While I agree his language can be impenetrable for modern audiences, remember it’s just hundreds of years of evolving linguistic norms that have made it that way.

He wasn’t trying to be haughty when he wrote (the uneducated folk loved his work).

But his grasp of story structure, pacing and tension was intuitive and near flawless. In multiple genres.

And yes, I have a writing degree, so I’m in the circlejerk.

Edited: Ok, I see it now. I’m a total tosser. Sorry

I mean, like it or not Shakespeare has been a cultural juggernaut for 4 centuries. I’m not sure a bunch of literature students could manage that kind of outsized impact!

These are just some of the words he invented that are in common use:

accommodation

aerial

amazement

apostrophe

assassination

auspicious

baseless

bloody

bump

castigate

changeful

clangor

control (noun)

countless

courtship

critic

critical

dexterously

dishearten

dislocate

dwindle

eventful

exposure

fitful

frugal

generous

gloomy

gnarled

hurry

impartial

inauspicious

indistinguishable

invulnerable

lapse

laughable

lonely

majestic

misplaced

monumental

multitudinous

obscene

palmy

perusal

pious

premeditated

radiance

reliance

road

sanctimonious

seamy

sportive

submerge

suspicious

I wouldn’t agree with it but it’s definitely an unpopular opinion :D

To some extent, it might be the case that he is a little overhyped - but I would argue any artist that is so popular, is in danger of being overhyped. I only read “Romeo and Juliet” and “Hamlet” from his work, and I can appreciate his workshop - it’s really good stuff that survived for many years and remained valid.

But to each their own - art is meant to serve you - if you don’t like it, move on and try something different. Definitely better way of going on about things rather than sticking to it, and pretending to like it in fear of being laughed at for a simple reason of sticking out of the crowd.