[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 53 (Thursday, April 22, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S4297]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

 Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 440th 
anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon. 
Shakespeare's name is undoubtedly the most recognized in English 
literature. Every one of us has spent time exploring the Elizabethan 
society and language through Shakespeare's dramas, poems, and sonnets. 
I remember with great enthusiasm the times I read Shakespeare or 
watched one of his plays. Who among us does not have their favorite 
line from one of Shakespeare's many works? Mine, which all of us in 
this chamber should pause to consider from time to time, comes from 
``Hamlet Prince of Denmark'': ``This above all: to thine own self be 
true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be 
false to any man.''
  His plays abound with all of the human emotions: love, jealousy, 
hatred, joy, envy, and are filled with the eternal themes of loyalty, 
betrayal, friendship, and revenge. He wrote of family strife, of the 
best laid plans gone awry, of tender love and bitter feuds. His themes 
transcend culture, nationality, and ethnicity. They are universal; and 
to this day are repeated time and time again throughout the world. From 
the American retelling of ``Romeo and Juliet'' in ``West Side Story'' 
to the Japanese adaptation of ``King Lear'' in ``Ran,'' Shakespeare's 
cultural influence is virtually limitless. Was William Shakespeare a 
visionary? Or was he simply a keen observer, chronicling human 
relationships that have essentially remained unchanged in the four 
centuries since he lived?
  We, in Oregon, are very fortunate to have the renowned Oregon 
Shakespeare Festival which has been presenting its namesake's works, as 
well as other classic and contemporary plays, for nearly 40 years. Some 
380,000 people--Oregonians and audiences from various parts of the 
country and the world--visit Ashland each year to attend these 
repertory performances. From the very first productions of ``The 
Merchant of Venice'' and ``Twelfth Night'' to this year's ``The Comedy 
of Errors,'' ``King Lear,'' ``Henry VI,'' and ``Much Ado About 
Nothing,'' the Oregon Shakespeare Festival has brought Shakespeare's 
magic and great wit to life.

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