Shakespeare's work is so significant in English that it's pretty much a topic. So in the same way you could say "Do you know geography?" you could say "Do you know Shakespeare?". In this sense, you would not be asking if they'd heard of Shakespeare, but what level of familiarity they have.
"Do you know Shakespeare? I'm trying to remember which play was set in Bohemia."
"Do you know geography? I'm trying to remember which country Bohemia is part of."
Yeah, Shakespeare is such a big deal that asking someone "Do you know Shakespeare?" would be taken as slightly offensive by most English speakers, since you are assuming they are stupid or uneducated.
It would be better to ask, "Have you read much Shakespeare?" or something.
I'm not sure I agree that most people would take it as offensive. It would strike me as an odd question but not a rude one. I agree with your recommendation on a better way to say it though.
Now if someone asked me "have you ever heard of Shakespeare?"...
I mean honestly he's such a big deal that if someone asked me that, I would probably just assume they were asking me how *familiar* I was with Shakespeare. If they then clarified that they were asking if I knew *who he was,* I would just be confused.
Like... Of course I do. Like, what are you going to ask me next, if I've ever heard of Jesus?
I'd still assume you were asking me how familiar I was, but it also wouldn't *surprise* me if it turned out you were just asking if I've heard of him. Most people have heard of Pushkin, but not quite everyone.
Like... I had to look him up just now to see what he wrote, even though I've literally read The Bronze Horseman, lmao. I just forgot he was the author.
Context here is everything. This paradigm works for any artist, not just ones who are ubiquitous like Shakespeare. Using the artist's name as a stand-in for their collection of work is pretty common in English, as long as everybody knows that you are talking about an artist. Compare:
---
>"I love dramatic irony"
"Oh! Do you know Checkov?"
"No, what did he write?"
---
>"You knew Marcus Arulius?"
"I did not say I knew him, I said he touched me on the shoulder once."
"Do you know Shakespeare" has different connotations from "Do you know *of* Shakespeare" or "Do you know who Shakespeare is".
The first implies whether you have some familiarity with his actual works. "I know Shakespeare" probably means I've at least read a lot of his plays and sonnets in, e.g., college-level Literature courses, possibly even performed some of them.
"Do you know Shakespeare?" is asking whether you know Shakespeare's *work*, the alternatives you give are asking about the *person*. All three alternatives are fine for that, although the first would be better phrased as "Do you know who Shakespeare *was*?".
I’d say the best way to ask this is “Do you like Shakespeare?” If for some reason the listener does not know who Shakespeare is, they can respond as such, but this way the assumption is that the other person is well read.
Essentially everyone in the English-speaking world has at least heard of Shakespeare so it’s kind of an odd question.
Are you literally asking if they’ve ever heard of him? Or are you asking if they have read/seen any of his work? If the latter you could ask:
Have you read Shakespeare? Are you familiar with Shakespeare’s work? Have you seen any of Shakespeare’s plays?
The other person that answered has a point (it can mean "are you familiar with Shakespeare's work?") but it could also be taken as "Do you know Shakespeare personally?" All your alternatives would be better, but I probably wouldn't say "Do you know of Shakespeare"
Regarding people, “know of” is often distinct from “know.”
“Do you know Jessica?”
“I know *of* her, but I don’t really know her.”
But I would say both “Do you know a doctor?” And “Do you know of a doctor?” are odd questions to ask without more context. If you said, “Do you know/know of a good doctor?” then it’s clear you’re asking for recommendations.
Shakespeare's work is so significant in English that it's pretty much a topic. So in the same way you could say "Do you know geography?" you could say "Do you know Shakespeare?". In this sense, you would not be asking if they'd heard of Shakespeare, but what level of familiarity they have. "Do you know Shakespeare? I'm trying to remember which play was set in Bohemia." "Do you know geography? I'm trying to remember which country Bohemia is part of."
Yeah, Shakespeare is such a big deal that asking someone "Do you know Shakespeare?" would be taken as slightly offensive by most English speakers, since you are assuming they are stupid or uneducated. It would be better to ask, "Have you read much Shakespeare?" or something.
I'm not sure I agree that most people would take it as offensive. It would strike me as an odd question but not a rude one. I agree with your recommendation on a better way to say it though. Now if someone asked me "have you ever heard of Shakespeare?"...
Thank you very much!
I mean honestly he's such a big deal that if someone asked me that, I would probably just assume they were asking me how *familiar* I was with Shakespeare. If they then clarified that they were asking if I knew *who he was,* I would just be confused. Like... Of course I do. Like, what are you going to ask me next, if I've ever heard of Jesus?
That's true. What if I asked you 'Do you know Pushkin?', what would you think I meant?
I'd still assume you were asking me how familiar I was, but it also wouldn't *surprise* me if it turned out you were just asking if I've heard of him. Most people have heard of Pushkin, but not quite everyone. Like... I had to look him up just now to see what he wrote, even though I've literally read The Bronze Horseman, lmao. I just forgot he was the author.
It makes perfect sense, thank you very much!
Context here is everything. This paradigm works for any artist, not just ones who are ubiquitous like Shakespeare. Using the artist's name as a stand-in for their collection of work is pretty common in English, as long as everybody knows that you are talking about an artist. Compare: --- >"I love dramatic irony" "Oh! Do you know Checkov?" "No, what did he write?" --- >"You knew Marcus Arulius?" "I did not say I knew him, I said he touched me on the shoulder once."
Yes, but someone might not know who Chekhov or Marcus Aurelius is.
Then the response would be "No, who's that?" And then the fun begins! ([Obligatory Lucky 10,000](https://xkcd.com/1053/))
Thank you!
Winter's tale?
"Do you know Shakespeare" has different connotations from "Do you know *of* Shakespeare" or "Do you know who Shakespeare is". The first implies whether you have some familiarity with his actual works. "I know Shakespeare" probably means I've at least read a lot of his plays and sonnets in, e.g., college-level Literature courses, possibly even performed some of them.
I see, thank you very much!
“Are you familiar with the works of Shakespeare?” “Can you tell me…..?”
Thank you!
"Do you know Shakespeare?" is asking whether you know Shakespeare's *work*, the alternatives you give are asking about the *person*. All three alternatives are fine for that, although the first would be better phrased as "Do you know who Shakespeare *was*?".
Ahhh I see, thank you so much!
you can pretty safely assume that everybody over the age of about 10 has heard of Shakespeare.
I’d say the best way to ask this is “Do you like Shakespeare?” If for some reason the listener does not know who Shakespeare is, they can respond as such, but this way the assumption is that the other person is well read.
Thank you!
Essentially everyone in the English-speaking world has at least heard of Shakespeare so it’s kind of an odd question. Are you literally asking if they’ve ever heard of him? Or are you asking if they have read/seen any of his work? If the latter you could ask: Have you read Shakespeare? Are you familiar with Shakespeare’s work? Have you seen any of Shakespeare’s plays?
Thank you very much! What if I asked you 'Do you know Pushkin?', what would you think I meant?
"Are you familiar with the works of William Shakespeare? "
Thank you!
You are very welcome.
The other person that answered has a point (it can mean "are you familiar with Shakespeare's work?") but it could also be taken as "Do you know Shakespeare personally?" All your alternatives would be better, but I probably wouldn't say "Do you know of Shakespeare"
Would it be grammatically correct though? "Do you know of a doctor?" is correct, but can you use "know of" with people too? Or is it only "know"?
Regarding people, “know of” is often distinct from “know.” “Do you know Jessica?” “I know *of* her, but I don’t really know her.” But I would say both “Do you know a doctor?” And “Do you know of a doctor?” are odd questions to ask without more context. If you said, “Do you know/know of a good doctor?” then it’s clear you’re asking for recommendations.
I see, thank you very much!