William Shakespeare: To Read or not to Read Neelam Aggarwal An anniversary is a good time to review and reevaluate the worth of past achievements. This April 23 is Shakespeare’s 400th death anniversary (and also what is commonly accepted as his 452nd birthday). Ben Jonson, Shakespeare’s contemporary and friend, foretold his perennial appeal when he declared in his eulogy: "He (Shakespeare) was not of an age, but for all time!" Even as tributes are paid to him, the question arises once again: is Shakespeare relevant today? Although we know Shakespeare by his reputation and recognize that his plays continue to be performed widely, critically examined and quoted extensively from, the issue still remains: is there any real reason for us to read …show more content…
He depicts his characters to illustrate points on power, action, communication, and decision-making. King Lear, Richard II, and Mark Antony failed because they believed their authority alone gave them the right to lead and they should be obeyed by virtue of their position. Macbeth portrays a leader who has no integrity and one whose ambition propels him to destruction. Macbeth starts out as a loyal subject to a good king but following the witches’ prediction that he will be king, his latent ambition is kindled and he proceeds to kill the king. His “vaulting ambition” which “o’erleaps itself” leads to his downfall. The lesson is that ambition can have positive value if it helps to drive change and innovation but if it “o’erleaps itself”, it can be destructive. Then there is King Lear which demonstrates the problems and the disastrous results of a divided leadership and the confusion arising from not recognizing and adapting to one's changing responsibilities. Lear decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters but this divestiture is based on responses which cater to his ego (and which demonstrate his failure to recognize hypocrisy: whoever says she loved him the most would get the biggest share) rather than on sensible planning. The play may well be read as a cautionary tale about bad management and how 'not' to devolve power and the dangers arising from an ill-planned retirement. Lear foolishly assumes that he will continue to wield authority even after he has given away his kingdom. The play further highlights the need for one leader and the unity of command. While Goneril, the eldest daughter, cribs about King Lear’s retaining the trappings of power after divesting himself of the kingdom, and the chaos created by Lear's knights, her sister Regan complains about the impossibility of managing people “in one house under two