The Shakespeare Ark of America

Abstract

What value is there to invoking the name or words of William Shakespeare in a moment of environmental or political crisis? A naïve question? Perhaps. But then, to ask what, rhetorically, or ideologically, happens in such moments proves only slightly less naïve. The forensic or technical canniness we attribute to the speaker is belied still by an optimism that words might matter, an optimism that it might be best not to surrender, despite the prospect of critical and political embarrassment. What can the words of Shakespeare do?1 March 9, 2022: in a video address to the UK Parliament following the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces under the autocratic leadership of Vladimir Putin, President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking in Ukrainian, states that “the question for us now is to be or not to be.” “This is the Shakespearean question. For thirteen days,” he elaborates, “this question could have been asked. But now I can give you a definitive answer. It’s definitely yes, to be.”2