Shakespeare Genius or Overrated Essays - William Shakespeare

Shakespeare: Genius or Overrated? Shakespeare is widely regarded as one of the most important writers to ever have lived, if not the most important one. And not just in England, but across the majority of the world. In his time, Shakespeare was regarded as a great storyteller and he was incredibly popular. It did not matter what class you were in, all people could come and enjoy a play by William Shakespeare because he spoke to the common man. Centuries later, we still study him because his stories still resonate today. His compelling characters and diverse stories are still some of the most well written illuminations of the human experience. Shakespeare wrote for the people. And today, all people will have read a Shakespeare play. But I first hand have seen the argument against Shakespeare, especially when I was a high school student. Every time the teacher announced we would read a Shakespeare play next, there was always an audible groan. Many teenagers, and adults for that matter, feel they cannot connect to Shakespeare because of the language. But every year my classmates would rediscover that they could in fact understand Shakespeare's stories. When we read Henry V, every army brat in the room left with the "Band of Brothers" speech memorized. Most girls in the room related to the teen angst of Romeo and Juliet. People who had been cheated on or betrayed felt a strong connection to Othello. And our senior year, reading Hamlet seemed to make us all rethink our futures and who we wanted to be in the next chapters of our lives. So yes, while the difference in language can initially