I believe Shakespeare is still relevant in today's age as he made characters that can be related to kids and adults in the present time. He made characters about teenagers going through hard times, older people nearing the end of their lives, and people going mad for power, and the reason these characters stay relevant is because they have become part of our culture since they were created. There are a few plays that I will be touching on in this essay… Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar and Midsummer Nights Dream. These plays have many characters in them that can be related to. Those characters represent romance, comedy and tragedy.
Firstly, the play that I’ll be talking about is Romeo and Juliet, this play has two different genres in it, romance and tragedy. This play has taught writers different themes that are still used in today’s age, for example the theme starcross. Movies like Gnome’o and Juliet, Dirty Dancing and West Side Story are three movies that have used this to help their movies thrive. The two teenagers in this play fall madly in love with each other but their parents forbid it from happening, this may still happen in today's age and that is what makes this story so compelling. “With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls, for stony limits cannot hold love out.” was a quote that was said in this play. It is trying to portray the message that love is unstoppable and it is very powerful. He said this when he was telling Juliet how he got in her house. A moment that meant a lot.
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Midsummer Night's Dream is also about romance but instead of tragedy it includes a hint of comedy to its plot. This play includes both literary and social significance. As soon as the play starts, the audience knows that it will include a dream on a summer night. This play is supposed to trigger your imagination and thoughts. These two things are very important as they are what is needed in today's age of kids and adults as everybody needs their imagination and thoughts to make people think. The play includes people that are in a romantic chain that can't be solved and adds people using potions and plays to get their fancy to admire them. The setting in this play also is very intriguing as it is set in a forest but also in a city. This could mean that the city is very restricted but once you step into the forest then you are left to do want you please.
Julius Caesar may be the most relevant play here because of the similarities in today’s age with the political systems and power. This play is about a man that has much power in the roman society and is believed to be too powerful and he may do something negative with the power he has. This created political strain and conflict. This is very relevant right now as politics all over the world are going through very similar situations. People may think badly upon their leader. There is much conflict in the world today and is very similar to the conflict in this play. You come across a lot of people like Brutus as he is the type of person that will cut you off from their lives and will backstab you. But people like Antony are loyal friends that will stick with you and be with you through the good and bad times.
Lastly, the play Macbeth is relevant today because people are still motivated by greed, power and jealousy just like the times of Shakespeare. Macbeth would do anything to be the ruler, and today’s people would go to extreme lengths for money and power. Macbeth has continued relevance because if nothing else the play shows us that power can cause corruption and greed. From macbeth we can learn that we should not let temptation, ambition or evil guide us away from our morals. Macbeth is a woman that was a very respectable and thoughtful person but once she detected power and money she definitely went off the tracks and went mad for these things as many people do right now.
In conclusion, Shakespeare and his plays are still relevant today as he has many traits and morals in his work that should be applied to everyone in today's day and age. He uses contrasting themes and passionate characters to draw the audience into the play so that they can apply the messages to their own lives. Shakspeare overall shows many different messages in his plays to communicate beliefs, though some may be harder to detect than others. Overall I believe that you should learn about Shakespeare as he teaches messages that will be worth remembering for a lifetime.
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