Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers blog

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre originally uploaded by DuncanC.
April 23rd is a day for celebration within British culture. It is the English national day of St George which marks the death of the countries’ patron saint. George was the British soldier forever immortalised in the tale of George and the Dragon. The day also serves to mark the birth of arguably the most famous English playwright, the Bard that is William Shakespeare. Hugely prolific and widely acclaimed, the playwright and poet wrote a staggering 38 plays and 154 sonnets in his lifetime.

Shakespeare was a master of combining comedy, tragedy, love and loss – sometimes all within one act of his plays. Examples of his talent can be seen in the works of Twelfth Night and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Curious asked on Yahoo! Answers just “how does Shakespearean comedy entangle mental and visual love” and fortunately Kat was on hand to provide a great commentary on the love triangle seen in Twelfth Night.

Shakespeare’s talent has been held in the highest of regard throughout the ages and the fact that it is still studied in schools is a testament to the Bard’s greatness. Valerie W posed the question “why should students study Shakespeare in school” to which Sonyack of the answers community responded with great clarity, surmising and reinforcing Shakespeare’s brilliance thus:

“Great writers are studied in school so that the student will see how English is used in the hands of experts, primarily. Seeing and discussing how experts use one’s language teaches one how to use language better and more effectively”.

If you are a fan of William Shakespeare’s or a theatre fan in general then you, like HB, might be interested to know where you can catch a performance of Shakespeare productions in the UK. Luckily for HB, Sirjulian was able to advise on contacting the New Globe theatre – a reconstruction of the venue where Shakespeare famously staged and performed much of his work. .

And if you’re an avid follower of the Shakespearean oeuvre then why not visit Shakespeare’s place of birth, Stratford-Upon-Avon, this Monday (April 23rd). Once there you can take a step back in time to relive and celebrate the writer’s timeless literary works and glorious historical legacy.

– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team