Dan Poole and Giles Terera explain "Shakespism," a sort of sickness that prevents us from loving and truly understanding Shakespeare. We should cure ourselves because Shakespeare is as relevant today as he has always been, and he was just a man.

Dan Poole has performed at the Globe Theatre, the Royal Court, Theatre Royal Haymarket, the National Theatre, and the Edinburgh Festival. He has been the director of Timebomb Pictures for over seven years and has produced several commercials, documentaries, and theatrical production. He also writes comedy and acts in film, television, and voiceovers.

Giles Terera has worked extensively in theatre at the Royal National Theatre, West End, Royal Shakespeare Company, Old Vic, Young Vic, West End, Shakespeare's Globe, Chichester, Crucible Sheffield, West Yorkshire Playhouse, and Edinburgh Festival. He also works in film, radio, and television. He is a musician and composes music for theatre and film.

The two friends, who met in drama school, decided to create the Muse Of Fire project as a result of experiences they had while growing up and training. Their five-year adventure around the world has sought to discover what Shakespeare means to us in the 21st century.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx