timeless, and it is something that has touched individuals no matter where they might be. So, I don’t think anyone who studies literature can discount how much Shakespeare has given to the English language, nor how much he’s added to the wealth of recognizing our place in life, what we as humans bring to life, and also our flaws. His characters are very human; you don’t find that black and white: you're either a villain or a hero. His heroes have flaws, and his villains have understandably human weaknesses; so in this sense, you cannot approach the world without recognizing the genius of certain authors, and for me, he’s one of them.
If you were a character in one of Shakespeare’s scripts which play would it be, what role would you play and why?
It would have to be Portia in The Merchant of Venice because she’s such a powerful character and at the same time she’s someone who knows what she wants; she doesn’t wait for it to come to her. As a character she moves the plot forward and it's very rare to see such a powerful female character in Shakespeare’s plays; it's surprising that you find them in the comedies rather than the tragedies. I mean all the female characters in the tragedies come across as damsels in distress who
either end up dead, probably murdered, or who end up having lost everything. So, I’d have to go with Portia because of the way she’s presented and because she actually gets up and does what it is she wishes to achieve rather than wait for it to come to her.