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While I agree his language can be impenetrable for modern audiences, remember it's just hundreds of years of evolving linguistic norms that have made it that way.
He wasn't trying to be haughty when he wrote (the uneducated folk loved his work).
But his grasp of story structure, pacing and tension was intuitive and near flawless. In multiple genres.
And yes, I have a writing degree, so I'm in the circlejerk.
Edited: Ok, I see it now. I'm a total tosser. Sorry
I mean, like it or not Shakespeare has been a cultural juggernaut for 4 centuries. I'm not sure a bunch of literature students could manage that kind of outsized impact!
These are just some of the words he invented that are in common use:
accommodation
aerial
amazement
apostrophe
assassination
auspicious
baseless
bloody
bump
castigate
changeful
clangor
control (noun)
countless
courtship
critic
critical
dexterously
dishearten
dislocate
dwindle
eventful
exposure
fitful
frugal
generous
gloomy
gnarled
hurry
impartial
inauspicious
indistinguishable
invulnerable
lapse
laughable
lonely
majestic
misplaced
monumental
multitudinous
obscene
palmy
perusal
pious
premeditated
radiance
reliance
road
sanctimonious
seamy
sportive
submerge
suspicious
Wow didn't know that - do you have a source for this?
Some words I can easily imagine replacing with synonyms, but how were people describing stuff like "exposure" or "suspicious" before Shakespeare, I'm dumbfounded :D
Sure, here's one source: https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/shakespedia/shakespeares-words/. While it's not an academic paper, it's a registered charity, so I think it's probably a pretty reliable source
Really interesting! Thanks!
I wouldn't agree with it but it's definitely an unpopular opinion :D
To some extent, it might be the case that he is a little overhyped - but I would argue any artist that is so popular, is in danger of being overhyped. I only read "Romeo and Juliet" and "Hamlet" from his work, and I can appreciate his workshop - it's really good stuff that survived for many years and remained valid.
But to each their own - art is meant to serve you - if you don't like it, move on and try something different. Definitely better way of going on about things rather than sticking to it, and pretending to like it in fear of being laughed at for a simple reason of sticking out of the crowd.
I look at most of the classical composers in the same way. Beethoven, Bach, Mozart and the like have reason that they've been studied and reinterpretdd for as long as they have. Modern popularity doesn't have the persistance of time to judge against. As much as I might like the guys and their influence on modern music I can't imagine anyone will be studying the works of Ozzy Osbourne or Kurt Cobain 400 years from now.
Kurt Cobain I'm not sure, but the likes of Giorgio Moroder or Led Zeppelin definitely pioneered and excelled in their field and have as chance of joining the canon of "forever" remembered legends. We have to remember that in the times of William Shakespeare there were many successful writers, or in Beethoven times - remarkable composers. Only the pioneers and persons of interests made it to modern general consciousness.
I mean I didn't graduate with a lit degree and spent my career in IT so I guess you can take a cross disciplinary endorsement. I was just a nerd.
His writing and timing are impeccable if you see it live, which is kind of lost on the page.
I found the histories worth reading because he's editorializing history in his time. You have to remember his audience was us plebs, so we get the gossip instead of the record. You know too many times in history the hot gossip got covered by... literally Shakespeare?
The fact that he's to the English language what the Beatles are to rock music feels eternally relevant too.
I haven't actually watched Shakespeare so I can't speak either way, but you might wanna actually watch (not read) his works before judging them.