Prithee, dost thou thinkest William Shakespeare appears well for one who hath 450 years behind him? Methinks so. (Methinks I should also leave the poetic writing to the Bard....)
As one of the most influential poets and playwrights of all time, Shakespeare left a lasting imprint on the literary world. Hundreds of readers worldwide—from Bill Clinton to Lily Collins and Francisco X. Stork to Mandy Patinkin—have included his works in their bookprint (i.e. the five books that have had the greatest influence on their lives). Though some people question whether or not Shakespeare actually penned all 37 plays and 154 sonnets published under his name, his work has undoubtedly shaped modern drama, literature, and language as we know it.
Today marks the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's (presumed) birth and death; to celebrate his legacy, we've created a bookprint on his behalf. My best guess when it comes to the five books that most influenced Shakespeare:
- The Odyssey by Homer - Many of Shakespeare's plays allude to Greek mythology. (The three witches in Hamlet, for instance, bear a striking resemblance to the Fates: three women who act as puppeteers of human lives, controlling each movement.) Shakespeare's classical education supposedly focused on Greek mythology, Roman comedy, ancient history, rhetoric, grammar, Latin, and possibly Greek, which makes me think Shakespeare would have chosen to include Homer's epic in his bookprint.
- Romeus and Julietby Arthur Brooke - As you may have guessed from the title, Shakespeare based much of his play Romeo and Juliet on this tragic poem. (Here's an interesting piece from the American Repertory Theater on how Romeus became Romeo.)
- Metamorphoses by Ovid - In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare pokes fun at Pyramus and Thisbe—characters from Book 4 of Ovid's Metamorphoses whose parents forbid them to wed because of a longstanding family rivalry. (Of course Romeo and Juliet also addresses the idea of star-crossed lovers....) Shakespeare seems to have been influenced by Ovid's work, at least to an extent.
- Holinshed's Chronicles - Published in multiple volumes and two editions in the late 1500s, Holinshed's Chronicles aims to provide a comprehensive history of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and is thought to have influenced many of Shakespeare's plays, including Macbeth.
- The Bible - From references to the original sin in As You Like It to the relationship between Cain and Abel alluded to in Hamlet and Richard II, Shakespeare's plays incorporate countless nods to the Bible.
What books do you think Shakespeare would have included in his bookprint? We'd love to hear your thoughts!
Image via Wikipedia
