Several weeks ago, I presented a hypothesis for my blog that suggests a connection between modern business principles and the proliferation of Shakespeare. Today I wanted to take some time and reflect, re-evaluate, and make sure that I'm on the right course. I'll review some of the areas that I've explored and how my research ideas have progressed.
Early Stages
Early Stages
Although I attempted a variety of random, fun posts about Shakespeare, I realized early on that I wanted to pursue a connection between Shakespeare and business. To begin, I went after the low-hanging fruit: simple, thematic plot lines or character interactions of Shakespeare that would relate to business scenarios. At this point, my hypothesis was simple:
Character and plot in Shakespeare can teach valuable lessons for real-life experiences in business.
Here were some of my efforts:
- I began with an investigation of existing materials and resources that make use of Shakespeare as a business tool. In particular, I found that Henry the V is a business favorite for exemplifying leadership. I also located a corporate training company called "Movers and Shakespeares." After some investigation of this company's training style and emphases, I anticipated that my blog could approach Shakespeare from a similar perspective.
- I attempted a few different analyses that focused on the thematic elements of plays: how the characters treated each other, whether the results were positive or negative. In particular, an analysis of The Taming of the Shrew demonstrates this experiment. I also did a close reading of Othello as a leader that used a similar approach.
After some exploration of soft skills and behavior analysis, I recognized that my blog was only scratching the surface of its "business" potential. This period of my blog followed the hypothesis,
Shakespeare and his plays were and are a product and were consequently heavily influenced by the bottom line.
- I decided to take it further by examining the bottom line of Shakespeare, using A Winter's Tale. It was difficult to find concrete evidence regarding Shakespeare's finances, marketing, and the other business-related aspects of his productions. However, by assuming some similarities between Shakespeare's time and modern business, I arrived at some conjectures regarding his audience and how he catered to it.
- I continued in a similar vein with posts on aesthetic taste, the economics of theatrical productions, and innovation in business. I began to consider the argument that Shakespeare might be considered the greatest entrepeneur of the 16th and 17th centuries, based on the success of his product and business.
At the suggestion of one of my classmates, Bryan Mulkern, I began to explore a connection between Shakespeare and viral marketing. With the help of Marketing the Bard and Grapevine (sources here) I began to believe that some of Shakespeare's success resulted from the same elements that contribute to viral marketing today. This led to my most recent hypothesis:
The basis of Shakespeare's success as a product mirrors the viral appeal and success of modern entrepreneurial ventures today.
- I have written two posts on this topic, Connecting Shakespeare and Viral Marketing and The Viral Grapevine. I'm excited about the direction of this particular topic and I feel that the sources mentioned above support this thesis.
Weaknesses
The major weakness of my thesis and conclusions is the lack of substantial evidence in the way of historical financial records and detailed business strategies of Shakespeare's productions. I offer many assumptions about Shakespeare's time that could be accurate, but many cannot be verified because of my lack of detailed evidence. However, many of the topics that I address (e.g. the viral nature of Shakespeare) can not be "proven" even with records, and many of my claims are logical and plausible. Additionally, I have relied on online resources and other literature (see sources) that do offer legitimate foundations for hypotheses.
