Shakespeare started writing his plays in the late 1580's and continued writing until 1614 when he wrote Knight's Tale, The Two Noble Kinsmen (ORO, William Shakespeare). Ever since his time Shakespeare's plays have been performed almost every year since. Over the course of time Shakespeare's work has provided a spring board to creative freedom for crew designers everywhere. These plays have the ability to be performed in any time period and any setting. The costumes, sets, and props can either be as realistic or as fantastical as possible. The plays leave room for a lot of creativity, which is a huge reason why they get used so often. Many movies, musicals, books, and plays have been based off of Shakespeare's plays. Musicals such as, The Boys of Syracuse based on The Comedy of Errors, Play On! which was an adaptation of Twelfth Night, and even West Side Story which is based off of Romeo and Juliet. In fact a lot of stories are based off of Romeo and Juliet. Even the film industry has moved into making Shakespearean films. Many versions can be seen today. (Shaughnessy, pg 150-156).
Overall, Shakespeare continues to this day to shape our society and help us bring about more entertainment for everyone across the globe.
Sources Cited:
"Shakespeare, William" The Oxford Companion to Theatre and Performance. Edited by Dennis Kennedy. Oxford University Press Inc. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Central Washington University. 11 March 2011 http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t315.e3605
The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Popular Culture; edited by Robert Shaughnessy; Cambridge University Press; United Kingdom; 2007
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