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Drage dame i gospodo, Prijatelji, Rimljani, zemljaci, po膷ujte me! Ka啪u da nema prilike u kojoj se ne mo啪e upotrijebiti neki 艩ekspirov citat, 拧to je u ovom slu膷aju svakako istina - svi smo ovdje prijatelji, mnogi su zemljaci, a ne bi me iznenadilo da ima i onih koji pripadaju vje膷nom gradu, makar u duhu.

Dozvolite mi da se vratim svom maternjem jeziku, a siguran sam da 膰e mi i va拧e u拧i na tome biti zahvalne.

It is a pleasure and a privilege to be here to share your celebration of 450 years of Shakespeare. We are marking his 450th birthday this year, and celebrating the fact that his work has been performed and admired throughout all those years. Cultural institutions, schools, universities, museums, theatres, amateur dramatics societies 鈥� young and old 鈥� are joining in the global celebrations with special performances, exhibitions such as this one, seminars, new productions, international festivals in music and film, and a multitude of reimaginings of his work 鈥� from Brazil to Japan.

皇冠体育app international scale and scope of celebrations is appropriate, given that Shakespeare is as much a poet of the world as he is England鈥檚 Bard. He is one of a handful of creators whose tremendous talent and universal appeal have made them global spirits. We speak of our own time as the age of globalisation, and yet when we look at Shakespeare鈥檚 work, we see the Renaissance era of exploration and discovery 鈥� from 鈥渇air Verona鈥� up to Denmark, the English battlegrounds of the wars of the roses to the mysterious, magical new world of the Tempest.

But we do, as it happens, celebrate Shakespeare鈥檚 birthday on the same day as England鈥檚 patron saint, St. George. And it is a fitting combination, given Shakespeare鈥檚 distinct contribution to the English language. His work contains the first written use of around 1,700 words in English, including: hot-blooded, swagger, jaded, remorseless, majestic, new-fangled, critic, assassination, sea change, lily livered, aerial, bedazzled, 鈥榝ashionable鈥�, 鈥榤ortifying鈥�, 鈥榪uarrelsome鈥�, 鈥榬eclusive鈥� and even 鈥榩uke鈥�.

If you speak in idioms 鈥� as English speakers often do 鈥� there鈥檚 a strong chance you鈥檒l be quoting Shakespeare: if you want to 鈥榖reak the ice鈥�, if you鈥檝e been 鈥榚aten out of house and home鈥�, if you鈥檙e worried you might 鈥榢ill with kindness鈥�, if you鈥檝e spoken 鈥榤ore in sorrow than in anger鈥�, if you are a 鈥榞reen-eyed monster鈥�, of if you can say 鈥榯he world鈥檚 my oyster鈥� 鈥� you are quoting Shakespeare.

That his words remain part of daily language in Britain 450 years after his birth is a fitting tribute to his poetic skill, while his continued global reach and influence is a testament to his flair as a dramatist.

He wrote most famously for the theatre, which was the closest thing Renaissance England had to a mass-medium. It was as popular as television and as rowdy as a football match. If you visit London today you can enjoy his plays as they were originally presented at the fabulously recreation of Shakespeare鈥檚 Globe 皇冠体育appatre 鈥� with musicians in the gallery, actors in ruffs and farthingales, and often with audience participation.

His plays are subtle and rich in challenging thought - but they are also funny, touching and charged with an emotional power that speaks directly to any audience, anywhere in the world, giving them this mass appeal.

His works remain globally popular because they deal in universal themes, engaging an audience through family quarrels, power-struggles, love and death, joy and sorrow. 皇冠体育appse are topics to which anyone can relate. And Shakespeare doesn鈥檛 just tell us about these ideas, he brings them to the stage so forcibly that anyone in the audience 鈥� whatever their cultural background - can feel the impact of the dramatic punch he throws.

Another reason for his work鈥檚 longevity and international appreciation is that you can play with Shakespeare in any way you like. Romeo and Juliet have been placed in the gang rivalries of New York, in West Side Story, and in modern Los Angeles in Baz Luhrmann鈥檚 film. Hamlet can be a Danish prince or heir to an international business conglomerate. Othello can be a war hero, a police chief or even a young basketball player. Kurosawa鈥檚 鈥淩an鈥� sets King Lear in medieval Japan, while Tchaikovsky and Verdi found in Shakespeare鈥檚 stories the inspiration for some of the world鈥檚 finest ballet and opera music.

His complete works have been translated into over 80 languages from Arabic to Zulu. His plays are indestructible. Age cannot wither them, nor custom stale their infinite variety. Each country, culture and generation finds their own ways of relating to and retelling Shakespeare. And as we do so, we discover more about his work and more about ourselves and our time.

And I鈥檓 pleased to say the celebrations do not stop here. Back in the UK, more than 40,000 British school children from 1,500 schools will get the chance to perform in a Shakespeare play in a professional theatre thanks to the Shakespeare Schools Festival. 皇冠体育app English Department in Niksic announced a sonnet translation competition together with the British Council. 皇冠体育app British Council is supporting the Globe 皇冠体育appatre in an international tour that will present Hamlet in Montenegro on 12 June at the National 皇冠体育appatre. And I am sure Shakespeare will feature in the celebration of British education and culture when we mark the 80th anniversary of the British Council 鈥� and 20 years of the British Council in Montenegro 鈥� in the autumn this year.

Having said all this, I congratulate the National Library for having joined this global celebration by organising this exhibition of Shakespeare works held here in Cetinje. And finish in the words of another esteemed Elizabethan dramatist, Ben Jonson, on the death of his friend William Shakespeare:

He was not of an age, but for all time!