UNIVERSITY OF SARAJEVO

YEAR: 2011/2012

Faculty of Philosophy

English Department

ESSAY:

Shakespeare and the popular culture

Mentor : : Doc.dr.Shahab Yar Khan Student: Amina Mujanović

The introduction

William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) was a famous English poet and playwright who wrote

numerous famous works such as 154 Sonnets and highly successful stories and theater

plays. In Elizabethan England he was considered rather controversial but also famous and

influential. The critics of that time believed that his stories are unusual because of his

ability of mixing the tragic with comedy. From 17 century his popularity spread abroad

and he became a role model for many famous authors as: Victor Hugo, Goethe and

Voltaire. The Victorians produced his plays as spectacles on a grand scale and the critics

from 20 century defined his writing as avant-garde (highly innovative). 

Shakespeare's life and works, taken the course of four centuries, that have been performed

in early theaters and courts have managed to stay popular and influential today, in the age

of mass media. In 21 century they include stage and screen performances, musicals,

television shows and movies. Even today he is considered to be the greatest writer in the

English literature and an excellent playwright. Shakespeare’s ability to summarize the

range of human emotions in a simple and profoundly eloquent verse is perhaps one of the

greatest reasons for his lasting popularity. Quotes and verses such as: „“Shall I compare

thee to a summer’s day? „, “We are such stuff as dreams are made on„ and the most

famous “To be, or not to be: that is the question„, have become a part of the modern

culture and sayings from numerous movies and TV shows. His ability to create almost

perfect storylines and plots, detailed way in which he describes his iconic characters such

as Juliet, Hamlet, Romeo and many others, and skill to create a stories full of different

themes and motives made modern audience to correspond to his stories.

“William Shakespeare was the most remarkable storyteller that the world has ever known.

Homer told of adventure and men at war, Sophocles and Tolstoy told of tragedies and of

people in trouble. Terence and Mark Twain told cosmic stories, Dickens told melodramatic

ones, Plutarch told histories and Hand Christian Andersen told fairy tales. But

Shakespeare told every kind of story – comedy, tragedy, history, melodrama, adventure,

love stories and fairy tales – and each of them so well that they have become immortal. In

all the world of storytelling he has become the greatest name. „

Why is Shakespeare popular for 400 years?

Romeo and Juliet, one of Shakespeare's most popular plays and tragedies has numerous

cultural references including 64 cinematic renderings, and has been performed thousands of

times on stage. It is the greatest love story ever written and names Romeo and Juliet will

always present symbol of the everlasting love. Some of the most famous adaptations of

Romeo and Juliet are: the 1998 Oscar winning “Shakespeare in Love„, Baz Lurhmann's 1996

version of “Romeo and Juliet„ and a theatrical masterwork “West Side Story„, produced by

Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. .

Hamlet, without doubt is one of the greatest dramatic characters in Shakespeare's works and

hero of the story that tackles theme of psychology numerous years before its concept was

invented. It presents story with themes such as suicide, revenge, murder and frailty of women

that are as relevant today as they were 400 years ago. Hamlet is described as a young man

who has problems with his past, his mother, his beloved Ophelia and with inner self. These

subjects are still present in the modern world and readers, especially youth, can relate

themselves to Hamlet or Ophelia, a heart broken young woman. The popularity and

connection to the modern culture led to numerous references to Hamlet, such as in famous

movies as: “True Romance„, “Big Lebowski„, “Lion King„ and „Strange Brew„ and there are

also many adaptations of this tragedy such as “Hamlet„ from 1998 and 2000.

Shakespeare wrote great dialogues and used power of language and ability to create

compelling characters and beautiful poems. His collection of 154 love sonnets such as “Shall I

compare thee to a summer's day” are the most famous. Readers enjoy this intriguing, exciting

story of love triangle and forbidden love. During the eighteenth century, their reputation in

England was relatively low but the mystery and theme of secret love became popular in 20

century and the sonnets were reprinted in many editions.

Finally, William Shakespeare is the master of English language and Modern English has been

heavily influenced by his writings. Today, we use his words and phrases in everyday

conversation, we find ourselves in characters of Romeo,Juliet,Hamlet and in their sad stories.

We enjoy reading his love poems and his comedies. He was and still is a iconic person and a

role model for numeorus writers and poets. He has written some of the best lyrical literary

works ever to have been written and his style and abilities have been unmatched by any other

author. Shakespeare’s themes were true as in his era as they are in modern times.  

 "He was not of an age, but for all time!" ( Ben Jonson )

Bibliography :

1. Douglas Lanier, “Shakespeare and Modern Popular Culture„ ; Oxford University Press, 7. 11.

2002.

2. The New York Times. The New York Times. Web. 06 June 2012.

<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/11/books/chapters/chapter-shakespeare.html?_r=1>.

3. Huffstutler, Holly. "Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, in Popular Culture and

Film."Helium. Helium, 17 Apr. 2009. Web. 06 June 2012.

<http://www.helium.com/items/1418636-cultural-references-to-romeo-and-juliet>.