William Shakespeare’s writings once plagued me. I loathed their very existence simply because I could not comprehend his language. As a freshman in high school, attempting to translate “Romeo and Juliet” into our modern day vernacular was nearly impossible for me.
Then a college professor opened my eyes to Shakespeare’s influence on the literary world. As a junior in college, with a slightly more sophisticated knowledge of literature, I found myself better able to understand what Shakespeare was trying to tell me. Not only that, I found myself enjoying his work — especially “The Merchant of Venice,” my favorite of all his writings.
“Hath not a Jew eyes?” it reads. “Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? … If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example?”
The quote above was pulled directly from the play and is spoken by Shylock, one of his most dramatic and thought-provoking characters, in my opinion. Shylock is a mystery: Should you love him or hate him? Is he a villain or is his apparent villainy defensible? To me, Shylock is simply a human — one who has lost almost everything and has the right to be bitter, especially considering the treatment he has endured. Better yet, he taught me an important lesson, one applicable even in this day and age: That lesson is found in the quote above — I’ll let you decipher it in whatever way you see fit. Better yet, read the entire play, as it is a literary triumph and changed my entire attitude toward this master of the written word.
You’re probably wondering why I’ve gone on about Shakespeare. Well, it’s because a very important part of the history of his works is on display in the Portland Public Library. One of the very books that gave us Shakespeare, the First Folio, is on exhibit at the library through April 2. Although I haven’t been able to see it myself (yet), I encourage any fan of Shakespeare to take the trip to check it out.
The First Folio is important because without it we would not have some of Shakespeare’s most famous works, including “Macbeth,” “Julius Caesar,” “Twelfth Night,” “The Tempest” and “Antony and Cleopatra.” Of the 36 plays found in the First Folio, 18 of them would never have graced today’s literary landscape if not for this collection where they were first published, according to the Portland Public Library.
“There are 233 known copies in the world today, with 82 copies held by the Folger Shakespeare Library. One of the most valuable printed books in the world, a First Folio sold for $6.2 million in 2001 at Christie’s and another one for $5.2 million in 2006 in London. It originally sold for one British pound (20 shillings) — about $200 today,” the library’s website reads.
The best part about the First Folio is that it was published by two of Shakespeare’s fellow actors after he died in order to preserve the magnificent entertainment he had provided communities for many years.
This year marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. The Portland Public Library is one of only five public libraries that will display the First Folio as it tours all 50 states. It’s free and open to everyone. The library is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Go take a visit if you’re in the area. I have an inkling Shakespeare devotees won’t be disappointed.
