Shakespeare

There are a number of very good things about Shakespeare. His language and use of imagery is brilliant. But what is particularly fantastic about Shakespeare is that he could relate to his audience and allow them to feel an empathy for his characters. Iago and Macbeth might be truly nasty characters, but the audience at least knows where they are coming from. Arguably, this is because Shakespeare uses situations that arise in everyday life and emotions we can all relate to. The bad thing about life, sometimes, is that it can resemble a Shakespearean tragedy.

Take the execution of Nicholas Berg. Young man goes to Iraq after spending time helping the poor in Africa. Wants to help rebuild the place and believes his experience in communications equipment can help. Cannot find work but is arrested by Iraqi police and detained for 13 days. Berg is released the day after his family sue Donald Rumsfeld. Between leaving custody and Iraq for the US, Berg is kidnapped by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a man who is also trying to rebuild Iraq by getting rid of the 'American infidel'. Berg is executed by al-Zarqawi in retaliation for the atrocities committed at Abu Ghraib prison by American soldiers who were trying to rebuild Iraq by eliminating the terrorists.

Damn irony.

The problem with life resembling Shakespearean tragedy is that it is often difficult to tell whether life is a comedy of errors or a tragedy until you have the benefit of hindsight.

I guess that's what makes it interesting.