KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 April 16, 2026 \u2013 For centuries, William Shakespeare has been widely regarded as history\u2019s most prolific English writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even with Shakespeare\u2019s worldwide impact still resonating, many are asking why he still matters to so many people. It\u2019s one of several questions Jeffrey R. Wilson, a Shakespeare scholar at Harvard University and editor-in-chief of Public Humanities<\/em>,will help answer during the 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Humanities and Popular Culture\/Counterculture lecture series<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wilson\u2019s talk, titled \u201cWhy Shakespeare?<\/a>,\u201d will be held Thursday, April 23<\/strong>, at 5 p.m. <\/strong>in the Hope Room of the Robert J. Higgins Welcome Center, 45 Upper College Road on the Kingston Campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The yearlong lecture series, hosted by the 溏心vlog免费B站 Center for the Humanities<\/a>, has explored topics ranging from music and social justice to women\u2019s 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\u2019s Studies and the Affirming Multivocal Humanities Mellon Grant, and Department of Philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wilson\u2019s presentation, which concludes the 2025-26 series schedule, will also be livestreamed through the Center for the Humanities\u2019 YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wilson will welcome Shakespeare lovers and detractors alike to consider the question of the iconic writer\u2019s 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 conspiracy theories<\/a> about who wrote his plays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Along with his work at Harvard and Public Humanities<\/em>, Wilson has authored three books\u2014\u201cShakespeare and Trump,\u201d \u201cShakespeare and Game of Thrones,\u201d and \u201cRichard III\u2019s Bodies from Medieval England to Modernity: Shakespeare and Disability History.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The full speaker roster can be found on the lecture series\u2019 website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n