ABSTRACT
For many years in England and Wales the government has seen Shakespeare’s plays as part of our common language and of our national heritage, as something essentially ‘English’ that will unite young people in a common culture. The plays will also, many have argued, provide a model of beautiful and memorable language. Shakespeare’s work is often praised for its ‘universality’, its ability to stand outside time and history and to ‘speak’ to all people, past, present and future.
