Shakespeare Is Mad Overrated: 7 Reasons

Shakespeare. The guy who gets credit for everything.

People act like he invented the English language, theater, and maybe even breathing. Teachers shove his work down our throats like it’s holy scripture. “The Bard.” That nickname alone tells you everything—he’s been put on some untouchable literary pedestal.

But here’s the thing: Shakespeare is mad overrated.

Let’s rip the curtain down and see why.

1. His Plots Are Straight-Up Stolen

Yeah, you heard me. The guy was the 1600s version of a script thief. Romeo and Juliet? Based on an old Italian story. Hamlet? Ripped from an old Scandinavian legend. King Lear? Borrowed from history. The dude didn’t create much—he just remixed old ideas. If he were alive today, he’d be getting hit with copyright lawsuits left and right.

Truth #1: Shakespeare was a glorified plagiarist.
Truth #2: If he were alive today, he’d be a Netflix adaptation machine.

2. His Characters Are Overdramatic Messes

Every character in a Shakespeare play acts like they just drank six espressos and a bottle of whiskey. They make the dumbest choices possible, and when things go wrong, instead of handling it like normal people, they monologue for an hour. Romeo and Juliet could’ve been solved with one decent conversation.

Truth #3: Shakespeare’s characters have no chill.
Truth #4: 90% of his tragedies could’ve been avoided with basic communication skills.

3. The Language Is a Nightmare

Some people say Shakespeare’s language is beautiful. That’s one way to put it. Another way? It’s a migraine wrapped in an Elizabethan accent. If you need a translator to understand what’s going on, that’s a problem. Imagine if movies today were written like:

“Lo, I must unto the Starbucks go, lest mine energy doth fade into the abyss of sloth!”

Come on.

Truth #5: Shakespeare’s English is just fancy gibberish.
Truth #6: If you have to read a line three times, the writer has failed.

4. He’s Praised Like a God (But He Was Just a Playwright)

People act like Shakespeare was some all-knowing genius who understood the human soul. Relax.

The dude wrote plays to entertain drunk, flea-covered Londoners who threw tomatoes at the stage. He wasn’t writing for kings—he was writing for sweaty commoners who just wanted a good time.

Truth #7: Shakespeare was basically the Quentin Tarantino of his time.
Truth #8: If he were alive now, he’d be writing HBO dramas, not sacred texts.

5. The Same Themes, Over and Over

Let’s be real—Shakespeare had about three core themes:

• Revenge (Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth)
• Forbidden love (Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Much Ado About Nothing)
• Power struggles (Julius Caesar, Macbeth, King Lear)

You know who else does this? Every soap opera ever.

Truth #9: Shakespeare was the original writer of Days of Our Lives.

6. Comedy? More Like Confusion

Ever read a Shakespeare comedy? Try A Midsummer Night’s Dream or Twelfth Night. Now tell me—did you actually laugh? Be honest. His “jokes” are so layered in old references and puns that you need footnotes just to know why it’s supposed to be funny. A real joke doesn’t need a professor explaining it.

Truth #10: Shakespeare’s humor is like reading ancient memes—maybe funny back then, but now? Not so much.

7. He Gets Credit for Everything

Every time someone writes a good line, someone says, “Shakespeare would be proud.” Why? The guy wasn’t the only writer in history. There were plenty of great playwrights in his time (Marlowe, Jonson, Webster), but guess what? They didn’t have good PR.

Shakespeare is the Starbucks of literature—famous because everyone says he’s famous.

Table Summary: Why Shakespeare Is Overrated

Issue	Brutal Truth
Stolen plots	He was a literary DJ, remixing old stories.
Overdramatic characters	No chill, bad communication skills.
Confusing language	It’s a puzzle, not a play.
Overhyped genius	Just a playwright for rowdy crowds.
Repetitive themes	Same three ideas, different costumes.
Unfunny comedy	If you need footnotes, it’s not funny.
Undeserved credit	Good PR beats better writers.

Conclusion: The Curtain Falls

Look, I’m not saying Shakespeare was useless. He was good at what he did. But was he the greatest writer of all time? Please. That’s just centuries of brainwashing talking. The dude got lucky. Right place, right time, right hype.

If he were alive today, he wouldn’t be worshipped—he’d be grinding out scripts for streaming services, trying to keep up with Bridgerton and Game of Thrones.

And just like that, the lights go out. The audience claps because they think they’re supposed to.