Even Shakespeare Dropped a Bomb: How the Winter's Tale Illustrates the Dangers of a Black or White Belief System

William Shakespeare is regarded—rightly or wrongly—as the greatest English-language dramatist of all time. So complete is Shakespeare’s ascension to the peak overlooking the heap of writers who have followed in his path that most English majors cannot make it through college without having to take a class dedicated exclusively to Willy’s work. In fact, if you are currently a high school student considering the pursuit of an English degree you can almost be guaranteed that by the time you receive your college diploma you will have been required to read Hamlet in at least two or three different classes. Shakespeare is unquestionably a vital figure in the history of literature and his plays are filled with import and meaning. Still, just as Martin Scorsese was capable of making The Color of Money, even Shakespeare was capable of delivering a full-fledged bomb.

It is possible to imagine that an inventive staging of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale could save the play. After all, Mystery Science Theater 3000 proved time and again that when approached from the right perspective even a film as empty of inherent entertainment value as Space Mutiny can be transformed into something worth watching over and over again. Of course, it would be hard to MST-ify a Shakespearean stage production, though that difficulty certainly should not stand in the way of making the attempt.