Why preserving Shakespeare is still important today
Follow WTOP’s Matt Kaufax as he explores hidden gems, local landmarks and unique stories across the D.C. area every week. New episodes of WTOP’s “Matt About Town” segment are released each Tuesday and Thursday.
Why Shakespeare?
The answer to that question is a deeper one than you think.
Over the past two weeks on “Matt About Town,” WTOP’s Matt Kaufax took you behind the scenes at D.C.’s Folger Shakespeare Library — with videos looking at the earliest published collections of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays, the library’s rare vaults where these works are stored, and even how these books are preserved.
But why put all this effort into preserving Shakespeare in 2026?
For the Folger Shakespeare Library’s founders, the answer was a no-brainer. In the series finale, Kaufax looked at how their efforts and the building’s history shaped Shakespeare’s massive influence and cultural relevance — even more than 400 years after his first works were published.
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