William Shakespeare: contemporary even after 400 years

By Shivangi Tripathi

It's been around 400 hundred years since William Shakespeare wrote his last play 'The Two Noble Kinsmen', published in the year 1613, yet even today Romeo and Juliet are epitome of pure romance. In the age of rom-coms, what makes Romeo and Juliet alive?

William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, 160 kms from London.

But great minds are not confined by borders. His characters were embraced by people all over the world as their own. His influence was such that his works have been translated in hundreds of languages. Although he was British, his influence among Americans is eminent. 'The Folger Shakespeare Library' in Washington D.C. is the world's largest collection of printed works of William Shakespeare. The exhibit at Folger has a copy of 'First Folio' which is one of the earliest references of Shakespeare's work into the new world. It contains some of his most commended works like' The twelfth night', 'The Hamlet' and 'The Tempest'.

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His carrier as a playwright is said to have started as early as 13 years of age on the London stage. The vast acceptance of his characters as real with real human emotions is said to be the reason that it even resonates with the readers today. The powerful poetic writing and phrases such 'Et tu brute' or 'The most unkindest cut' is bound to leave a permanent mark for just the depth and understanding of human emotions.

Later, after being financially stable, Shakespeare became a land owner and a major shareholder of Globe Theatre whose exact replica now stands in London.

Along with the universal appeal of his characters Academia has helped a lot in taking Shakespeare to the next generation readers by making it a compulsory reading in high schools. Whatever be the reason, definition of genres like tragedy, comedy or romance is always incomplete without the reference of his works.

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