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The transcendant legacy
of the hick ‘upstart crow’
who became a playwright of genius is being
celebrated by 1.5 billion
people around the world.
On the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, Caspian
Challis investigates why
14
I
t’s impossible to overstate William
Shakespeare’s contribution to our
cultural universe. This year, 400 years
after his death, his verbal architecture
colours our everyday speech, pervades our
innermost thoughts, and even haunts our
wildest dreams.
And even those of Hollywood scriptwriters. The “honourable men” paean in
Mark Anthony’s graveside oration to Julius
Caesar was paraphrased in an episode of
the X-Files.
So, it’s no surprise that a cornucopia of
events is being held to celebrate his legacy
not only across the country of his birth,
but around the world.
In Stratford-upon-Avon, Prince
Charles took to the stage in the Royal
Shakespeare Company’s televised produc-
tion of Hamlet to recite
the opening lines of the
most famous soliloquy
in literary history,
“To be or not to be,
that is the question” to
excited cheers from the
audience.
And President Obama
was treated to scenes from
the play at a special performance at Shakespeare’s Globe on
London’s South Bank.
The Globe Theatre led a festival
of nationwide celebrations with
no fewer than 37 screens along the
Thames showing specially-made films
of the Bard’s plays on the anniversary of
his death, 23rd April 1616.