William Shakespeare was a producer of timeless classics in English literature, so iconic that his work is taught in almost every American high school. Although English teachers hold the poet on a pedestal, Shakespeare is outdated. High school students are subjected to reading numerous poems by Shakespeare, which are often marred by an abundance of archaic English and dated themes.
Poetry is defined as “literature that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience or a specific emotional response through language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound, and rhythm,” according to Encyclopedia Britannica. In my opinion, Shakespeare falls short; his outdated English creates difficulties for readers approaching his stories. Students who are introduced to Shakespeare are intimidated by his unique speech, to the point of dreading Shakespeare’s work instead of appreciating it.
This is a problem, especially for high school students who may associate Shakespeare’s name with poetry as a whole, as it may dissuade them from becoming potential poets and authors.
As an alternative, schools should consider teaching other poets who discuss more diverse and modern themes, while creating a similar emotional depth as Shakespeare. Poets like Alice Walker, Wilfred Owen, and Edgar Allen Poe are not discussed with the same frequency as Shakespeare.
Alice Walker, an African-American poet, focuses on the beauty of human nature while weaving in tones of racism and acceptance. For example, in her poem “The Flowers,” Alice Walker describes sharecropper Wilfred Owen, a famous World War 1 poet who illustrates his outlook on war and the absurdity of it, debunking the myth of a “glorious” war, to paint a realistic and gritty picture. Edgar Allen Poe uses dark tones to explore the topic of horror, in my opwinion, creating a very interesting read.
I’m not saying that Shakespeare should be replaced, but he should be taught less compared to other poets. Moreover, Shakespeare’s themes are also outdated. Topics of revenge, love, insecurity, and jealousy, all topics that are put to an extreme in the writings of Shakespeare, but are somewhat cliched. Furthermore, setting these themes within an older setting creates more of a cultural divide between his writings and the current reader. The authors that I have listed discuss relevant themes of war, race, and acceptance. Juxtaposingly, Shakespeare, who solely focuses on themes that can be found in children’s books. Shakespeare’s writings are intimidating and increasingly irrelevant to the students of today. We should consider searching for other poets and authors who relate more to modern audiences instead of dwelling on exhausted themes.
