Recently I was having a conversation with my father and he dropped a bomb on me. “I just don’t get the whole Shakespeare thing,” he told me.

What am I supposed to say to that? Shakespeare makes life better? His next question would be, “Why? Why would it make my life better?”

But the thing is, I get it. I understand why he feels that way, and why I can’t give him an easy and obvious answer. I’ve thought about it for a long time. Does the name Abraham Maslow mean anything to you?

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a theory in psychology that explains the five basic human needs and their order of priority. According to the theory, humans are motivated to fulfill their basic needs before they can move on to more complex needs. The five needs are physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness and love needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs.

Physiological needs are the most fundamental needs that must be met, such as food, water, shelter, and sleep. Safety needs come next, which include the need for safety and security. The third level is the need for belongingness and love, which includes the need for social interaction, friendship, and love. Esteem needs refer to the need for self-esteem, confidence, and respect from others. Lastly, self-actualization needs are the need for personal growth, creativity, and fulfillment.

Forever Climbing That Pyramid

My dad and plenty of people his age have a very different perspective on “need”. His generation would probably tell you that the purpose of life is to get yourself a job that can support a family. And ….. that’s it, end of answer, why do you need more than that? If you’re able to provide for your family, you’re doing it right. So keep doing that.

I’m all for that answer, as far as it goes. I, too, put “provide for my family” above all other things. It’s one of the reasons I have a lucrative full-time job and I’m not on a corner somewhere reciting Shakespeare and hoping for handouts.

But let’s look at that on Maslow’s hierarchy:

“Get a job and support a family” takes you, how many levels up the pyramid? Three, four? Esteem is maybe where we begin to separate. Are you happy to do the same job forever if it pays your bills? Or do you want proof that you’re good at your job? You want recognition in the form of promotions and raises, which in turn trickle down and enable you to better provide for your family’s needs.

I think “Shakespeare makes life better” lives higher on the, well, hierarchy. It’s like going in to a high school classroom and trying to explain to the students why they shouldn’t just take those courses that are directly related to the career that they’ve already chosen (or has been chosen for them). The unexamined life is not worth living, as the saying goes. We have to embrace that. You’re right – knowing more or less Shakespeare for the general population will not change your ability to bring home a paycheck and get the bills paid. But there’s so much more to life than that.

Don’t get me wrong – I think that it’s a luxury and privilege to even have the conversation. One of the reasons why a lot of our parents can’t see things that way is because they grew up in a time where you wore the ripped hand-me-down clothes and you ate whatever was put on your plate and the idea of “do I like or want this” never entered the equation. It is precisely because my parents put so much focus on “provide for your kids” that I have this luxury.

I think it’s ironic that Shakespeare, unfortunately, has transcended its original “entertainment for the groundlings” purpose. People today don’t flock to see Two Gentlemen of Verona because the dog is funny. Shakespeare has become symbolic “education for the sake of education.” I just called it a luxury. Here I sit trying to tell people that Shakespeare makes life better and yet that it’s a luxury that not everyone feels they have the opportunity to pursue. It’s a lot to think about. I guess that’s why it’s called a mission.

What else can I say? People have been asking and I’ve been telling myself that I should do something on Tiktok. Today seems as good a day as any! Behold, one small step!

@shakespeareg33k

#romeoandjuliet #shakespeare #shakespeareday

♬ original sound – ShakespeareGeek – ShakespeareGeek

My kids totally made this, I’m not going to lie. I told them the idea and pointed them to the clip, they did the rest. I have to learn all about how to properly tag it and what not. I guess you have to stay away from all things violent and “dead” related. So I’m not even sure that this one, which clearly says “dies” in it, will even stay up. But together we learn! Remember to follow in case I ever post anything else!

So the other day, I got to go back into the classroom to talk to a bunch of teenagers about why it’s still important to study Shakespeare. I love that question because I’m neither an educator nor a politician (nay, not even a pundit). Nobody’s setting policy based on what I say. All I’ve got is my opinion, and I’m happy to offer it. Here’s what I told them, more or less.

Chess is experiencing something of a resurgence right now, isn’t it? You’ve got Queen’s Gambit on Netflix a few years ago. You’ve got the cheating scandal. I know that all three of my kids play now. I think there are some of you here in the room that play. <nods>

So, here’s the thing. Chess has been around for how many hundreds of years? (I looked it up later — 1500 years.) Basically unchanged, from what I understand. So you can read book after book about the games of the great masters and stand on the shoulders of the giants that came before you.

Sure, it’s hard. There are people that spend their entire lives trying to master it. But at the same time, if somebody who’d never played before sat down at the board next to you and asked to play, you could teach them, right? Or maybe you’re the student sitting across from the teacher.

Chess is played all over the world. (172 countries, my research tells me.) So if you’re traveling, bring your board. Because chess is not bound by language. Think about it. If somebody from another country sat down at the board next to you, someone who didn’t speak your language … you could still play, couldn’t you?

It’s also not bound by age, is it? Because the rules have been the same for generations, that means you can sit down to a game with someone half your age or twice your age. It’s the reason why my children can all Facetime with their grandfather to play.

Chess is a great unifier (ironic, given the US/Russia history, but still). You can spend your life studying it and still learn something new on any given day. It is a gift that you can share wherever you go in the world, without even the obstacles of age or language getting in the way. That’s why chess has been so popular for so long, and why it will continue to be.

Now consider that everything I just said is true of Shakespeare. Shakespeare isn’t bound by time or space. I’ve met strangers in strange lands and bonded over our love of Shakespeare. I sang Shakespeare to my children and plan to do the same for my grandchildren. I hope that my children, and their children, will do the same.

That’s one of a million reasons why Shakespeare makes life better.

I greatly appreciate all of the people that have purchased Shakespeare Geek merchandise; I truly do. I hope you like it. It’s been a bit of a challenge to really optimize for that particular revenue stream since (a) I am not really much of a visual designer, and (b) that’s not the primary reason why I do this. I’m a blog that has merch, not a blog that exists to sell merch. There’s a difference.

Most of the Shakespeare Geek merchandise can be found on Amazon. They are, after all the gorilla of the space. They’ll get the most volume all around the world.

But the thing is, Amazon only really does apparel. T-Shirts, mostly, and some hoodies thrown in. During the pandemic in particular people started asking about face masks. And people always want stickers.

Enter Shakespeare Geek merchandise on Redbubble. Thus far I’ve loved their product selection, even if stickers and face masks are by far my best sellers. They’ve got mugs and phone cases … they’ve even got socks and leggings. So, yes, I did make Malvolio’s yellow cross garters. They’re a big hit.

But … there’s a problem.

Redbubble just announced a new fee structure for small artists like me that, quite frankly, is going to destroy all of us. According to their fee table (which has not yet gone into effect), if I made $20 in commission in a month, they’d charge me almost $9 – practically half. That’s ridiculous.

So, I don’t plan on staying on Redbubble for long. I’m putting the word out now. If you see this, and you wanted to buy your own Malvolio yellow socks or a “Shakespeare makes life better” sticker or a “Do you quarrel, sir?” t-shirt, now’s the time to grab them. Because as soon as I find another option I’m out of there. I don’t know when that will be, but I know it’s coming. I also know that the fee structure they’re imposing starts on May 1, so seriously, if you do want to buy something please keep that in mind because starting May 1 I’m going to make about half as much as I used to.

Thanks again for all the support! Onward and upward!

I think that many Shakespeare geeks out there probably have the same Shakespeare cookie cutter I do. It’s huge, right? It’s fun to have such a thing but it’s tricky to actually make them because half the time they break or warp or just end up a big, unrecognizable blob.

Well, we can change that. Recently I had the opportunity to go into my son’s high school class to talk about why Shakespeare is fun and exciting, Did I mention I own a 3d printer? So one of the things I made sure to do was bring a bag of takeaways for the kids to…ummm…take away.

One of the things that I made was a new Shakespeare cookie cutter! I found a new pattern on Printables.com by user KingOfTheCouch. Check it out!

He’s kind of cute, even if he does look a little more like Shakespeare’s uncle than Shakespeare. The beard needs to be less bushy, and there has to be some hint of a beard. Of course the real question is what does he look like after he’s cooked?

As you can see, I’m pretty amateur when it comes to frosting. And green is the only color I had for the eyes (other than red). Still, though, I’ll call it a win. Glad I made him.

Here’s the funny part of the story. I made a bunch of cookie cutters to give out during my classroom visit. I promptly ran out of time and forgot to do so. I gave one to the teacher afterward, but it was too late to make the kids stay around just so I could give out something they may not even have wanted.

Which means I’ve got a bunch of these, already printed and just sitting downstairs in my office. In the interest of putting them to use and getting some more Shakespeare out into the world, I’m happy to ship them to any Shakespeare geeks out there who would like one – I’d just ask that you Venmo me something for shipping cost. Just drop me a note, either via email or Twitter. I’m not trying to sell something that’s not mine — the link to the original print is up there and if you’ve got access to a 3d printer you can totally print your own. It’s just considered proper etiquette in the maker space to not sell other people’s work.