Why we still study Shakespeare

If you speak English, it does not matter if you learn it as your mother tongue or your second or third language. Chances are, you have heard about William Shakespeare once or twice. It is quite challenging to avoid the man when you master the English language actually, since he was one of the most generous contributors to the language that we now call English.

William Shakespeare

Seriously, why? According to The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, William Shakespeare had added over 1700 new words into the English vocabulary. Some are still relevant in our modern dictionary, and some with updated meanings. It is one of the reasons why you cannot escape Shakespeare once you enter the English-speaking realm - the man practically helped build it. Another reason that makes Shakespeare's name still relevant in our modern society is the number of plays and sonnets he produced during his time: thirty-six plays and 154 sonnets. The man was a passionate playwriter highly admired both by peasants like us and royalty like Queen Elizabeth I. Thus, it becomes quite the stereotype for English Studies students to study Shakespeare. While high schoolers have their fair share of Shakespeare lessons, Shakespeare in university is another level. The sheer dedication of all English Studies faculties worldwide to keep his name alive is baffling, considering the man has been dead for centuries and the size of the English dictionary has doubled, or even tripled, without his help. Admittedly, when we English-speakers want to sound fancy, or - more likely - to mock the fanciness, we often unknowingly switch to the thee and the thou of Shakespearean English. However, it just does not seem to be enough to guarantee Shakespeare's relevance in our society.

My Shakespeare collection

So why do we still name-drop Shakespeare whenever we have the chance? Well, if you ask any professors, their answers are likely something to do with "preservation", "history", or even "prestige". About how mankind used to perceive history, politics, social structures, and compared with our current view of the world. In other words, their answers might sound very academic and prestigious. It is also unlikely that their textbook answers might inspire you to dedicate your university time studying Shakespeare. Granted, that is their job to give answers like that so we cannot blame them. I would answer exactly the same, in a pompous tone even, if I were paid to do so. But, alas, I am not paid to give a textbook answer on why we still study Shakespeare. No, in fact, I have to pay to study, which - when you think about it - really raises the stake of the question: Why on Earth, Thao, do you study Shakespeare?

The power of love

I am going to be perfectly honest with you: I choose Shakespeare - and English Studies to an extent - because of Tom Hiddleston. Yes, you heard me. The one and only Mr Thomas Hiddleston. In my young and naive mind, if I could show him how educated I was about Shakespeare, he would get down on one knee and propose to me on the spot. Now we all know that this scenario is impossible, but a girl could dream. And boy did I dream. I dreamed all the way from a tiny, Southeast Asian country to Germany, because I was in love with Tom Hiddleston, and he was in love with Shakespeare. The power of love.

Tom Hiddleston as Prince Harry/ King Henry V

Surprisingly, however, the more time I spent pouring over an old Early Modern English text, the less I think about being Mrs. Hiddleston. I do not know when, but I grow to be genuinely fond of William Shakespeare and his endless sex jokes. Yes, you heard me again, the man who is so praised for his contributions to the English language put sex jokes in his work - the same work we are now teaching high schoolers. The irony of this scores Kudo points to me. It drives me to spend most of my Shakespearean seminars looking for his jokes. Granted, those jokes escape most people on the first time. Regardless, his comedies are still astonishingly relatable, even though they were written more than four hundred years ago!

Mrs Page: "Letter for letter, but that the name of Page and Ford differs! - To thy great comfort in this mystery of ill opinions, here's the twin brother of thy letter: but let thine inherit first; for, I protest, mine never shall. I warrant he hath a thousand of these letters, writ with blank space for different names (sure, more) and these are of the second edition." (William Shakespeare, "The Merry Wives of Windsor", Act 2 Scene 1)

Context: a fat knight trying to woo two married women simultaneously because of their wealth. He sent them the same letter, with only the name changed. You cannot convince me tinder boys do not do the same (women too. Some pickup lines are simply too good, or we are just lazy). We have a literal Tinder Swindler Netflix show about a male gold-digger! Additionally, the number of cuckold jokes in "The Merry Wives of Windsor" makes me speechless. I highly recommend watching the play when you want a good laugh. Additionally, "Twelfth Night" - another comedy of Shakespeare - is iconic from the beginning to the end. You want chaotic girlboss, anti-dating, simp, pinning, angst, queer-coded characters? Shakespeare gives you all in "Twelfth Night". The play really has everything. There are so many iconic moments that I cannot pick one, so you just have to sit down and watch it. Seriously, please.

Mavolio: "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them" (William Shakespeare, "Twelfth Night", Act 2 Scene 5)

Unwittingly, Shakespeare charmed me out of my obsession with Tom Hiddleston. It baffles me how his words are still so relatable to a random girl in the twenty-first century. Personally, I believe this is Shakespeare's greatest talent: to capture the most inherent characteristics of mankind in his work and thus immortalise himself in history. How many writers in history have managed to do that? The answer is not many. You can diss Shakespeare, you can claim he is overrated. But it does not change the truth that the man had written himself to be immortal, and there is no way we can escape him.