William Shakespeare and Western Literary Tradition Essay Example for Free

William Shakespeare and Western Literary Tradition EssayWhen Shakespeare was a kid going to grammar school, a school open to boys only by the way they learned Latin, Hellenic and rhetoric, persuasion through logical argument. Students read Latin and Greek writers to learn about the history of past Greece and the glory that was Rome and this material was translated by them into English or French after m both hours of work. Im dexterous the school curriculum of the 21 st century has evolved and we no longer spend our days doing boring block like thatTheir old-fashioned, subjects that have little relevance in the modern world of the internet and space travel. The unbelief is shouldnt we allow our education system to further evolve and file Shakespeare in the same drawer where weve stuck Homer, Plato and Ovid? given(p) the society of North America in the 21 st century, Shakespeares relevance is declining with each new technical advance. The routine of this essay is to prove isnt it time to address this question head on, charge at the risk of do legions of English teachers to collapse in horror?Speaking to the world may be the least of the challenges lining those who want the teaching of Shakespeare. Shakespeares English is the language as they spoke it 400 years ago. It is as antediluvian and antiquated and old as the Latin and Greek I spoke about in my introduction. sojourn any class of high school students tackle Shakespeare and the first book youll see on theredesks is a student guide of nones explaining who characters are, the plot and the themes. Indeed, it is doubtful that the play itself is ever cracked by some students.How provide students in the 21 st century understand any of the great themes raised in these plays if they postt even understand what some guy is saying? If students must read this stuff, switch it for a modern translation. I would like to write a graphic novel using Shakespeares plots, but maybe its been done. Consider h ow this business is worse for those students whose first language is not even English. If were going to combat feelings of alienation we must not cling to cultural icons of a white, Anglo-Saxon culture.Given the modern, multicultural societies to be found in any Canadian city of to-day, can a writer from olde England really claim to have any relevance? High school teachers need further training to examine the important literatures of Africa, Asia or the Muslim world. The season of Anglo-Saxon monarchs can have little connection with the issues gripping the globe from Africa and the MiddleEast. As members of a ball-shaped community we need to be aware of the moral issues facing these cultures if were going to talk to them. I envisage the issue of AIDS and HIV in Africa is one of the most important enigmas we face.It is the westerlyern literary traditions refusal to note beyond Shakespeare that cements western, primarily British, culture as the dominant cultural group and cause s other groups, African, Middle easterly or Asian to exist in a mental cultural ghetto. How will we in the west understand the moral concerns of other cultural or religious groups if we refuse to look beyond Shakespeare? How can Shakespeare speak to the world? The really important argument put forward by those who want to come about Shakespeare in the curriculum is that Shakespeare is the greatest writer in the western literary tradition.Says who? I think magnificence is a relative value judgment? Shakespeares plays second in Shakespeares own mind to his poetry were pen to satisfy the political fashions of his time. Why does Macbeth look into the cauldron and see A show of eight Kings, the farthermost with a glass in his hand? We are told now it was to impress James the first of England and 6th of Scotland. It was James interest in the occult that caused the inclusion of the three witches who look not like the inhabitants o the earth, and yet an ont who Macbeth consults.You can t look at any copy of a Shakespeare play without finding perspicuous references to the monarchy of his time. Shakespeares plays, like any political propaganda found to-day, either concentrates on defending the status quo or fight the unpopular leadership of an earlier time. So, in conclusion, as you can see I have bewitching strong feelings about Shakespeare and his plays. In the 21 st century, spending time with the confusion that is Shakespeare is about as useful as training doctors in the value of bleeding their patients as a means of correcting a problem with the four humours.By examining the great works of other cultures and religions we can learn about a major(ip) part of the world. Through the literature of many different parts of the world theyre concerns will be perceivable to us and well show our willingness to meet the rest of the world, not throw forts built of iambic pentameter with the occasional rhyming couplet to securely glue the walls together. If we ignore t he future to sort of celebrate the western literary past well have a disaster of global proportions. Works Cited 1. William Shakespeare, Macbeth. Toronto Longmans Canada. 1965