Shakespeare--400 Years Later

Did you know that 2016 is the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare?  One of the greatest poet-playwrights in the world ever died in 1616.  And to celebrate this milestone, The Folger Shakespeare Library is touring the First Folio around all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the American Virgin Islands.

What's so special about this First Folio and why is everyone making such a big deal about it?  Well, if it wasn't for the First Folio, we never would have known Hamlet, Macbeth, and The Taming of the Shrew, among other plays.  Just think, so many lines that have made their way into our common consciousness would be non-existent:

• "To be, or not to be--that is the question" (Hamlet)
• "the play's the thing" (Hamlet)
• "Double, double toil and trouble" (Macbeth)
• "Out, damned spot" (Macbeth)
• "All the world's a stage" (As You Like It)
• "A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!" (King Richard III)
• "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" (Romeo and Juliet) 
• "Parting is such sweet sorrow" (Romeo and Juliet)
• "Beware the Ides of March" (Julius Caesar)
• "Et tu, Brute?" (Julius Caesar)

Chances are you probably heard these lines well before you heard of Shakespeare.  I can recall in my youth hearing some of these lines in Bugs Bunny and Smurfs cartoons on Saturday mornings.

Whether or not we realize it, Shakespeare's work has influenced society and other artistic works over the centuries.  For instance, there would be no West Side Story without Romeo and Juliet, no 10 Things I Hate About You without The Taming of the Shrew, and no A Thousand Acres without King Lear.  Not to mention the many songs that borrow from Shakespeare, such as "Just Like Romeo and Juliet" by The Reflections, "Speak Low" by Cole Porter, and "I Am the Walrus" by The Beatles.

The First Folio will be coming to the Seattle Public Library and the University of Montana in Missoula soon.  It will probably be a once in a lifetime event, so it might be worth taking a trip to check it out.  And the venues displaying the First Folio will have performances, lectures, and other events related to the works printed in it.

Shakespeareanly yours from this e'er so humble perch.