March 25, 2008
Is William Shakespeare overrated?
One of the criteria for being an educated person is knowing William Shakespeare, and having read at least one of his works. He is the most famous writer to have lived, with famous plays poetry, and is considered to be one of the greatest writers to have lived. However, in my opinion, I think he is overrated. His works are entertaining and contain good diction and puns, but I don't think he deserves all the praise he gets. He was extremely successful because he wrote plays and poems which revolved around everyday issues and problems. Hence his audience was able to identify with plays such as "Romeo and Juliet" about forbidden love, and "Julius Ceasar" and "Macbeth" about power and ambition. In addition, Shakespear's sonnets all have similar themes and are grouped together. He was good, but not THAT good, and I don't think he deserves all the praise he gets.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I agree that he is overrated. And yes, while he was alive people appreciated him because they could relate with his plays and these issues are still present today, perhaps why his plays have not become out-dated. The question is whether anyone could deserve such praise. What did Shakespeare lack that makes you think he shouldn't be a demi-god? Is it just the principle, that praise shouldn't be concentrated on to one person, that it becomes overwhelming and it should plateau? Its kind of like Mozart and Beethoven, they're both so great that its harder to say which was greater...their praise has hit the maximum.
Even though I disagree with the impression your post gives of Shakespeare i guess you defend you opinion well. With regards to his diction and puns, you make them seem as simple however it is his use of language for which many people think of him as genius. You also mention his sonnets and the fact that they contain common themes however that is for the most part intentional since he wrote about what mattered to him and anyway you try writing hundreds of sonnets about totally different topics.
Post a Comment