It is hard to profess your love for English literature yet not know of the great masterpieces or the icons who have gave name to the beauty of the language, and there are many, to begin with.
It is unbecoming not to pay homage to one of the greatest legend in the world of literature; the man whose works have ceased to amaze nor meet its match for generations spanning for centuries.
It is probably even a little modest to refer to him as the master, for his works have far surpassed that of the superiority of the language which he so artfully and skillfully honed to his own definition.
There is none other than the amazing William Shakespeare.
The Bard, or the Bard of Avon himself.
The greatest poet, writer, playwright, actor, dramatist and literature's talent, of all time.
He has not met his match.
His works are peerless.
He is the man who had contributed to the English literature, influenced and inspired the ways until this very day.
There is no end to praises I would sing to his name, for indeed, I am one of his greatest fans and may I say, he is the inspiration for my love for literature in the very first place.
Well, I have my list of inspirations and the amazing writers and poets who have evoked that flame of literature in me, but the ultimate one would have to be The Bard.
Hands down.
There is little much known about the man whom the world has referred to the greatest writer of all time, and even pre-eminent dramatist for his life was kept in private as his works continued to create waves of frenzy as they see the public light.
Last Saturday, the 23rd of April 2016 marks the 400th year of his death in 1616.
That much was known and little is left to wonder, the need to commemorate the day the great man left the world.
It is not his death the world is celebrating, but his existence in life, and his presence in the land of the English literature.
It is the essence of life which he breathed to the literature in which he has orchestrated comfortably as though it was his second skin.
No one really knows when Shakespeare was really born, though he was baptized on the 26th of April and given the trend back then in which the baptism of the child would take place a few days shortly after his birth, it was then speculated and believed that it would also be the 23rd (three days before his baptism) when he was born at the same time.
So, the 23rd of April became widely celebrated as both the day of his death and birth at the same time.
But really, it didn't really matter.
There were even rumors that since little was known about his life, it was questionable whether his works were really of his own and the worth of his fame attributed to the pieces titled to his name.
Even his sexuality was of great interest despite him being married at a tender age of 18 (though it was common at that time) and fathered three children.
When one springs to fame, these are just matters of the norm as hearsay and rumors fleet through the air.
Much of Shakespeare's works were produced between 1589 and 1613; at the age of 25.
He has written plays, sonnets, poems, stories which have been classified into tragedies, comedies, romances where most have been popularly dramatized into the stage and even movies in the modern days.
One could easily lose count the number of times each of its titled works have been mentioned or even found its way in classrooms and behind the thick curtains of stages around the world.
Students of the English language would be introduced to his works as required readings, let alone those pursuing the field of literature.
In fact, literature is even the compulsory component in the language and it is almost impossible that anyone who has gone to school would not have heard of or at least touched one of Shakespeare's works.
It is inevitable that while there are those who professed their love for his works (like yours truly) and then there are those who simply detest it.
Just like everything else in the world, all is fair in love and war, and in this case, plays.
There is no wrong nor right, in one's preference.
After all, one man's meat could very well intoxicate another man's throat, so I am not going to shove any works of literature down your throat if you were to tell me you are not a fan.
(I may consider gagging you instead if you start bad mouthing my favorite authors and trying to conspire in getting me to do the same, though it is not very becoming to do so)
You don't have to be a fan, but just don't stand in the way of those who already are.
To be or not to be, that always remains the question.
After all, it is only To Thine Own Self be true, it must follow as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.
To the Bard, whom we celebrate the four centuries of literature wonders and may his legacy continues to live forever.
(I do not own the image, image credits: historybuff.com)
Be NOT Afraid of Greatness, some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them
*Author's Note:
This is not a sponsored/promotional post, and solely based on author's personal opinions and do not represent the general public.
Experiences vary from one individual to another.
You do not have to agree with me.
You do not have to agree with me.
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