No befitting tributes to the Bard

It is a tragedy of our times that a man described as the most profound English writer is away from the minds of a majority of self-styled readers. If anything, they make passing mention about the outstanding man of letters and the very next minute forget his voluminous accomplishments that have enriched the language.

Sadly, a world that goes all over the town to celebrate even the 100th birth anniversary of a leader, founder of any movement or who have you, has committed a cardinal sin, so to say, by ignoring the 400th death anniversary of William Shakespeare on April 23. One wonders if this is a reflection of our times because neither the general English readers nor the publishers have eulogised a man who is revered for his volume of amazing work that includes a mindboggling 38 plays, 154 sonnets and countless poems.

No writer or dramatist can come anywhere near his versatile output. There is no language in the world that does not boast of translations of Shakespeare’s original works. Belonging to an age when everything was under a cloud of suspicion, more particularly private lives, he enjoyed a good rapport with the finest of writers of the period like Ben Johnson.

Imagining such a Utopian world is anathema in the modern times where no two contemporary writers share a rapport. Even the materialistic-driven publishers take a sadistic pride in pitting writers against one another. Any controversy that precedes a book launch is a sure step to the booksellers list.

When Mahatma Gandhi was denied a Nobel Peace Prize, a general retort by his followers was that he was too big and humane to be considered for such listless and cosmetic decorations. It is likewise when one talks of Shakespeare, who cannot be classified into any one particular genre given his genius and the extraordinary narrative ability that has helped produce an extent of work that spans comedy, satire, ethos, romance and tragedies.

He essayed clowns, kings, villains, crooks and sadists with such sublimity and unparalleled flair that it seems like the writer is recreating the scenes from a realistic past. Unlike the joy of reading one’s favourite authors, the magical effect of Shakespeare’s writings is such that one gets lost in a world that appears surreal but is actually a take-off from England and Europe during those Victorian days of romance, turbulence and thuggery.

It took a commoner like Shakespeare decades before he was accorded the ‘Gentleman’ status, which was a symbol of societal and royal acceptance in those days. Indeed, there is more to Shakespeare than being the man who penned immortal classics like Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth, to name a few.

Poetic justice it was that he passed into eternal glory precisely 52 years to the day of his birthday. William Shakespeare is way beyond any legend that one knows of. The world would have done well if an annual celebration was ordered to commemorate his 400th birth anniversary. As a human tragedy this perhaps outbeats the most emotional of tragedies written by the Bard of Avon. Alas…

By Sridhar K Penna