Most of Shakespeare’s dramas were either tragedies or comedies. Drama, I believe, has its basis in human conflict. In tragedy, this struggle springs from passions that possess the hearts and minds of men and women – irrespective of where on earth they live or when. Ambition, hatred, greed and lust are common human traits. In comedy, the conflict usually spins from rivalry in love, from the effort of a banished ruler to regain his throne, or from the recovery of family or fortune. Shakespeare’s tragic plays end in death and destruction; while comedy usually with one or more marriages. A funeral dirge accompanies one, just as wedding nights do the other.
What is remarkable about his writing was his ability to bring forth different aspects of human nature so vividly through the various characters in his numerous plays. These human emotions, universally valid then as it is now, are portrayed in delightfully dramatized verse, in such a compelling and brilliant manner.
Imagine Julius Caesar in a modern setting. Although the play is about a bloody episode in Roman history, it is all about unscrupulous men striving for power in a military state and political maneuvers. In today’s world, it could be ruthless tycoons trying to gain control of some large industry or financial empire. Whether or not such struggle involves assassinations and riots, I believe, the temptations and the personal decisions confronting individuals are basically the same as those facing Brutus, Cassius and Antony, who conspired and finally murdered Caesar.
On the subject of Shakespeare, I recently came across a letter that was written to me 14 years ago, while I was still in college. I still fondly remembered the sender – a Shakespeare-quoting, truth-seeking young man. I promptly wrote to his parents, asking where I could contact him.
My letter had a swift return, with this note scrawled across the bottom: “Our son went on to law school and is a successful attorney. He is active politically, unmarried and, believe it or not, lives at home. PLEASE COME GET HIM.”
