My Capstone project is about the influence that old writers, poets, philosophers, etc. (who I would consider to be bards, have had on history and their influence in today’s world. I was inspired to research about this idea because I have always been interested in ancient Greek myths and stories, and the past couple years of high school I have been on a school trip to Greece, and this past school year we have been researching bards of all kinds. All of this combined into an interest into further exploration of what these bards have contributed to the modern society of today’s world. I am going to start off my talking about the influence of what some consider to be the first well known bard ever: Homer. By creating the stories of the Iliad and the Odyssey, Homer created two of the most influential and preserved stories ever thought of, and they have stayed as prominent teachings for hundreds of generations. Often considered one of the greatest literary artists ever, his stories have influenced many Western standards and ideas. In fact, his two epics provided a basis for Greek education and culture throughout the Classical age, and even formed the backbone of human education in the time of the Roman Empire and even until the spread of Christianity around the world, and the first known translation of the epics from its original language to another was as early as 1488. The two epics also had a major impact on the Italian renaissance, with one of the earliest translations of the Odyssey was translated from Greek into Latin by Italian historian and theologian Raffaello Maffei. In a more modern setting, the infamous novel Ulysses is a retelling of the Odyssey' story set in 1920s Dublin. This retelling has often been called “the most prominent landmark in modernist literature”. Beyond his literature, Homer is credited with popularizing, or even creating, many Greek gods, heroes, and villians that are still well known to this day, and even the Star Trek series was created with major inspiration from the Odyssey. Another man considered to be one of the greatest writers to ever exist, Shakespeare’s influence on the world is undeniable. Everything from theatre and movies to Western philosophy, to even the English language itself has been inspired by Shakespeare in one way or another. He transformed theatre by innovating what characterization, plot, and language mean in a play. Many famous authors, including Hemran Melville and Chalres Dickens, drew influence from Shakespeare, and William is even the most quoted writer in the history of the English language. To be more specific, here are more detailed specifics about some ways Shakespeare changed the world. In many of his plays, he weaved together Anglo-Saxon and classical words together, often creating whole new words, and an entire dictionary was created full of words he came up with. He is also credited with inventing genres with a mix of comedy and tragedy, creating new theatre experiences never dreamed of before his time. Outside of theatre and literature, his plays have inspired musicians and artists around the world. Nick Lowe’s 1970 hit song, Cruel to be Kind, took its title from a quote in Hamlet, Mumford and Sons named an album after a quote from Much Ado About Nothing, and many day to day sayings are from Shakespeare’s works, such as “in a pickle”, “wild goose chase”, and “fair play”, as well as many, many more. Shakespeare even invented the knock knock joke.