Shakespeare in the Present

Introduction:
Shakespeare has become something more than just a man of the Renaissance. He was a
philosopher, a poet, and a man in the remarks of literature and plays. He was able to
revolutionize the realm of literature without the knowledge of modern english. He has
revolutionized the world so well, his identity might be as well-known as McDonalds. But still, he
is not beyond a realm of ours, he is just a writer.
What is a way Shakespeare has revolutionized the present you may ask? Well, the words that
you may respond with are an example. So far, in his entire lifetime, Shakespeare has created
over 1,700 words all of them originating from his Old English. Words like swag, assassination,
bedroom, bloodstained, even gossip are just one of the many created by him. (according
to:shakespeare-online.coms table) You may never guessed it, but surprisingly, its all true.

And with these modified or entirely new words, Shakespeare created some of the most wellknown plays throughout his lifetime, from the love story of Romeo & Juliet, to our specialty A
Midsummer Nights Dream, to the miraculous story of King Henry. He has made some of the
most amazing references and ideas that people are still using them in their plays or movies.
Some examples of these references (or rip-offs) are: Avatar, Highlander, Lord of the Rings,
Beauty & the Best, and THE most obvious, Gnomeo & Juliet. They either range from enraging
love stories, to tragic endings, and what is the least common: a group of idiots creating the
brightest ideas ever.

Knowledge & Scepticisim:

Continuing on creating scenes in human life, Shakespeare learned of many things that made
humans special, whether it was our actions, ideas, or emotions that distinguished personality or
the actions themselves(Philosophical Disquisitions, Knowledge & Scepticism, 1st paragraph and
sentence). According to studies held by the British Society of Aesthetics, they consider the idea
of Shakespeare being a philosopher a debate. But another source, the Philosophical
Disquisitions team say that he was purely a philosopher that based his ways off of three
principles: Knowledge and scepticism, the self, and causality. These three basic yet meaningful
ideas were the basis of all of Shakespeares poems, plays, and rhythms (Fact: Shakespeares
rhythms were based off the beat of the heart). The first principle is knowledge and scepticism.
Defined as the quest for knowledge (1st paragraph of Knowledge and Scepticism), knowledge
is something that is central to human existence(1st paragraph of Knowledge and Scepticism).
It is just something we cant get enough of. But what Shakespeare knew about knowledge was
absolutely extraordinary.
In his belief, he believed that knowledge had a good and dark side. It led to new beginnings yet
it resulted in old ends. He knew this from the imperfection that humans caused both within his
rehearsals of play and throughout daily life. He loved exploring the same ideas that Socrates
and Aristotle knew but he continued to incorporate better principles and techniques into their
studies. And there he finally learned the best reason why knowledge had a such a peculiar
effect on people was the fact that it made people feel special, more dominant.
The Self:
Usually, the best way Shakespeare talked or even described about the self was through
playwrights and his specialty, dramas.(according to: philosophical disquisitions, The Self, 1st
paragraph, 1st sentence). He treated each and every role like the main character, but he still
had even more description for his characters. He based them off of a group of selves, meaning
that instead of just being a whole collection of characters talking, he instead referred to them as
a whole group of emotions interacting and fumbling amongst each other. He described these
selves to be both interactive and theatrical(Second paragraph within The Self). And
because these characters were playing emotions, doesnt that mean people play as emotions in
everyday life? Indeed. And so Shakespeare finally thought his final ideas for the self and
resulted the uncanny, yet credential emotions people play as All the Worlds a Stage, where

every person in the world has seven stages of development where they depict different
emotions in each and every part they act. From only viewing daily life and the alternatives within
his surroundings, Shakespeare solved the riddle to lifes minor questions.
Causality:
Being the hardest to understand for Shakespeare, causality was quite the challenge for him.Causality in
basic is simply the bias that humans face when interpreting the cause of a situation. The most common
example in Shakespeares time is why did bad or good things happen. He divided the bias into two
groups, whether God favored one type of group or if it was just pure science that applied in every angle of
the world. He never made a final decision because he learned that this little debate made the acts in his
play made things more interesting than they originally were.
Inspiration/Influence in Todays World:
There are many people in todays world that can still reflect off of Shakespeares works. Some of those
people being writers (Ex. Charles Dickens,Thomas Hardy, etc.) and others not into the world of writing
but acting (Ex. Mel Gibson, Daniel Radcliffe, Richard Harris, and the almighty Kenneth Branagh). The
most well known (in a bad way) person to ever have influence from Shakespeare is John Wilkes Booth,
the assassin who slayed our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. Now I have left you with the basics of what
Shakespeare taught and not renowned for, rather it is more important to learn his ways so you can become
one like him. Seek out his natural path and promise me to be never tire.
Works Cited:
"Words Shakespeare Invented." Words Shakespeare Invented. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
"Philosophical Disquisitions." : Shakespeare's Philosophy. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
"Shakespeare: The Philosopher." The British Society of Aesthetics. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr.
2015.
"Writers Who Have Been Influenced by Shakespeare." The Brunei Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 28
Apr. 2015.