Shakespeare's Influence In North America

Shakespeare’s influence knows no bounds, affecting numerous individuals looking for inspiration including musicians. A seemingly endless amount of songs have been written honoring or referencing The Bard since his death over 400 years ago. The significance of musical content dealing subtly or heavily with Shakespeare is due to the important nature of accessibility. There is an array of literature written about Shakespeare that attempts to provide some semblance of an explanation for what his works are about and how they can be interpreted. Due to this, Shakespeare has remained relevant for centuries in the academic world as several new theories about his sonnets and/or plays continue to emerge from historians, educators, artists, intellects
Historically, the founding fathers came from Britain and brought with them Shakespeare whose name and works were used to not only heighten elitist self-images but aid in the development of a new nation (Browne, 257). Shakespeare was the ideal playwright for providing a fundamental basis for a theatrical realm of the new world; his plays had an extensive range and adaptability which could fit the mould of the utopic ideal of a New America while still retaining the set values, morals, and language of the old country (England). The value of his works was the applicability to whomever engaged with the material and the inspiration and meaning readers/viewers could derive from his philosophies. His works weren’t bound, at least in this historical context, by any culture or geography; Shakespeare’s work was adaptable and therefore vital for the development of a new country (Browne, 260). Due to the nature of how America was born, and due to British colonialism, Shakespeare consequentially resonated across cultures and throughout time. In the same way in which theatre was formerly considered a major transitory experience for people going through some type of change in their lives, music and film is the more immediate mode to affect individuals deeply and hold the power to shift ideals and profoundly touch people’s emotions (Browne, 262). Due to our enduring connectedness to the internet which provides an overwhelmingly abundant amount of information and entertainment for anyone with Wi-Fi, music and film have become an inherent part of identity building. Whether we are shifting to a more visual and sonic world is up for debate but the evidence to suggest so is wildly clear with rampant negligence of written works in favor of film and music. Mumford & Sons disrupts this modern, dichotomous separation between page and screen by