Has Hollywood Created a Shakespearean Renaissance?
What's in a name? If the name is Shakespeare, these days it means big bucks for the movie industry.
With Oscar nominations for the film "Shakespeare in Love" and upcoming remakes of other Shakespearean works - "Hamlet" (the third remake this decade), "Love's Labours Lost" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream," to name a few - William Shakespeare seems to be more popular than ever.
Is this a renaissance of the Renaissance or more evidence of the universal appeal of the Bard? Vanderbilt University Assistant Professor of English Dennis Kezar says Shakespeare remains relevant over the centuries because of a cultural worship of the playwright - bardolatry, he says. The current resurgence of interest in his works is not just a Hollywood trend, as recent remakes of Jane Austen's works seem to be; it is because Shakespeare made his works relevant and timeless, Kezar says.
Kezar also believes that remakes of Shakespeare's works say more about us as a society than they do about Shakespeare's popularity. For example, Kezar says, the fact that Laurence Olivier, a white actor, portrayed Othello in the 50s and Laurence Fishburne, a black actor, portrayed him in the 90s speaks volumes about our culture. Shakespeare brings us the material, but we are the ones who continue to make it relevant, he says.
Kezar teaches several classes on Shakespeare and has written extensively on him, including the book he is currently writing, "Renaissance Killing Poems," and essays such as "The Properties of Shakespeare's Globe."
If you would like to speak to Assistant Professor of English Dennis Kezar, please contact Beth Fox at (615) 322-NEWS (6397) or [email protected].
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