What Shakespeare Means To Me

Building a tradition of their own, A.J. Leon and his band of Misfits, Inc. are once again celebrating Shakespeare's Birthday by building a wall of "What does Shakespeare mean to me?" blog posts, and I am more than happy to contribute.  I could write on that topic in my sleep.

Shakespeare means eternity to me.  It means transcendence.  It means that someone somewhere knew what it means to experience and feel the things that all other human beings may eventually experience and feel, and put that down in writing like a recipe, like a roadmap, like a decoder ring for all of us for centuries to come to decipher.

He is a canvas upon which all of humanity can illustrate their own existence, simultaneously linking it to those that have gone before while carving out its own unique story.

Shakespeare is inspiration, he is wisdom, he is comfort, just like those people closest to us. He is at times comedy and at times tragedy, just like life.

What does Shakespeare mean to me?  Everything.

This year's Shakespeare Day Celebration is sponsored in part by Shakespeare Is Universal: Shakespeare truly is for everyone, and nothing demonstrates that sentiment better than his most famous quote of all, translated here into languages from around the world.   In celebration of Shakespeare's birthday, show that you believe his works are just as relevant, powerful and important as they've ever been!