Happy Birthday, Will!
April 23, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Today marks the birthday of one of the world’s greatest writers.
William Shakespeare.
The Bard.
His staying power is impressive to say the least.
38 plays.
154 sonnets.
And more than 400 years of performances, interpretations, and story fodder.
Romeo & Juliet inspired West Side Story.
Hamlet was a focal point of the 1993 movie Renaissance Man. Danny DeVito plays an out-of-work advertising executive who takes a job teaching Army recruits with subpar intelligence. Hamlet ignites their interest, education, and previously unexplored intelligence. Street smarts prove just as valuable in studying Shakespeare as book smarts.
In the Happy Days episode A Star Is Bored, Richie and his friends recruit Fonzie to star in the church’s performance of Hamlet. They need a star attraction to raise money for new uniforms for the church’s baseball team. In a dramatic moment elemental to the early Happy Days episodes, Richie explains to Fonzie the meaning of the line To be or not to be after the latter character inquires. Richie says that Hamlet is contemplating suicide. Fonzie reveals that he’s thought about whether to be or not to be.
The West Wing enjoyed an undercurrent of Shakespeare inspiration. Like the title character in King Lear, President Bartlet has three daughters, encounters deception within his ranks, and balances emotions with his duties as a leader.
Shakespeare gave us dialogue that we still quote today. For example, Julius Caesar dialogue includes:
Et tu, Brutus?
Experience is the teacher of all things.
Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion [beyond reproach].
Shakespeare gave us tragedy, farce, and romance. His themes are universal. His stories are timeless. His characters are unforgettable.
Happy Birthday, Will!
david@davidkrell.com
Today marks the birthday of one of the world’s greatest writers.
William Shakespeare.
The Bard.
His staying power is impressive to say the least.
38 plays.
154 sonnets.
And more than 400 years of performances, interpretations, and story fodder.
Romeo & Juliet inspired West Side Story.
Hamlet was a focal point of the 1993 movie Renaissance Man. Danny DeVito plays an out-of-work advertising executive who takes a job teaching Army recruits with subpar intelligence. Hamlet ignites their interest, education, and previously unexplored intelligence. Street smarts prove just as valuable in studying Shakespeare as book smarts.
In the Happy Days episode A Star Is Bored, Richie and his friends recruit Fonzie to star in the church’s performance of Hamlet. They need a star attraction to raise money for new uniforms for the church’s baseball team. In a dramatic moment elemental to the early Happy Days episodes, Richie explains to Fonzie the meaning of the line To be or not to be after the latter character inquires. Richie says that Hamlet is contemplating suicide. Fonzie reveals that he’s thought about whether to be or not to be.
The West Wing enjoyed an undercurrent of Shakespeare inspiration. Like the title character in King Lear, President Bartlet has three daughters, encounters deception within his ranks, and balances emotions with his duties as a leader.
Shakespeare gave us dialogue that we still quote today. For example, Julius Caesar dialogue includes:
Et tu, Brutus?
Experience is the teacher of all things.
Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion [beyond reproach].
Shakespeare gave us tragedy, farce, and romance. His themes are universal. His stories are timeless. His characters are unforgettable.
Happy Birthday, Will!