“Come, and take choice of all my library, and so beguile thy sorrow.”
William Shakespeare has contributed more to our modern culture than we may realize. Whether you’re a fan of Shakespeare or only read it when it’s assigned, you have likely quoted his work; for example: If you’ve ever said someone has “a heart of gold” you’ve quoted Henry V; if you say someone “wears their heart on their sleeve”, you’ve quoted Othello.
Shakespeare has also reshaped the English language, many times combining words from other languages with English words, or changing parts of speech for better usage. If you’ve described anything as “fashionable” or “uncomfortable”, you’ve used words that William Shakespeare essentially created.
It isn’t just our modern language that has been influenced by the Bard, some of our most popular literature and films are based on Shakespeare’s works: The Lion King is based on Hamlet, 10 Things I Hate About You is based on Taming of the Shrew, She’s the Man is based on Twelfth Night and Warm Bodies is based on Romeo and Juliet.
Some of the most interesting versions of Shakespeare’s work are those adaptations or reinterpretations that have kept the basic script of the original but changed time or location, you can see Romeo and Juliet in California, Hamlet in New York City, or King Lear in Japan.
Here at Smith Library, you can experience the genius of Shakespeare in so many ways. Not only do we have all of the plays in print, we also have them in eBook and audio book versions, as well as stage performances, films, adaptations and reinterpretations available on DVD or eVideo.
Here is a look at how you may experience my personal favorite, Hamlet, in five different ways:
Books/Audio Books:
Operas/Musicals:
Performances:
Films:
Adaptations/Reinterpretations:
Visit our display in Smith library to see how the Bard has influenced our language and culture and to check out some great works by and about Shakespeare.
To learn more about Shakespeare or find adaptations of your favorite Shakespeare plays, ask a librarian!
Blog post by Alex Frey, Technical Services