeo and Juliet are similar to today's adolescents. Their personalities, attitudes, and emotions mimic those of teenagers today. But their range of emotions and issues are relatable to people of any age, gender or background.…

    • 711 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    William Shakespeare (usually referred to as just “Shakespeare”) is undoubtedly the most famous playwright in history. His works are usually required reading in high schools, and college english classes as well. Almost everyone recognizes his name when it’s mentioned and knows at least one quote from one of his works. He is known worldwide for his plays especially, which are so special because of his ability to convey the inner workings of the human mind and emotion. His writings have lasted for centuries, and remain relatable to this day.…

    • 1765 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Despite the struggle that William Shakespeare endured throughout his life he still managed to become an influential historian, and become successful regardless of his financial, family and career problems. He had a very different childhood than most think he had, and growing up in the Elizabethan era wasn’t the easiest for him either. He took the word success to a whole new level in his time and left a huge impact on the world of theatre as a whole. Shakespeare has been known for his strong writing skills and famous plays, poems and sonnets but behind those famous pieces is a short lived life of endeavors. Throughout his short and difficult life, Shakespeare wrote several collections of plays and poetry that focused on topics that involving the Elizabethan Age which influenced his writings, significantly changed how dramatic performances were received and has had a significant impact on today’s culture.…

    • 2482 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Improved Essays