Rylan Jayce Purificacion

9th Grade Humanities

Ms. Shirk

May 4th, 2017

Shakespeare

Do not be afraid of greatness: For some are born great, some achieve greatness, and

some have greatness thrust upon them. Shakespeare was one of, if not the most famous bard of

the Renaissance. The playwright has written dozens of plays that are known worldwide. In fact,

he is still the most produced playwright of the modern age. However, there has been debate on

whether he should stay a part of our curriculum, and whether or not he is still relevant.

Shakespeare still has an effect on people today, and should still stay in the classroom because his

ideologies were modern, his plays provide unique views and his writing still has a unique place

in our world, no matter where he was from and who he is.

Despite living 450 years ago, the thoughts, concepts and certain events in his plays were

peculiarly modern. As taken from the words of a teacher named Matthew Truesdale, ... Students

dont foolishly fall in love and over dramatise every facet of that experience? Or feel jealousy or

rage? Or fall victim to discrimination? Or act desperately out of passion? Very big character

moments and events that occur in Shakespeares plays are incredibly relatable to today. This

evidence empathetically points out that those feelings and situations do happen today, and

happened 450 years ago as well. By asking those rhetorical questions that most likely ring true to

the reader, he pushes that he does relate today. In addition, he uses phrases that have the feeling

of Shakespeare, with the tone of them that connects with the reader even more. Shakespeares

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ideas, concepts and situations didnt stick just because they were relatable. They also showed

completely unique views in characters.

In his plays, Shakespeare covers a wide variety of characters, some who were completely

out of his time. What she (Dana Dusbiber) really seems to be saying is that no one should read

anything that isnt like them Shakespeare is more than just a long dead British guy and I

believe he has much to teach us about the human condition Most of us have felt insecurities

that come not because we cant succeed or havent succeeded, but that instead come because of

how we are seen and judged. He personally is trying to convince us that yes, Shakespeare is

relatable, specifically, his characters. By providing an example of how people get insecure, he

emphasises with us, and gives us a reason to relate with Shakespeares characters. And by saying

long dead British guy, he dismisses the stereotype in peoples minds. Both above points have

helped his rise in popularity, but another part of his legacy is that he has been a staple of our

culture.

Shakespeare, despite coming from a time centuries ago, and being a dead white guy,

still has a remarkable effect on the world today, with the spread of other cultures. Also, where

does it say that we cant teach Shakespeare and Oral African Tradition? In fact, why not work to

draw links between the two? Truesdale points out one of the most major criticisms about

Shakespeare, that he came from a time and culture that has been overrepresented, and logically

dismisses the claim, simply by pointing out that it runs on a black and white fallacy. By

suggesting a simple solution, that being that it is possible to read, analyse, compare, and contrast

Shakespeare and literature from other cultures, he also appeals to both sides. It also connects

back to how Shakespeare is prominent in classic English, as stated earlier: The feeling that

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Shakespeare is often representative of that time is not uncommon, and is on a similar level with

other prolific works from other cultures as well. His iconic status combined with his

revolutionary storytelling in terms of characters and plot has kept him relevant and worthy of

teaching.

One major point against Shakespeare that was alluded to is that the curriculum is often

focused around him, and introducing other authors in favor would help widen diversity.

However, his unique and very truthful ideas for people and events, along with the fact that it is

possible to represent multiple cultures with Shakespeare still being taught make it still a good

idea. Shakespeare has a place in the classroom, and a legacy throughout the centuries. Because

he is not only a famous poet, hes also a chronicler of mankind, a show of what humans are like.