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 Mujanovi

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. Shakespeares 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 summers 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. Shakespeares 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>.