``shakespeare was not of an age but for all time`` How shakespeare adaptated to suit our contemporary society?

The essential question that Shakespeare explored in his
plays is, "what does it mean to be a human being?"  The genius of Shakespeare is that he
manged to show us ourselves in every conceivable light.  It really doesn't matter when
the plays were written since they are about the human condition which is
timeless.

Shakespeare was an incredible observer of his
fellow human beings.  We, as human beings, may dress differently or have more technology
than people in Shakespeare's day but we are still motivated by the same desires and have
the same feelings.

The themes of his plays are as universal
as his characters.  For example, in his history plays, he explores the question of power
and how to govern.  His examples show men who govern poorly (Richard
II), who take power (Henry IV parts 1 & 2), who
who don't desire power but live up to the challenge (Henry V), who
mean well but are ineffective (Henry VI parts 1, 2 & 3),
and who becomes a tyrant (Richard III).  Each of these lessons, he
draws from English history but can be applied throughout history right up to the present
day.  We still good leaders, bad leaders, ineffective leaders, and tyrants.  Macbeth is
another example of a tyrant who takes power by forces.  All we have to do is read a
daily newspaper to see the contemporary nature of
Shakespeare.

The relationships between men and women in
their various relationships are also explored.  A feud and forbidden love and how it
affects a society is explored in Romeo and Juliet.  Today we have
racial and religious differences which can divide a society.  Teenagers identify with
the characters in this play which is why it is taught in high school.

Parental relationships are also explored in his plays as
well as family relationships.  There are numerous examples, particularly in the Late aka
the Romance plays.  But the comedies also show us sibling relationships, like Kate and
Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew or Don Pedro and his brother Don
John in Much Ado About Nothing.

These
are only a handfull of examples but it is easy to see that Shakespeare managed to
capture mankind in all his glory and all his shame and everything in between.  This is
the reason that he is for "all time".