His bibliography been around for so long, what new is there to get from his work that there’s people with PHDs in it.
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It’s not only learning about the man himself, but his impact on the English language, drama, and history as a whole. For example, what influence did Shakespeare have on the Maltese romantic movement of the 17th century? To what extend did the ballet of the Isle of Man inspired Shakespeare? To what extent the did the decrease of price in sheep (used to make parchment) due to the Reformation encourage Shakespeare to write so much? I made those up, but I hope you get the point.
Studying Shakespeare can also occur with a different lens. Studying the past is history, but studying how people study history itself is a study, called historiography. At different times in history, people interpret the past according the thought of the present. For example, the early and mid 20th century historians had a lot of Marxist and economic point of view on everything. Some would read Shakespeare and interpret it as a promoting or criticizing capitalism. In the later half the 20th century, historians started taking are more social approach. So, they might find view Shakespeare as commenting on the structure of the family and role of each member in that family.
His stuff has been around forever, but it’s like digging into a really good TV show – you catch new vibes and twists every time. People with PhDs in Shakespeare are basically super-fans who dissect every line, finding hidden gems and fresh perspectives. It’s like having a favorite song on repeat, you keep discovering new beats. That’s why Shakespeare is this never-ending journey of literary coolness.
I don’t think “study” for anything is ever truly finished as long as there are curious minds & even if we have truly learnt all there is to learn about Shakespeare people still like to make their own interpretations and conclusions.
To quote the great man, Agent K, from the most holy of organizations, the M.I.B…
>1,500 years ago, everybody knew that the Earth was the center of the universe. 500 years ago, everybody knew that the Earth was flat. And 15 minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you’ll know tomorrow.
If we stopped studying things we would still be the centre of the universe on a flat planet living alone. Study away, my friend, study away.
Well, there can still be fresh theories and interpretations of his work; people might be inspired by existing study on the topic and write something new derived from it. We might find out more about the general historical context and his life from other sources, which could alter our perception of him. His works still have an enormous impact on contemporary theatre and the arts, and as that changes people will write about that too.
Because Shakespeare doesn’t change but people do. There are new ways to interpret it, read it, perform it, and/or bring meaning to it based on our own experiences.
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