Why Read Shakespeare?

Why Shakespeare Is Still Relevant Today

Shakespeare is still relevant today for one simple reason: humans have not changed.

You might be tempted to think that in the 400 years since Shakespeare wrote his plays, we humans have changed so much.

However, nothing could be further from the truth.

Shakespeare is still so important today because his characters teach us about ourselves. His plays and sonnets prove that he had an incredibly deep understanding of human nature.

Some have even argued that people in the time of Shakespeare had a much better understanding of the human condition than we do today. They were more self-aware, and had a sort of honesty that our modern, politically correct climate doesn’t always allow for.

Shakespeare believed that the purpose of theatre was to “hold a mirror up to nature” and show us the truth about ourselves.

It’s for that reason we find so much of ourselves in Shakespeare’s characters. They were written for that purpose.

You Relate to Shakespeare's Characters More Than You Think

Let’s take, for example, a character like Macbeth. On surface level, you might not think you have a lot in common with a 16th century Scottish thane. 

However, Shakespeare’s characters aren't defined by their titles or outward appearance. They’re defined by their actions, and what lies inside of them.

In the case of Macbeth, Shakespeare does something interesting. He strips Macbeth of all ideological motivations, and makes him an archetype of frivolous evil in the human heart.

Therefore, when we watch Macbeth turn from good to evil, we don’t see simply a monster. We see someone like ourselves, and we realize we’re capable of his same evils.

It doesn’t matter whether or not you're in the position to murder a king and take his throne. It doesn’t matter because evil isn’t measured by body count. Many the man is the tyrant of his own limited world. 

The line separating good and evil goes straight through the human heart, and that’s what the play Macbeth teaches us. In order to be evil, people must suppress the good inside of them, just as Macbeth does. Alternatively, we must suppress the evil inside of us in order to be good.

Plays like Macbeth have been acted out many times on the human stage. Think Soviet Russia or Nazi Germany. In each case, the “players” experienced firsthand the destruction caused by not learning from the example of Macbeth.

If that’s not a reason to read Shakespeare, I don’t know what is.

Shakespeare’s Themes Are Your Themes

Why are the works of a late 17th century English playwright translated into over 100 different languages and still performed over 400 years after they were written?

The answer is simple: Shakespeare’s themes are human themes. They are timeless and universal.

For the entirety of our existence, we as human beings have always wrestled with, among others, the topics of love, heartache, hatred, envy, passion, and joy. 

Despite what the most progressive humanist ideals might lead us to believe, these topics will never go away. They’ll never be resolved. They are simply part of our human nature.

The solution to our human nature isn't found in embracing delusion, creating magic pills, and constructing utopias. We instead need to be honest about who we are, both the good and the bad aspects.

That’s why we read Shakespeare, because he’s honest about who we are.

Shakespeare is still so important today because the themes in his work are just as relatable now as they were when his plays were written.

For example, do you:

• Think that people abusing their power to get sexual favors is something new? If so, watch Measure for Measure and let me know what you think of Angelo.
• Think being overwhelmed by love and making rash decisions is something new? Tell that to Romeo and Juliet.
• Think the issue of facing up to your fears and deciding to do something about them is new? You must not have read Hamlet…
• Think rehearsing a play in the woods with your friends, but then getting turned into a half-man, half-donkey and being seduced by a fairy queen is something new? Watch A Midsummer Night’s Dream and get back to me.

Ok, one of those themes might not be as timeless as the others…

Apart from being turned into a donkey, all of these example are proof of why Shakespeare is still so relevant today.

The reason we still read Shakespeare is because the topics explored in his work are never going away. They’re true to the human experience, and are therefore eternal.

That’s why a play like Macbeth is still performed 400 years after it was written, in countries and languages completely foreign to the original author.

The themes at the core of Macbeth don’t belong to Shakespeare, they belong to us.

Why Study Shakespeare

Having hopefully proved why Shakespeare is still relevant, we’re now faced with another question: why do we study Shakespeare?

It’s one thing to simply acknowledge the Bard's relevance, but it’s another thing to actually watch and read his plays.

Reading Shakespeare isn't the easiest endeavor, I’ll give you that. However, nothing worth having in life ever comes easy.

Let’s say you do pick up a play and start reading…so what? What do you actually get once you “get it?”

Of course, there are a million reasons why we should still read Shakespeare today. From my perspective, these are the first three tangible benefits of reading Shakespeare that come to mind:

1. Shakespeare Offers Us a Lens into Our Own World

This point essentially rehashes the idea of why Shakespeare is still relevant today. He shows us as we truly are, and often seems to know us better than we know ourselves.

The insight gleaned from this is priceless. If you understand how the world works, you’re set up for success!

The vast majority of one’s success in life is based on emotional intelligence, not IQ alone. By learning how people naturally act and react in different situations, you’ll know how to respond in correct fashion.

In addition, you’ll also have more insight on broader cultural trends. After all, at the heart of every trend or politically movement, there are humans.

On top of everything, you'll learn a thing or two about yourself along the way. The self-knowledge you glean is the most priceless insight of all.

2. Shakespeare’s Insight Is Time-Proven

Works of art don’t stick around for over 400 years without good reason. When you read Shakespeare, the insight you gain isn’t anything trendy.

While many of today’s books and movies are entertaining, only the smallest fraction of them are going to be around in 50 years, much less in 100. 

These books and movies won't disappear because of advancements in technology, they’ll disappear because they don’t get the human archetypes right.

Most of today's art is too focused on modern-day trends or entertainment value, and doesn’t speak to the main truths of human nature.

When you read Shakespeare, however, you don't have to worry about the insight you get from it being made irrelevant in 10 years.

Technology advances, culture changes, and trends come and go, but human nature always remains the same.

3. You Can Experiment Vicariously

One of the main benefits of reading Shakespeare is that you get to live vicariously through his characters, and see how things play out.

Of course, you could do this with any fictional character. Because Shakespeare’s characters more accurately depict human nature, however, our lived experience is most likely to correspond with theirs. 

Of course, the day-to-day situations we're in aren’t going to correspond with the surface-level details of Shakespeare’s characters. However, the human nature underlying it all remains the same.

Thinking of doing something you know you’ll regret later? Go back to Macbeth’s example and see how that worked out for him.

Witness how the guilt of an act Macbeth knew was wrong weighs over him. Its burden is so heavy, Macbeth eventually comes to to envy his victims, essentially wishing himself dead:

Better be with the dead

Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace,

Than on the torture of the mind to lie

In restless ecstasy.

Superman might be cool, but he's not as relatable as Macbeth. Getting to the heart of Shakespeare's characters takes work, but it’s doable. That’s why we study Shakespeare.

Conclusion

This is far from a comprehensive guide on why Shakespeare is worth reading, but hopefully it serves as a good starting point. It should at the very least give you some good insight on why Shakespeare is still so important today.

To outline the main reasons why Shakespeare's work is still relevant, here’s a quick breakdown of what we covered:

• You Relate to Shakespeare's Characters More Than You Think
• Shakespeare’s Themes Are Your Themes
• Shakespeare Offers Us a Lens into Our Own World
• Shakespeare’s Insight Is Time-Proven
• You Can Experiment Vicariously

If you want to learn more and listen to some amazing podcasts about the Bard, check out my list of the best Shakespeare podcasts on the web.

I truly believe that reading Shakespeare will change your life. I believe it so much, in fact, that I even wrote a book about it.

You can download The Bard and the Bees: What Shakespeare taught me about sex, evil, and life in the modern world for free by clicking the link above.

In the meantime, best of luck as you set out to explore Shakespeare’s work for yourself! I hope my book and this article prove insightful for you as you continue your journey 🙂

-Evan