KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥� April 16, 2026 鈥� For centuries, William Shakespeare has been widely regarded as history鈥檚 most prolific English writer.
Even with Shakespeare鈥檚 worldwide impact still resonating, many are asking why he still matters to so many people. It鈥檚 one of several questions Jeffrey R. Wilson, a Shakespeare scholar at Harvard University and editor-in-chief of Public Humanities,will help answer during the 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 .
Wilson鈥檚 talk, titled 鈥�,鈥� will be held Thursday, April 23, at 5 p.m. in the Hope Room of the Robert J. Higgins Welcome Center, 45 Upper College Road on the Kingston Campus.
The yearlong lecture series, hosted by the , has explored topics ranging from music and social justice to women鈥檚 basketball to Taylor Swift. The series is co-sponsored by the 溏心vlog免费B站 College of Arts and Sciences, Division of Research and Economic Development, Department of Gender and Women鈥檚 Studies and the Affirming Multivocal Humanities Mellon Grant, and Department of Philosophy.
Wilson鈥檚 presentation, which concludes the 2025-26 series schedule, will also be livestreamed through the Center for the Humanities鈥� .
Wilson will welcome Shakespeare lovers and detractors alike to consider the question of the iconic writer鈥檚 popularity by looking into the relationship between his methods of artistic creation and the values of the modern world. Questions to be addressed include why virtually every American high school assigns Shakespeare to students; why cultures around the world with no love for England come back to Shakespeare; and why there are so many about who wrote his plays.
Along with his work at Harvard and Public Humanities, Wilson has authored three books鈥斺�淪hakespeare and Trump,鈥� 鈥淪hakespeare and Game of Thrones,鈥� and 鈥淩ichard III鈥檚 Bodies from Medieval England to Modernity: Shakespeare and Disability History.鈥�
The full speaker roster can be found on .
The annual signature yearlong lecture series, hosted by the University鈥檚 Center for the Humanities, is free and open to the public. A digital archive of last year鈥檚 lecture series can be found on . For more information on the series, email uri.humanities@gmail.com.