British Billy's Great Britons: William Shakespeare

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  • By British Billy
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  Apart from the obvious, what do Utah, Alabama, Oregon, Texas, Georgia and Idaho all have in common? Before you start telling me a long list of similarities, let me tell you that they all host Shakespearean festivals. And I could add many more states and cities to that list.

There is more to Shakespeare's American popularity than just a love of men in doublet and hose speaking soliloquies. It would seem the English colonists who sailed for the New World brought along with their most precious and essential possessions the works of William Shakespeare.

Along with the King James Bible, Shakespeare was one of the formative texts used in 19th century homes by which ordinary folk learned to read, and while audiences admired the playwright's gift for language, they found his themes to be representative of their own trials and tribulations. His characters coped with love, hate, jealousy, ambition and mortality just as his audience members did in their own lives.

It would seem that it has only really been in the 20th century Shakespeare has moved from popular culture into high culture, and rapid changes in society and language have made his work seem more difficult and distant.

Nevertheless, today the largest group of overseas visitors to Stratford-upon-Avon, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Bankside's Shakespeare's Globe Theatre come from America.

Other than what is found in a few church records, legal documents and contemporary documents such as playgoers' diaries, most evidence of Shakespeare's life is circumstantial. Very little is known for certain.

Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, in 1564. By tradition, it is generally supposed Shakespeare was born on April 23, which is Saint George's Day, the national day of England. Coincidentally, April 23 is also the date of Shakespeare's death in 1616 at the age of 52.

Very little is known about his life, but in 1582 Shakespeare received a marriage licence to marry Anne Hathaway who lived in the neighbouring village of Shottery, near to Stratford. The marriage produced three children: Susanna, Hamnet and Judith.

By 1592, Shakespeare was in London working as an actor and a dramatist. Between about 1590 and 1613, Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays and collaborated on several more. Many of these plays were very successful both at court and in the public playhouses. In 1613, Shakespeare retired from the theatre and returned to Stratford-upon-Avon. He died and was buried there.

For a country boy from humble beginnings, Shakespeare certainly did well for himself. Here we are nearly 450 years after his birth, and there is scarcely a nation on earth where Shakespeare's name remains unknown. Scholars will argue over his work and its authenticity, but his name and his legacy have shown remarkable endurance.

Because they are written to be acted, his plays are constantly fresh and can be adapted to the place and time they are performed. Their language is wonderfully expressive and powerful, and although it may sometimes seem hard to understand in reading, actors can bring it vividly to life.

Cats do not feature prominently in Shakespeare's writings, but even genius has its limits, and I cannot hold that against him. No doubt, had he lived longer, eventually it would have occurred to devote a sonnet or two to our noble species. In fact, perhaps I should try and help him out by writing one of my own. A nap will probably inspire me. "To sleep--perchance to dream." (Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1)