There\u2019s no doubt that William Shakespeare is probably of the most famous writer of all time, but how did he become so popular? I mean, not everyone gets such a mass celebration 400 years after their passing,\u00a0and there is definitely something special about this writer.\u00a0 Visiting the \u201cShakespeare In Ten Acts\u201d exhibit at the British Library can\u00a0leave someone\u00a0dumbfounded by the mass amounts of artifacts and original works by the great William Shakespeare. But, how has he been recreated and so idolized for centuries all around the world? The evidence lies in the translated copies of his texts.<\/p>\n
The original copies of William Shakespeare\u2019s works are great and all, but only people in Elizabethan England could truly understand them. It wasn\u2019t until much later when these books were translated, that Shakespeare could truly become such a phenomenon.This section of the exhibit featured several first edition books of translated Shakespeare plays, all starting back in the 19th<\/sup> century. Macbeth <\/em>was now offered in French, Hamlet<\/em> could now be read in Japan, King Lear<\/em> was written in Mongolian. There were also more of William Shakespeare\u2019s books written in Czech, Arabic, Thai, Setswana, German, and several others. These original translated books opened up the gateway that led to Shakespeare\u2019s rise to fame and recreation.<\/p>\n People were even learning William Shakespeare\u2019s work by a younger age as well. Children\u2019s books began to be produced about Shakespeare\u2019s plays in the 19th<\/sup> century as well. An original one featured in the exhibit displayed pictures to help explain the story and much simpler wording. This contributes to how Shakespeare has been recreated because now from the ages five and older, anyone could read Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello<\/em>, or any other play.<\/p>\n By the end of the 19th<\/sup> century, almost everyone in the entire world knew who William Shakespeare was. These translated copies of his work and the Children\u2019s versions expanded his audience beyond anything he could have ever dreamed of. We celebrate him and revive his work time and time again because not only are his writings brilliant, but everyone can read them and perform them in their native language. By translating the books, everyone could view and appreciate his brilliance. I think part of the reason that we can celebrate such a great writer 400 years after his passing is because it\u2019s not just an English thing to celebrate, and people from all around the world can come and appreciate him. These books played a huge role in William Shakespeare\u2019s worldwide fame.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There\u2019s no doubt that William Shakespeare is probably of the most famous writer of all time, but how did he become so popular? I mean, not everyone gets such a mass celebration 400 years after their passing,\u00a0and there is definitely … Continue reading