Shakespeare in the Digital Age

Simply considering how scientifically and technologically advanced our society is, I (and many others) would have expected works like Shakespeare to become obsolete. With books becoming digitalized, who knows how long it'll be before even E-books are old news? Maybe we'll implant microchips inside our brain that allow us to instantly absorb knowledge. For now, however, Shakespeare has persevered and made it all the way to my English class.

What kind of effects has technology had on Shakespeare (that's the question)? And following that question, why is Shakespeare still such a big presence in English classes? The latter is easier to answer, however, so we'll start with that one. The world is run by demand. That is, if people like and can relate to something, it'll be popular. Because of how timeless and easily relatable Shakespeare's works are, they have lasted and will last for ages.

When I say relatable, I don't mean that everyone has been through the tragedies of Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet. Rather, I am referring to the subtle themes that are almost exaggerated in Shakespeare's works: betrayal, greed, forbidden love, and so on. Everyone can empathize, or at least sympathize, with Shakespeare's characters, thus making the play itself more accessible (more on that here).

Speaking of access, the most important and noticeable effect of technology on Shakespeare has been to make it more accessible. Although we can still go and watch actors perform Shakespeare, we can also easily find it in print, or even online. Not only can more people access Shakespeare's works, they can also use them more easily as well. Without technology, doing my English project on a word from Shakespeare would be difficult, as I would have to go through the entire book all over again looking for the word "dream."

In essence, technology has not harmed Shakespeare's works; rather, it has helped them by exposing more and more people to the works.

The Infinite Monkey Theorem