450 Years of Shakespeare
"Fifty pounds! A very worthy sum on a very worthy question. Can a play show us the very truth and nature of love? I bear witness to the wager, and will be the judge of it as the occasion arises. I have not seen anything to settle it yet."
- Queen Elizabeth I ("Shakespeare in Love", 1998)
So much have been written about William Shakespeare, but little is known of him.
Shakespeare's actual date of birth is unknown, but records show that his baptism took place at Stratford-upon-Avon on June 26, 1564. For some reason, his birthday is observed every 23rd of June. He died on June 23, 1616, and maybe out of reverence for him, it was decided to mark June 23 as his date of birth. This is one of the many mysteries about him, which turned him into a legend.
In "Shakespeare in Love", John Madden attempted to pierce through that mystery, tinkering with every possible rumor surrounding the playwright. One of those was Shakespeare didn't pen his masterpieces like "King Lear", but Madden stopped short of showing the viewers that Christopher Marlowe, the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, influenced him. (In the movie, Marlowe was a lad, way younger than Shakespeare.) But there's no doubt about his other plays like "Romeo and Juliet".
"My story starts at sea, a perilous voyage to an unknown land. A shipwreck. The wild waters roar and heave. The brave vessel is dashed all to pieces. And all the helpless souls within her drowned. All save one. A lady. Whose soul is greater than the ocean, and her spirit stronger than the sea's embrace. Not for her a watery end, but a new life beginning on a stranger shore. It will be a love story. For she will be my heroine for all time. And her name will be Viola."
Although Shakespeare's talent is known and respected during his lifetime, it will be during the 19th century when his works will be rediscovered and praised. Call it "Bardolatry", which will continue up to this day. His works are repeatedly adopted, even interpreted in different cultural and political contexts. This affirms his status as the world's preeminent dramatist, the greatest writer in the English language. To celebrate the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth, Pete Manson, a postage stamp artist, created a portrait of the Bard, using nearly 4,000 British stamps. This is one interesting trivia.
Fans of Shakespeare may be eager to share other tidbits:
1. Shakespeare left his "second best bed" to his wife, Anne Hathaway, in his last will and testament. (The best bed was for guests.)
2. The first folio edition of Shakespeare’s work, printed in 1623, was taken from Durham University Library in December 1998. (It was valuable, without a doubt.)
3. This first folio edition of Shakespeare’s comedies, tragedies and histories is on display at the Globe Theatre in London. (This is not to be missed.)
4. There is no concrete evidence that a portrait of Shakespeare was ever commissioned during his lifetime. (Debatable.)
5. Boasting an impressively domed head and receding hairline, Shakespeare has now been immortalized in Lego. (If only children can recite "To be, or not to be...", then that will be something.)
6. Richard III is one of the most notorious villains in Shakespeare’s work, and many film critics consider Laurence Olivier’s 1955 production to be the best screen adaptation. (But Olivier received an Academy Award for his take on Hamlet.)
