Shakespeare as a Nexus

I believe that more literary scholars than any other would cite the works of William Shakespeare (1564–1616) as possessing the greatest value in the history of linguistic art. Of course, literary works of a caliber comparable to Shakespeare's have been produced in every country, including Japan. Nevertheless, I believe the reason Shakespeare is considered the greatest linguistic artist in history lies in the two points that follow.

Today, Shakespeare's works provide motifs for various artistic fields. For example, "Romeo and Juliet" was adapted into "West Side Story" to address racial conflict in American society, has been made into films numerous times, up to and including director Spielberg's most recent work (2021), and has inspired many derivative works such as ballets, musicals, music, paintings, and manga. Moreover, Shakespeare's works are permeating the cultures of not only the English-speaking world but also other countries. In Japan, they were introduced during the Meiji era and have been incorporated in various forms, starting with the translations by Tsubouchi Shoyo, as well as through adaptations and revisions. In China, too, during the process of modernization, they were incorporated into "early modern spoken drama" in a form different from traditional theater like Peking opera. In this sense, his plays can be called a "common language" for people from different cultural backgrounds to discuss art and ideas.

At the same time, the fact that Shakespeare's works still possess power as "contemporary" art more than 400 years after their creation demonstrates that they hold unparalleled aesthetic value. For example, the aforementioned "Romeo and Juliet" is said to have its direct source text in Arthur Brooke's "The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet" (1562). I will omit the complex scholarly procedures required to prove this, but while dealing with a story of tragic love between a young man and woman—a tale common throughout all ages and cultures—Shakespeare found unparalleled beauty in the seemingly reckless passion and actions of the youths, expressed it in the most beautiful poetic language, and brought a beautiful world to life through its performance by actors. I believe the London audience at the end of the 16th century who saw the premiere of "Romeo and Juliet" was shocked. This is because "Romeo and Juliet" dramatically changed people's aesthetic values regarding romantic love. In a word, it is the value, which continues to this day, that "sincere romantic love between a man and a woman is more beautiful than anything else." It can be said that Shakespeare accomplished a revolutionary feat in terms of theatrical beauty.

The purpose of Shakespearean studies, in the end, is to explore how Shakespeare's works are positioned in literary history and the reasons for it. It is also to study the potential for both universal and specific values in human artistic sensibility. And for these two reasons—its value as a "common language" and its "new aesthetic values"—I believe that all intellectuals, regardless of whether they are in the sciences or the humanities, must read Shakespeare.