“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.” These famous opening remarks by Marc Antony in Act III of Julius Caesar are instantly recognizable to an ever-decreasing fraction of people in America. Chances are, however, that if you spoke to anyone of Indian origin who studied in that country, the same lines would elicit instant recognition and a smile, as well.
I recently had an illuminating conversation with some of my peers on the subject of Shakespeare. The consensus among these peers was that it makes no sense to mandate instruction of Shakespeare because the language barrier is simply too high. I was utterly shocked at such a suggestion. I must admit that this is partly because of a strong positive bias I have toward that most illustrious of English poets. But I do think it is hard to believe that the language of Shakespeare’s day is so alien that only scholars can understand it. After all, his works have formed the cornerstone of the inheritance of English-speaking peoples for centuries. How is it that Indians learning English as a second language are able to comprehend and admire Shakespeare, and yet our fellow students who grew up speaking English find his language hard to decipher?
For one, I think part of the reason has to do with the way we think about literature in general these days. If I were to tell the average English professor or major that I believed literature is a medium for exploring universal and timeless themes and aspects of human nature, I am sure I would be met with aggressive disagreement. More than likely, the response would be that literature is some sort of quasi-political tool that gives voice to marginalized peoples or some other such claptrap that, if true, would suck all the joy from reading. We simply do not perceive literature as an expression of the universal any longer. For that reason, we tend to see Hamlet as a quaint melodrama about a Danish prince instead of a profound and beautiful exploration of human responsibility.
The truth is that the collected works of Shakespeare are replete with wisdom and an unparalleled appreciation for the different facets of the human soul. In the words of Theodore Dalrymple, “Shakespeare’s answers to the questions he raises are subtle, far subtler than those of any ideologue or abstract theorist could ever be: For he is a realist without cynicism and an idealist without utopianism.”
This represents a moderation and moral fairness that is simply not possible in modern literature. Just as Shakespeare used classical history and settings, as far removed as they were from Renaissance England, his plays remain authoritative today.
Perhaps even more concerning is the objection that the difficulties in Shakespeare’s language itself suffice to justify ignoring his works. One of the suggestions put forth in this discussion was that English curricula ought to place more emphasis on contemporary literature as students would get more out of studying it. This is also a typical and unfortunate reaction in our times. That the effort it takes to understand and appreciate Shakespeare might be a crucial part of the experience and tremendously rewarding in itself is not considered. Of course it makes no sense for Macbeth to speak to the phantom dagger before his eyes, and there are many ways in which one could express the character’s moral dread. Of course, none of them would be as poetic and metaphorically powerful as Shakespeare’s writing. As our ability to express ourselves with elegance continually diminishes, it is a great pleasure to pore over lines of the bard, dense as they are with meaning and dramatic skill.
In the famous dystopia created by Aldous Huxley in his novel Brave New World, the works of Shakespeare serve as a symbol of civilization before its descent into madness. They are frequently quoted and the character of John depends on reading them to hold onto his humanity. We are, of course, nowhere near the state of affairs described in that book, but we are beginning to forget the role of such great literature in holding our society together. “O brave new world that hath such people in’t.”
Goutham Ganesan is a senior biochemistry major. He can be reached at gganesan@umd.edu.
