Musbiber Vs. Shakespeare Analysis

MS. BUSBIBER VS SHAKESPEARE

Traditionally, Shakespeare has held a central place in English Literature classes. High schools and colleges have taught and performed his plays. Recently, however, the bard has been falling out of favor. This is not because Shakespeare has become less of a writer. The reason is that he is white, male, and dead. He has been dead for some 450 years. To some, that makes him a relic. In this view, Shakespeare has nothing much to say to minorities or women. He is an insult to diversity, a symbol of “white privilege”, and a tool of oppression. Writers who articulate a more relevant vision for the diverse student populations of today must replace him. Just give Shakespeare a footnote to acknowledge his out-of-date

Dusbiber, however, discounts the academic history, as well as the experience of readers and theatergoers. Her primary litmus test for literary greatness seems to be minority status, sexual identity, and contemporaniety. She does not attack Shakespeare’s skill; she simply denigrates it. She speaks not one word of literary criticism. She rests her argument on what she believes her students will find relevant. That means that a relevant author must be recent, a minority, and preferably female, I suppose. Those are criteria of prejudice, not literary criticism. Were Ms. Dusbiber the voracious reader she claims to be, then she might have noticed this fault before committing it, unless what she reads teaches her

Dusbiber also laments that Shakespeare lived in a very limited world. He may deserve a note explaining that he recorded life as he experienced it—limited though it was. But that’s about it. Consequently, Shakespeare cannot speak to her diverse class of students. Of course, Shakespeare’s limited world included a classical education that gave him an understanding of history. “Julius Caesar”, for example, shows familiarity with Roman history and the ability to transform it into captivating drama. Similar observations could be made concerning his treatment of England’s civil strife and kings, or life in the city states of Italy. Shakespeare’s imagination ranged widely, reaching over the centuries to touch us today. Judging from his affect on the writers who came after him and his influence upon English idiomatic expression, Shakespeare hardly seems a relic. His influence is living and personal, even in expressions people use today without knowing their