Is adaptation the key to the bard’s survival? A film loosely based on the lives of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes has been honoured at the Oscars. But does he still matter?
Best actress win for Shakespeare’s wife
A mother's grief: Agnes Hathaway travels to London to watch her husband's play in Hamnet. Glossary
William Shakespeare - An English playwright and poet who is often called the greatest writer in the English language.
Oscar - The popular name for the Academy Awards, referring to the gold-plated statuette of a medieval knight given to winners.
Hamlet - A play by William Shakespeare, written between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play.
Bubonic plague - The bacterial infection was once the world's most feared disease, but it can now be easily treated with antibiotics. Recent cases prompted Russian officials to warn remote countries not to hunt marmots, which spread the disease.
Catharsis - Originally used by the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle to explain the power of art to dispel strong negative emotions. The term is used in psychotherapy to describe how patients can overcome difficulties by expressing and facing their fears.
Harold Bloom - An American author and literary critic (1930 - 2019).
Akira Kurosawa - A 20th Century Japanese filmmaker.
Baz Luhrmann - An Australian film director, the most commercially successful in Australian history.
