The question arose in class whether or not we believe Shakespeare's work is universal?? While taking notes during the film "O," I felt like I was writing a brief summary of the plot of Othello... When I was first asked this question I was unsure of how to answer it, so I turned to my trusty friend Mr. Dictionary- he told me that UNIVERSAL mean:
* "applicable everywhere" (yes)
# "affecting, concerning, or involving all" (yes)
+ "used or understood by all" (not necessarily his language used in his text but the drama- yes)
= "present everywhere" (yes)
So after responding yes to each of these definitions, I realized how universal Shakespeare's work really is. By work, I am not just referring to his actual text but rather on a broader level: his drama and plot. Everyone can watch a movie such as "O" and relate to it in some way. We understand feelings of anger, jealousy, love, trust, and hurt because they are uncontrollable human reactions to ordinary situations. What Shakespeare does is pick and pull at universal human emotions, capturing his timeless audience into the plot. This plot can be represented in millions of different ways, but it is and always will be understood.
* "applicable everywhere" (yes)
# "affecting, concerning, or involving all" (yes)
+ "used or understood by all" (not necessarily his language used in his text but the drama- yes)
= "present everywhere" (yes)
So after responding yes to each of these definitions, I realized how universal Shakespeare's work really is. By work, I am not just referring to his actual text but rather on a broader level: his drama and plot. Everyone can watch a movie such as "O" and relate to it in some way. We understand feelings of anger, jealousy, love, trust, and hurt because they are uncontrollable human reactions to ordinary situations. What Shakespeare does is pick and pull at universal human emotions, capturing his timeless audience into the plot. This plot can be represented in millions of different ways, but it is and always will be understood.
nəˈvɜr
I think you've done a great job at showing how Shakespeare transcends his time period and reaches out to the broader audience of humanity. For someone who would rather settle down with some popcorn and watch "10 Things I Hate About You" than pick up "Taming of the Shrew" in its original form, I definitely agree. We don't always need to use the author's original words to take their ideas and share them with others.
ReplyDelete