Page 5 - macbeth demo

Introduction

Introduction to William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare, or the “Bard,” as he is
affectionately known, pervades practically every
area of our civilization. He is present in our
lecture halls, on our televisions, in our theatres,
and in our motion picture theatres. Shakespeare
speaks on his own life and society as well as our
own through his plays. His plays are still often
performed by actors on contemporary stages
and screens. For instance, numerous of his plays
were adapted for the big screen in the 1990s,
including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo
and Juliet, Hamlet, and Othello.

Shakespeare’s plays are still well-known today, but other authors have modernized
them to appeal to new audiences. Romeo and Juliet, for instance, are placed in New
York City in West Side Story, and King Lear is depicted in the cornfields of Iowa in A
Thousand Acres. His life and works have captivated our cultural imagination beyond
adaptations and plays. Shakespeare’s minor characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
are Dead were the subject of a play and movie in the 20 century, as was Shakespeare
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in Love, a fictional film about Shakespeare’s early years and sources of lyrical
inspiration.
Shakespeare has left a lasting impression on our culture, but he is still mysterious.
He doesn’t specify which of his plays should be read aloud or staged, nor does he say
which of his plays were co-written with other playwrights. Shakespeare the person
does not reveal much about himself, and the few papers that are accessible about
him make it difficult for critics and academics to learn more about the real-life great
dramatist.
Anti-Stratfordians — modern scholars who question the authorship of Shakespeare’s
plays — have used this lack of information to argue that William Shakespeare either
never existed or, if he did exist, did not write any of the plays we attribute to him.
They believe that another historical figure, such as Francis Bacon or Queen Elizabeth

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