I don't think N's problem is that he thinks Shakespeare towers above all other writers. That's a defensible position to take, I suppose. The problem is that N thinks Shakespeare's genius means that all other writers are abject failures who have no reason to exist. Rather than being excited and grateful that a writer like Shakespeare came along, N seems to think it was a death blow to his own purpose in life since he modesly acknowledges that he will never be as good as Shakespeare.
N, even if Shakespeare had never existed, isn't it very unlikely that you would have been next in line as the GOAT? So really, how does it hurt your reputation that Shakespeare now holds that title?
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