How popular is Shakespear today in US-UK?

***People said planes would never fly...***

So now you are comparing the poetical linguistic genius of Shakespeare with aeronautics? ;-) They are totally different spheres altogether.

During the past 100 years the advances of science have been nothing less than dramatic, but even more dramatic (in the true sense of the word) is that, since Will died almost 400 years ago, there has never been a successor to exceed his sheer skill and sheer power in dramatic effect and brilliance in the use of the English Language...neither here in the UK nor anywhere else in the world. He has had no equal since then, and 400 years is a very long time. I really think it's safe (and not at all Anglocentric - don't be so silly!) to say that the Bard of Avon will never be outshone in his field.

It's no accident that, after London, Stratford-upon-Avon is the second most popular destination for foreign tourists to the UK, so Old Will, the lad from Arden*, still has great pulling power. As it happens, Edinburgh is the third on the list. I just had to add that one! ;-)

*Arden is the name of the forest close to Stratford-upon-Avon (the forest was far more extensive in his day than it is now) the forest being a favourite stomping (and courting the lassies...he was a wee bit of a babe magnet) ground for Will in his early youth, before he gained the fame he so richly deserved and went to live in London.

I think we will soon have mind-scanning software and technology which can analyse peoples' brains and adapt literary works to the individuals mind in a way such that it will be the optimal possible experience for that person. In that regard, it will definitely be better than Shakespeare, which most people can't even understand.

400 years is not actually that long anyway. And many would argue Shakespeare already has been surpassed.

"better than Shakespeare, which most people can't even understand"

So you don't understand S'speare, who cares.

<<***People said planes would never fly...***

So now you are comparing the poetical linguistic genius of Shakespeare with aeronautics? ;-) They are totally different spheres altogether.

During the past 100 years the advances of science have been nothing less than dramatic, but even more dramatic (in the true sense of the word) is that, since Will died almost 400 years ago, there has never been a successor to exceed his sheer skill and sheer power in dramatic effect and brilliance in the use of the English Language...neither here in the UK nor anywhere else in the world. He has had no equal since then, and 400 years is a very long time. I really think it's safe (and not at all Anglocentric - don't be so silly!) to say that the Bard of Avon will never be outshone in his field.

It's no accident that, after London, Stratford-upon-Avon is the second most popular destination for foreign tourists to the UK, so Old Will, the lad from Arden*, still has great pulling power. As it happens, Edinburgh is the third on the list. I just had to add that one! ;-)

*Arden is the name of the forest close to Stratford-upon-Avon (the forest was far more extensive in his day than it is now) the forest being a favourite stomping (and courting the lassies...he was a wee bit of a babe magnet) ground for Will in his early youth, before he gained the fame he so richly deserved and went to live in London. >>
Don't be silly, OK? Damian in Edinburgh
Who said there HAS NEVER BEEN a successor to exceed his sheer skill and sheer power in dramatic effect and brilliance in the use of the English Language...neither here in the UK NOR ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD.
That is only your opinion (or for that matter, the opinion of Anglophone people). PLEASE kindly remember this!

People of BRITAIN (and perhaps USA) can of course say Shakespeare has been the greatest playwright for his sheer skill and sheer power in dramatic effect and brilliance in the use of the English Language.
But just stop there! Don't make such claims that he has the greatest playwright in the WORLD!
You of course can be silly enough to make believe that the opinion of the people of BRITAIN (and perhaps USA) represents the opinion of the world.

Yo, yo! Wassup dudes!
Shakespeare KICKS ASS!!!!!!!!
He's da bomb!

I think Russian authors are not far from producing awesome literray works.

Do y'all reckon those peeps from back in Ol' Shakespeare's day woulda been surpised if they saw how famous he'da become in 400 years? What I'ma tryin to say is, was he considered legendary even back then, or was he just a runothemill bloke tryin a make his way in the universe?

<< Do y'all reckon those peeps from back in Ol' Shakespeare's day woulda been surpised if they saw how famous he'da become in 400 years? What I'ma tryin to say is, was he considered legendary even back then, or was he just a runothemill bloke tryin a make his way in the universe? >>

He was seen as one talented poet-playwright of many, but he did have a reasonably high reputation in his own lifetime. The fact that he was the most eulogized poet of his generation (http://www.shakespeareauthorship.com/eulogies.html) says something I should think. Comments about his memorial monument within several decades of his death show also that he was quite distinguished (http://shakespeareauthorship.com/monrefs.html). John Dryden, who wrote about ninety years after Shakespeare began writing, considered him one of the best writers of the English tongue.

So even in his day and shortly thereafter, he was not seen as just another playwright.

<<<<The only reason people think Shakespeare is "deep" is because of how archaic his writing is.>>


This is why people prefer the King James version of the bible; archaic language sounds "deep", irrespective of the actual substance of the writing.

<<I guess Wintereis and Damian in Edinburgh are right in saying that many people are watching Shakespeare's plays presented by actors (even specializing in Shakespeare).
But that is different from reading his works by having a book in front of your eyes. >>

I notice several people here have seemd to have the opinion that it is somehow better or more important to READ Shakespeare's plays, and that this is preferable to seeing them performed. That's a very strange idea. He was a playwright, not a novelist. His works were DESIGNED to be watched live, not read off a page. They are nothing but dialogue with a few stage directions. That's why reading his plays is often far less interesting and enchanting than seeing them performed -- imagine just reading the screenplays of your favorite movies, and only getting to enjoy them that way!

I got Shakespeare in middle school and high school, and took an elective course on his plays in college as well (as an art major, it certainly didn't count toward any of my requirements, so obviously I took it for fun). Most of it is fairly easy to keep up with, although the footnotes are invaluable as far as deciphering slang and the odd vocabulary words no longer in use today, and explaining jokes and puns that no longer "work" in today's English. Personally I liked him because he was pretty dirty most of the time, and that makes him a lot more fun. I've seen a few productions of his plays over the years, both professional and amateur -- including the fantastically funny Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) in London (but performed by Americans) -- and they are always good fun and fairly well-attended.