William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare has overcome the barriers of space and time. From the Lithuania of Nekrosius to the Hollywood of Buz Luhrmann, William Shakespeare has inspired so many writers, playwrights, film directors, and poets. 





Even in Italy, there are a lot of Shakespeare's versions: from the classical theatre of Strelehr in Milan, il piccolo, to the experimental theatre of the Societas Raffaello Sanzio with its "Julius Cesar", "L'Amleto di meno" by Carmelo Bene and "L'Ambleto" by Giovanni Testori. 








Why is Shakespeare so influential? He writes about feelings and emotions common to all human beings in every place and at every time: Hamlet, the symbol of indecision; Othello, the symbol of jealousy; Macbeth the emblem of ambition; Romeo and Juliet, the symbol of love. His characters have the same strength as those in the Greek tragedies. He creates the myth, the same one as the great Greek playwrights (Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides), in modern times. 
His plays are the plays of the WORD. Words are the undeniable protagonists of his plays. The words move the actions: Iago convinces Othello of Desdemone's guilt; Hamlet's ghost's words persuade Hamlet of his uncle's guilt; the three witches' words convince Macbeth that he'll become the king; King Lear believes the false words of two daughters of his; Prospero makes the tempest thanks to his magic words. The words in Shakespeare deceive, seduce, charm, bewitch, and cast spells. Not by chance Feste, the fool in Twelfth Night, says "I am indeed not her fool, but her corrupter of words" (Act III, scene 1, line 38). There are no special effects in Shakespeare's times. The plays rely on the beauty of words which creates powerful images. 

William Shakespeare: A Biography













Shakespeare's phrases still used nowadays


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