The Bard and the
Born Sinner

What could a 16th-century playwright and a 21st-century hip-hop artist possibly have in common? At first glance, William Shakespeare and J. Cole inhabit worlds separated by thousands of miles, not to mention centuries of culture. Yet, when we look closer at the two, these wordsmiths share striking artistic parallels. Both use inventive language, dig deeply into timeless human themes, and weave introspective narratives that are carefully designed to resonate deeply with their audiences. J. Cole speaks to a generation facing social media anxiety, inequality, and identity struggles, similarly to how Shakespeare captured the emotional and cultural currents of the Elizabethan era. This exploration will compare how the Bard and the Bars employ poetic expression to tell stories that transcend time.

The Bard and the Born Sinner: Soliloquy

Speaking of Hamlet’s meditative ramblings, one of Shakespeare’s signature techniques is the soliloquy — a passage where a character speaks their innermost thoughts aloud, alone on stage, and directly towards the audience. Soliloquies were a chance for Shakespeare to dive into profound introspection and reveal the conflicted thoughts and philosophical debates present in the minds of his characters. Macbeth’s cynical “tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow” speech is a good examp

Zander Pivnick

Oct 4, 20253 min read

The Bard and the Born Sinner: Thematic Similarities

Beyond their shared stylistic flair, J. Cole and Shakespeare are also connected in the themes that they explore. Human nature has changed little in the past four centuries, and we still grapple with desire, envy, ambition, and spiritual fulfillment — eternal struggles that both artists hold mirrors to in their written work. J. Cole’s music often carries deep messages about self-worth, love, and mortality, just like Shakespeare’s plays and poetry. In J. Cole’s uplifting track

Zander Pivnick

Sep 6, 20252 min read

The Bard and the Born Sinner: Inventive Language

Shakespeare is often famed for his linguistic creativity. It is well known that he virtually expanded the English lexicon single handedly, with scholars claiming he coined over 1,700 new words and countless phrases still in use. His plays and sonnets are full of puns, metaphors, and turns of phrase that were genius even 450 years ago. For example, when Shakespeare wrote, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players,” he crafted a metaphor for the roles w

Zander Pivnick

Aug 2, 20252 min read