Blog Post: A Tribute to the Bard Born in April

On the Art of Staying Human

April brings with it both the cruel awakenings of spring and the tender memory of one of literature’s greatest figures—William Shakespeare. Born in April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon and passing away on April 23, 1616, the Bard’s life bookended the month in which nature stirs, memory awakens, and literature blooms anew.

T.S. Eliot once wrote, “April is the cruellest month,” subverting the traditional image of spring as a time of joyous renewal. Unlike Chaucer’s sweet showers that breathe life into the world, Eliot’s vision is one of disruption. In The Waste Land, the breeding of lilacs from the dead land conjures discomfort, a stirring of dull roots with unwelcome rain. April becomes a season that reminds us of the fragility of memory and desire—no longer a unifier of birds, blossoms, and humankind, but a month of disconnection.

Yet for lovers of literature, April is redeemed by the birth of Shakespeare. His plays, sonnets, and verse are not reserved for scholars alone. They belong to everyone. His language, though rich in rhetorical flourish, has trickled into our everyday speech, and his stories remain universally relevant. Most importantly, Shakespeare continues to teach us how to be human.

From Julius Caesar to Hamlet, and most profoundly in King Lear, Shakespeare demonstrates the dangers of ambition, flattery, and the tragic consequences of forgetting our human limits. Caesar’s pride makes him vulnerable to manipulation. Brutus, seeking to serve a greater good, sacrifices friendship and becomes less human in the process. Cassius, driven by greed and envy, shows us a man diminished by self-interest.

Shakespeare’s lesson echoes through Milton’s Lucifer, Marlowe’s Faust, and modern-day narratives: the temptation to surpass the human condition is ancient and enduring. Yet the cost is often tragic.

In King Lear, the failure to recognize truth and humility leads to suffering and madness. Lear, seduced by surface declarations, rejects honesty and pays the price. In Hamlet, the old order—propped up by flattery and deceit—is swept away to make room for painful, necessary change.

What Shakespeare’s works ultimately reveal is the subtle, complex art of staying human. They remind us that greatness lies not in becoming godlike but in embracing our fallibility, showing empathy, and choosing truth over illusion.

So this April, as the earth renews itself and we remember the Bard of Avon, let us take his enduring wisdom to heart. In a world that tempts us to be more than human, Shakespeare reminds us that to be fully human is itself an extraordinary thing.