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Shakespeare: After 400 Years, Is He Literature or Theatre?
“To be or not to be” is still the question. Would you believe it that in his life time his works were not classed as literature? England looked on Shakespeare as total theater. Yet in the history of American schools hardly a child ever reached graduation from High School without having read “Julius. Caesar,” "Romeo and Juliet,” “Richard III” and among the others “Hamlet.” All these were taught under English Literature. So, 400 years after-Shakespeare is definitly Literature, and this by public acclaim attested to by American students for more than a hundred years. This fact is further proved by the popularity of the great Bard of Avalon all over the world. To date he has been translated into more than 78 languages. However, we must concede that Shakespeare is also Theater. 1964, his 400th anniversary, will see more stage production of his plays than any year through out his long history. More people will see his many dramatic poems on 6tage this year than ever before in one year. We can look forward to numerous TV programs dealing with the life and works of dear William. One in particular is recommended by The English Speaking Union which will be shown next Sunday on channel 4. It is called “Shakespeare; Soul of An Age.” Check your TV guide for time. We might ask the question what did Shakespeare have that gives such universality to his works? Some of the experts and Dr. Louis B. Wright, director of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, claim that Shakespeare understood the nature of man and nature itself better than any other writer, and that he was talented enough to transpose the simple as well as the complex affairs of man into beautiful poetry, understood by all the people. He wrote as interpreter Cor t4»e common people. In thife is to be found the thread of relationship with the people of every age. This anniversary year will send young and old to discover or renew an interest in Shakespeare. Our Libraries over the Country are dusting off old volumes of his famous plays and getting them back into circulation. Many families will hold reading sessions on Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth and others. Every Shakespearian Actor in the world will have full employment during 1964. This is all good, for we can find ourselves in Shakespeare. All the loves and hates, the whole
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