Many people wonder, what's the big deal about William Shakespeare? He lived, wrote some plays then died and yet, some have regarded Him second only to God in the ways of writing. This is pretty incredible, as I myself have never read anything written by God. You could argue that the Bible was, but indeed, He wrote that through other people, so I don't think it really counts. So, now we can say that Shakespeare is even better than God at writing. And yet, when I have just proven by the logic of deduction that Shakespeare is the best writer in the cosmos of existence, why is it that some people still aren't reading His works round the clock. Seriously, what else is there to do when you have a library full of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets to read all day long. Is it even worth the effort to read another piece of literature when you could be reading William's thirty seven masterpieces. Is it even worth watching television when you could be watching one of His thirty seven masterpieces being performed on stage or screen? Is it even worth it to try and write anything else, when you know you will never be better than God, let alone Shakespeare? Obviously, the answer is no. Still, through the ages, people have tried their hand at writing again and again, in vain I say, in vain! No one will ever write better then He, the odds of winning such a lottery are inconcievable.
Many people living today have never read any Shakespeare and haven't even seen any of his plays performed. Isn't that a downright shame? So, for these people it would only be natural to wonder, why is He still talked about today, and why is it that in every course involving art and literature you've taken since middle school is He crammed down your throut like a panacea during a plague? Well, first of all it's because He's so universal. Everyone can relate to his characters and plots! They are so simple, yet masterfully written, that you can basically plug and play any setting or scenario and it will work beautifully. Shakespeare has taken care of all the thinking and such, the stage directions are right in the dialogue! The stories still work brilliantly today, lets say you wanted an Iraqi Romeo and an American Juliet, and we can also make Juliet a metrosexual male; because of Shakespeare's skill, it works. Don't ask me how, but it works.
Secondly, the themes of His plays are concerned with the basic human emotions. Love, hate, war, jealousy, betrayal, everyone can relate to these emotions, from little toddlers to the elderly. I think a version of Julius Caeser done with Nickelodeon's Rugrats characters would be a real hit, Tommy Pickles, overthrown from his place atop the monkey bars by his best friend Chucky Finster, Jr. The adaptation would write itself. Helping this are His range of characters. His palate is inhabited by a rainbow of different characters, from wealthy kings to overblown dullards to ignorent buffoons. No matter who you are, you can relate to one or two of His characters. His audience's were normally the rich denizens of Stratford in the late 1580's as well as the poor folk who got to sit on the ground, affectionately called the "groundlings." By catering to these two distinct groups, His characters became round, fully realised human beings the audience can readily connect with time and time again.
Thirdly, his body of work comes in one of three different, easily sortable catagories: comedy, tradgedy and history. This makes it easy to choose which one to read at the time based on your current mood. Want to laugh your pants off, read Cymbeline. Want to cry you eyes dry, read Coriolanus. Want to learn history, read Richard II. No matter what type of play you're in the mood for, you'll always be in the mood for one of his terrifically accessible plays. Want to get in touch with your inner self? He's written one hundred and fifty eight timeless sonnets for you to connect with on a deep, personal level. The way His words perfectly say what you are thinking will astound you. His sonnets are so reknowned that His style of writing them is considered an official poem type, studied and practiced in English 102 classes all over the world. You will find that His use of the english language is remarkable, how easily it rolls off the tounge and is dissected by the ear.
His plays are so great that many people try and "adapt" them, meaning copying the plot, characters and plot devices but changing just enough so it's a different story... Kind of like what Shakespeare did when He wrote all His plays. The Lion King is Hamlet in a jungle, Ten Things I Hate About You is The Taming of the Shrew in a high school, and O is Othello in a high school. Many of His plays have been made into movies. Highlights include the Leonardo Dicaprio version of Romeo and Juliet and the Calista Flockhart version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Since King John in 1899, Internet Movie DataBase lists five hundred and sixty one productions of screen versions and/or adaptations of His plays. Impressive. Horror movies only get remade once every few decades, each Shakespearian play is redone for the cinema or a tv mini-series every other year. People must highly enjoy seeing His plays over and over, if you don't there must be something seriously wrong with you.
With all the proceeding evidence, it would be hard for anyone to say that William Shakespeare is not the be-all, end-all in literature, poetry, and theater. His settings, stories, characters and themes are universal; they have been masterfully written so that everyone can enjoy and understand them. I believe it is everyone's duty to spread the word on how incredible this god among mortals really was and how His work has been raised up on a pedestal higher than any other writer should ever hope to achieve.
1. Internet Movie Database - http://www.imdb.com
2. Shakespeare Online - http://www.shakespeare-online.com