To be or not to be...dominant for centuries

Hear ye, fair readers of mine own random ramblings,

yesternight ‘twas the oft celebrat’d birth of good William.

Methinks ‘tis happen’d four hundred and forty eight times o’er.  

While his exact birthday cannot be confirmed, April 23^rd has long been the agreed upon date to honour William Shakespeare (1564−1616).

And despite the mystery shrouding aspects of his life, and the controversy and intrigue generated by his art, everyone from historians, English professors and literary critics to conspiracy theorists and ninnies can agree that the Shakespearean works have staying power.

For more than four centuries, Shakespeare's works have influenced theatre goers, readers, teachers, students and people from all walks of life. I know I’ll never forget my initiation, as a pre-teen bowled over by Shakespeare's language and wit. My mother encouraged me to read “Twelfth Night” and then we took in an incredible performance of that play at Stratford, Ontario. (Thanks, Mom!)

Regardless of whether English-speaking individuals have studied his work, Shakespeare shaped the way they talk and write.

The Oxford English Dictionary credits Shakespeare for coining 1602 original words and enriching the English language with 8085 new meanings for words. For example, if not for him, we may never have uttered the following terms: bedroom, marketable, skim milk, champion, advertising, swagger, gossip, lonely, generous, compromise, night owl, one fell swoop, strange bedfellows, fair play, clothes make the man, foregone conclusion and bated breath.

Shakespeare also created characters whose names will forever be primarily associated with him (e.g., Romeo, Juliet, Ophelia, Macbeth, Claudius, Brutus, Othello).

Yeah, Shakespeare’s dominance is beyond doubt. Monumental, according to poet laureate Ben Jonson, who wrote the intro to Shakespeare’s first folio. In that piece, Jonson described his “beloved” friend the Bard in this way:

     Thou art a Moniment, without a tombe,

     And art alive still, while thy Booke doth live,

     And we have wits to read, and praise to give

     […]

     He was not of an age, but for all time!

     And all the Muses still were in their prime.

   

“For all time” indeed. People continue to be touched by the comedy, tragedy, history and romance found in the prolific Bard’s some 154 sonnets, 5 poems and 37 plays.

I’d venture that all the world’s Shakespeare’s stage for hundreds of birthdays to come. 

      ET BONUM QUO ANTIQUIUS EO MELIUS!!!   [And the older a good thing, the better. That counts as awesome, wouldn’t you say?]

I encourage you to use the Comments section below to tell me about your Shakespearean initiation.

Bonus online content:
If you’re a Bard geek, then here are several links you may appreciate:

• How Shakespearean are you? ― tool to rate how much your writing is influenced by Shakespeare (brought to us by librarians, lexicographers and other members of the Oxford English Dictionary team)
• Open Source Shakespeare ― free access to the complete works of Shakespeare 
• Ye Olde Official Shakespearean Insult Kit ― Care to change up those jibes? Generate barbed remarks by combining fragments from Shakespeare’s works.
• Blogging Shakespeare ― site dedicated to those who embrace “Shakespearean Conversation in the Digital Age”