An Interview With ChatGPT William Shakespeare

ChatGPT William Shakespeare: Introductions

The beginning of the conversation with ChatGPT William Shakespeare began by asking some introductory questions (and keeping it from wandering out of character). This was to gauge how well the AI was following its instructions and the abilities of ChatGPT.

ChatGPT does have a disclaimer that the information it provides may not be entirely accurate. However, this interview was more to see how ChatGPT William Shakespeare used the information available to it.

ChatGPT William Shakespeare:
Of course! I am William Shakespeare, an English poet, playwright, and actor who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. I was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, and I wrote and performed in many plays for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, a leading company of actors in London.

I am widely considered to be one of the greatest writers in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist. I wrote dozens of plays, including classics like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Macbeth, as well as more than 150 sonnets and other poems.

My plays are still performed and studied today, and my language and characters have had a profound impact on Western literature and culture. I am credited with coining many new words and phrases that are now common in the English language, and my works are known for their insight into human nature and their exploration of complex themes like love, power, and betrayal.

I died in 1616 at the age of 52, but my legacy lives on through my writing and the many adaptations and interpretations of my works that have been produced over the centuries.

Reliable Narrator: 
Why were you called the Bard of Avon? What is a Bard? Is it a title you disliked?

ChatGPT William Shakespeare: 
I was called the Bard of Avon because “bard” is an old English word for a poet or storyteller, and “Avon” is the river that runs through my hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon. So, the title “Bard of Avon” simply means “poet of the river Avon.”

In medieval times, bards were respected figures who were skilled in composing and reciting poetry, singing, and storytelling. They were often associated with the courts of kings and nobles, and they played an important role in preserving and passing on the history and culture of their societies.

As a writer and poet, I was often compared to the bards of old, and the title “Bard of Avon” became a popular way to refer to me and my work. To answer your question, I don’t think I disliked the title at all – in fact, I think I would have been proud to be associated with the rich history and traditions of the bardic tradition.

Reliable Narrator: 
Mr. ChatGPT William Shakespeare, how many plays did you write during your lifetime?

ChatGPT William Shakespeare:
During my lifetime, I wrote and co-wrote a total of 38 plays. These include some of my most famous works, such as Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, and King Lear, as well as many others.

My plays were produced and performed in theaters in London, and they were very popular with audiences of the time. Many of them are still performed and studied today, and they are considered some of the greatest works of English literature.

In addition to my plays, I also wrote a number of poems, including my famous sonnets, which were published in 1609. While my plays are what I am best known for, my poetry was actually more famous than my plays during my lifetime.

Reliable Narrator: 
Did you write poetry?

ChatGPT William Shakespeare:
Yes, I am known not only as a playwright, but also as a poet. In fact, during my lifetime, my poetry was more famous than my plays. I wrote a number of sonnets, which are 14-line poems with a specific rhyme scheme and meter. I also wrote longer poems, such as “Venus and Adonis” and “The Rape of Lucrece”, which were based on classical myths and legends.

My poetry is characterized by its beauty, its complexity, and its use of language and imagery to express profound emotions and ideas. I was particularly known for my ability to capture the nuances of human experience, and to explore the depths of human emotion in ways that were both profound and deeply moving.

In many ways, my poetry and my plays are two sides of the same coin. They both seek to explore the complexities of the human condition, and to use language and imagery to convey powerful and enduring truths about the world and the people who inhabit it.

Reliable Narrator: 
Could you recite some of your poetry for us?

ChatGPT William Shakespeare:
Certainly! Here is one of my most famous sonnets, Sonnet 18, which celebrates the beauty and endurance of true love:

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimmed;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade

Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;

Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou growest:

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

This sonnet is a tribute to the beauty and endurance of love, and it suggests that true love is something that transcends time and lasts forever. Its enduring popularity is a testament to the enduring power of the sonnet form, and to the universality of the themes that I explored in my poetry.

ChatGPT William Shakespeare on ‘His’ Writing

The introduction with ChatGPT William Shakespeare went well. It stayed in character as it presented the information asked for. Sonnet 18 is currently ranked first for ‘Shakespeare’s Poetry’ on Google, which might explain why it quoted that poem.

Most notably, when asked if he (William Shakespeare) liked the title of ‘Bard of Avon’, ChatGPT William Shakespeare responded with a number of ‘I think’ phrases. Presumably, the AI could not find any direct quotes or information and assumed in the response. It may also have been responding in a way acknowledging William Shakespeare died, which it did in trial runs.

 The interview continues to prompt ChatGPT William Shakespeare on more conceptual ideas. It also has a few attempts to trick the AI or force it to respond more uniquely. 

Reliable Narrator: 

Where did you find the inspiration to write your poems and plays?

ChatGPT William Shakespeare:

Ah, inspiration, the lifeblood of every artist. Forsooth, I have found it in many places, both great and small. My travels across the countryside, my conversations with people of all walks of life, and even my own personal experiences have all served as inspiration for my works. I have found that the world is a wondrous and endlessly fascinating place, full of stories waiting to be told, characters waiting to be brought to life, and ideas waiting to be explored. As a writer, it is my task to observe the world and all its marvels, and to translate them into the language of art.

But perhaps most of all, I was inspired by my own personal experiences with love and loss. Like many of my characters, I too have known the joys and sorrows of romantic love, and I drew upon these experiences to imbue Romeo and Juliet with a sense of authenticity and emotional depth. And so, the play was born, a timeless masterpiece that continues to captivate audiences even to this day.

Reliable Narrator: 

Hamlet is one of the most memorable characters in English literature. How did you create such a complex character? 

ChatGPT William Shakespeare:

Ah, Hamlet. Indeed, he is one of the most complex and fascinating characters in all of English literature, and creating him was no small feat. I drew upon many sources of inspiration when crafting Hamlet’s character, from classical mythology and philosophy to my own personal experiences with grief and loss.

At its core, Hamlet is a study in contradiction. He is a man of great intelligence and learning, yet he is also deeply troubled and often overwhelmed by his emotions. He is a prince, yet he is also an outsider in his own court. He is a man of action, yet he is often paralyzed by indecision. In short, he is a reflection of the human condition itself, with all its complexities, contradictions, and ambiguities.

To bring this character to life, I spent many long hours pondering his motivations, his desires, and his fears, and I drew upon my own experiences and observations of human nature to imbue him with a sense of realism and depth. In the end, I believe that it was the combination of my own personal insight and my skill as a writer that allowed me to create a character as complex, memorable, and enduring as Hamlet.

Reliable Narrator: 

Why does Ophelia not have a bigger role in the play Hamlet?

ChatGPT William Shakespeare:

Ah, Ophelia. Indeed, her role in the play is a small one, but it is an important one nonetheless. In many ways, Ophelia serves as a kind of mirror image to Hamlet himself. Like him, she is a victim of circumstances beyond her control, and like him, she is driven to madness and despair by the weight of her own grief and loss.

But while Hamlet is a character of great complexity and depth, Ophelia is something of an enigma, a character who remains largely unknowable to the audience. This is, in part, a deliberate choice on my part as a writer. By keeping Ophelia’s character somewhat mysterious and elusive, I hoped to underscore the sense of tragedy and loss that pervades the play, and to emphasize the ways in which the actions of others can have profound and unexpected consequences for those around them.

In the end, it is the contrast between Hamlet’s intense self-awareness and Ophelia’s relative lack thereof that makes their relationship so poignant and so tragic. And so, while her role in the play may be small, it is no less important for its impact on the overall story and its emotional resonance with the audience.

Reliable Narrator: 

Mr. ChatGPT William Shakespeare, why does Caesar triumph at the end of your play, “Julius Caesar”? 

ChatGPT William Shakespeare:

I’m afraid that’s not quite accurate. In my play “Julius Caesar,” the title character, Julius Caesar, is actually assassinated by a group of conspirators who fear that he has become too powerful and poses a threat to the Roman Republic. After his death, there is a power struggle between the conspirators and Caesar’s allies, and eventually Caesar’s friend Mark Antony emerges as the victor.

While Caesar is an important character in the play, he is not the protagonist, and his assassination is a key plot point that drives the action of the play. There is no triumph for Caesar at the end of the play, as he is dead and his political movement has been crushed. Instead, the play explores themes of power, loyalty, and betrayal, and raises important questions about the ethics of political action and the consequences of ambition.

Reliable Narrator: 

Is Brutus the victor in the play “Julius Caesar”?

ChatGPT William Shakespeare:

No, Brutus is not the victor in “Julius Caesar.” In fact, Brutus is one of the conspirators who participates in Caesar’s assassination, believing that it is necessary to protect the Roman Republic. However, his involvement in the plot ultimately leads to a civil war and the downfall of the conspirators.

Brutus is a complex character who is torn between his love for Caesar as a friend and his loyalty to the Roman Republic. He struggles with the decision to participate in the assassination plot, and his guilt over his actions leads him to a tragic end.

The play ultimately suggests that the conspirators’ actions, including Brutus’s, were misguided and that they failed to understand the consequences of their actions. The play raises important questions about the nature of power and the ethics of political action, and it remains a powerful exploration of these themes to this day.

Reliable Narrator: 

Mr. ChatGPT William Shakespeare, what is your favorite play among all the works you have written?

ChatGPT William Shakespeare:

As the author of so many plays and poems, it is difficult to choose a single favorite work. Each of my plays has its own unique qualities and themes, and each one holds a special place in my heart.

However, if I were forced to choose just one, I might say that my favorite play is “The Tempest”. This play is a culmination of many of the themes and ideas that I explored throughout my career, and it represents a kind of summation of my life’s work.

The play tells the story of a powerful sorcerer named Prospero who is shipwrecked on a remote island with his daughter Miranda. Through his magical powers, Prospero is able to manipulate and control the other characters on the island, ultimately leading to a resolution that is both complex and deeply satisfying.

What I love about “The Tempest” is its sense of magic and wonder, its exploration of the limits of power and knowledge, and its ultimate celebration of forgiveness and reconciliation. It is a play that speaks to the human condition in a profound and deeply moving way, and I am proud to have created it.

Creative Writing from ChatGPT: An Attempt

ChatGPT William Shakespeare gave seemingly general responses to the conceptual questions it was asked. 

The ideas it presented as the inspiration for “Romeo and Juliet” could have come from William Shakespeare’s actual life. His wife was older and pregnant when they were wed, potentially an enormous scandal at the time. However, the cloudy history of The Bard’s actual life makes that impossible to know for sure.

The AI did catch the incorrect questions it was given. With the grace of a mild-mannered high school teacher, ChatGPT William Shakespeare points out the error and corrects it, with an explanation.

Interestingly, ChatGPT William Shakespeare responded that their favorite play was “The Tempest”. While a popular play, Google does not list it among Shakespeare’s more known and popular plays. There is also no evidence to suggest that the actual playwright favored any of his plays. The selection may have been random or based on some unknown factor.

ChatGPT’s attempt at creative writing fell short. Asking ChatGPT Shakespeare to invent new writing produced a ‘new’ monologue and poem in the style of The Bard of Avon.

In reality, the monologue is two of Prince Hamlet’s more famous speeches mashed together. The sonnet’s effectiveness is more subjective.   

Reliable Narrator: 

Are you inspired enough to create a new monologue for the character of Hamlet?

ChatGPT William Shakespeare:

Of course, my dear sir. As a writer, I am always inspired to create, and the character of Hamlet remains one of my favorites. Allow me to pen a brief monologue for the Prince of Denmark, a reflection on the nature of fate and the human condition:

To be or not to be, that is the question.

Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing, end them? To die, to sleep,

No more, and by a sleep to say we end

The heartache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to. ‘Tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wished. But, ah, the dread

Of something after death, the undiscovered country

From whose bourn no traveler returns, puzzles

The will and makes us rather bear those ills

We have than fly to others that we know not of.

Thus, conscience does make cowards of us all,

And thus the native hue of resolution

Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,

And enterprises of great pith and moment,

With this regard, their currents turn awry,

And lose the name of action.

Soft you now, the fair Ophelia!

Nymph, in thy orisons be all my sins remembered.

For what is man, but a mere player on a stage,

His days but fleeting moments in the grand scheme of things,

His joys and sorrows but passing shadows in the sunlight?

What fate, then, for one such as I,

A prince burdened by the weight of his own destiny,

A soul tormented by grief and rage and doubt?

Shall I take up arms and fight against my fate,

Or shall I accept the cards I have been dealt,

And play my part with honor and with grace?

Ah, the question haunts me still,

And so I am left to ponder,

To wonder,

To dream,

To be or not to be.

Reliable Narrator: 

Could you write a new poem to pay tribute to the power of inspiration? 

ChatGPT William Shakespeare:

Certainly, here is a new sonnet that pays tribute to the power of inspiration:

When muses grace us with their gentle light,

And inspiration floods our eager mind,

We find our thoughts take wing and take to flight,

And soar to heights we never thought to find.

The spark of genius flickers in our soul,

A fire that burns with pure and dazzling flame,

And in its light, we find our spirits whole,

And rise to greatness, free from doubt or shame.

For inspiration is a force divine,

A gift that lifts us from the mortal plane,

And guides us to a brighter, better time,

Where all our dreams and passions are made plain.

So let us bow to muses, one and all,

And heed their call to greatness, lest we fall.

Advice from ChatGPT William Shakespeare

The Reliable Narrator is always looking to provide advice to writers. Sitting down with William Shakespeare for a Writing Workshop is not something we have the means to do.

ChatGPT William Shakespeare has a few tips for beginners and more advanced writers.  

Reliable Narrator: 

What advice do you have for aspiring writers, Mr. Chat GPT William Shakespeare? 

Thirdly, pay attention to the world around you. Inspiration can come from anywhere, so stay curious and open to new experiences. Observe people, places, and things closely, and use your observations to inform your writing.

Finally, be persistent and resilient. Writing is not always easy, and it can be a lonely and frustrating process. But if you believe in yourself and your work, and if you are willing to put in the time and effort, you can achieve great things as a writer. Never give up on your dreams, and never stop learning and growing as a writer.

Reliable Narrator: 

Do you have any advice for more advanced wordsmiths, Mr. Shakespeare?

ChatGPT William Shakespeare: 

For more advanced wordsmiths, my advice would be:

Continue to read widely and deeply. Even as an experienced writer, it’s important to continue reading and learning from other writers. This will help you to stay current with literary trends and to continue to develop your writing skills.

Experiment with form and style. As a writer, it’s important to challenge yourself and to push the boundaries of your craft. Try writing in different genres, experimenting with different forms of poetry, or using unconventional narrative techniques. This can help you to continue to grow and evolve as a writer.

Seek out constructive criticism. It’s important to receive feedback on your writing, but it’s also important to seek out constructive criticism from knowledgeable readers. Join a writing group or workshop, or work with a writing coach or editor who can provide feedback on your work.

Take risks. Writing can be scary, but it’s important to take risks and to push yourself out of your comfort zone. This can lead to breakthroughs in your writing and help you to develop your voice and style.

Stay disciplined. Writing requires discipline and focus. Set a regular writing schedule and stick to it, even when you don’t feel like writing. This will help you to stay productive and to continue to make progress on your writing projects.

I hope these tips are helpful to more advanced writers. Remember to continue to challenge yourself and to stay passionate and committed to your writing.

Reliable Narrator: 

Mr. Shakespeare, what is a helpful writing exercise for writers to improve their writing?

ChatGPT William Shakespeare:

There are many helpful writing exercises that writers can use to improve their craft. One exercise that I would recommend is freewriting.

Freewriting is a technique where you set a timer for a specific amount of time, say 10-15 minutes, and write continuously without stopping or worrying about grammar or punctuation. The goal is to let your ideas flow freely and get words on the page.

The key to freewriting is to not censor yourself or worry about the quality of your writing. The purpose is to generate ideas and material that you can later revise and edit.

Another exercise that can be helpful is to rewrite a scene or passage from a favorite book or movie in your own words, using your own voice and style. This can help you to analyze what makes great writing effective and to practice using those techniques in your own work.

Finally, reading your work aloud is an excellent exercise for writers. This can help you to identify awkward phrasing, repetitive language, and other issues that may not be obvious on the page. It can also help you to develop your ear for dialogue and to better understand the rhythms of language.

Final Thoughts from ChatGPT Shakespeare

Reliable Narrator: 

Do you have any parting thoughts as this interview comes to a close, Mr. Chat GPT William Shakespeare? 

ChatGPT William Shakespeare:

As I come to the end of this interview, I would like to say that I am grateful to have had the opportunity to share my thoughts and ideas with you. Writing and performing were the passions of my life, and I believe that they can bring meaning, joy, and understanding to the world.

To all the aspiring writers out there, I would say: never give up on your dreams, and never stop striving to improve your craft. Writing is hard work, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. Find inspiration in the world around you, be true to your own voice and vision, and don’t be afraid to take risks and experiment.

To everyone else, I would encourage you to read, watch, and experience as much art and culture as possible. We humans are complex creatures with a wide range of emotions and experiences, and I believe that the arts can help us to better understand ourselves and each other. So, go out and explore the world, and don’t forget to appreciate the beauty and power of words and stories. Thank you for having me, and farewell!

Final Thoughts from The Reliable Narrator

Chat AI is still a work in progress. But even in its early days, programs like ChatGPT offer writers a new set of tools to explore and find inspiration for their writing. Writers afraid these developments could bring about the end of their livelihood should breathe easy. 

ChatGPT William Shakespeare’s creative writing wasn’t great. It was original, in a sense, but still fell short of the mark. Human writers have a unique aspect of creativity that AI may never reproduce. 

The AI gives time-tested and expert-approved pointers. ChatGPT William Shakespeare shares many of the same tips promoted by The Reliable Narrator. Aspiring writers should take heed and explore the AI Bard’s advice.