Shakespear Essay Example

style. While it is uncertain whether Part I of Henry VI was written before or after Parts II and III, Richard III is often grouped with them as a final installment of a first tetralogy. In this early period are also comedies influenced by classical works while incorporating elements of farce. Both Titus Andronicus and Romeo and Juliet gained popularity during Shakespeare's lifetime. Romeo and Juliet explores the conflict between two passionate lovers from feuding families while minor characters add depth to their story.During the period between Shakespeare's early works and his great tragedies, he wrote several plays including Richard II, A Midsummer Night's Dream, King John, The Merchant of Venice, Parts I and II of Henry IV, Much Ado about Nothing, Henry V, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night. In this phase of his career, Shakespeare's comedies shifted their focus from farce to idyllic romance while his history plays skillfully combined political elements with individual characterization. Richard II as well as each part of Henry IV and Henry V form a second tetralogy of historical plays that can also be performed independently. Notably,the two parts of Henry IV prominently feature the immensely popular character Falstaff.

Shakespeare's era of tragedies and "problem plays" began in 1600 with Hamlet followed by The Merry Wives of Windsor (written at the request of Queen Elizabeth to include Falstaff but not thematically consistent with the period), Troilus and Cressida, All's Well That Ends Well Measure for Measure Othello King Lear Macbeth Antony and Cleopatra Coriolanus and Timon Of Athens. These tragedies depict clear oppositions on various levels such as order versus chaos good versus evil spirituality versus

animality within family state and cosmic realms. Stylistically the plays during this time became more compressed and symbolic.Both Coriolanus and Antony and Cleopatra explore politics, social history, and individual psychology by presenting political leaders as tragic heroes. The last two plays in Shakespeare's collection, Henry VIII and The Two Noble Kinsmen, may have been collaborations with John Fletcher. The remaining four plays - Pericles, Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, and The Tempest - are classified as tragicomedies. These plays feature characters who have the potential for tragedy but share similarities with comedy in their harmonious resolutions achieved through magical means. This includes divine, humanistic, and artistic implications.

Shakespeare's works have a wide appeal and are still performed today in both English-speaking countries and non-English-speaking countries. His works are quoted more widely than those of any other author. Critics have extensively analyzed these plays to understand their timeless appeal, which is not tied to a specific ideology. Shakespeare has faced criticism for not adhering consistently to a particular philosophy or religion. For example, the subplot in A Midsummer Night's Dream satirizes the idealized tragic love depicted in Romeo and Juliet.

However, what makes Shakespeare's plays captivating are their narratives, diverse characters, and powerful speeches delivered by these characters. These speeches strike a balance between vividness, strength of expression, and poetic beauty.
In addition, Shakespeare's characters are often praised for their imperfect and inconsistent nature, which contributes to their memorable qualities. Hamlet captivates audiences with his conflicting emotions regarding revenge and the uncertainty of his madness. If Falstaff lacked liveliness, warmth, cleverness, rowdiness, cowardice, and ultimately moving qualities, he would not be so dearly cherished. The plays stand out due to

their unparalleled use of language. Shakespeare possessed a vast vocabulary and had a keen sensitivity towards subtle distinctions. He also had an exceptional talent for inventing new words and creating puns.

The First Folio was published in 1623 as the first complete collection of Shakespeare's works; however, it does not include Pericles and The Two Noble Kinsmen (which are typically excluded in modern editions). Some of the plays exist in previous quarto editions that have been heavily corrupted and potentially reconstructed from an actor's memory.

Nicholas Rowe produced an edition in 1709 that was the first to divide the plays into acts and scenes while also marking exits and entrances. Other early significant editions were done by Alexander Pope (1725), Lewis Theobald (1733), and Samuel Johnson (1765).

Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1587) is a crucial source for Shakespeare's English history plays. Despite altering characters to fit his dramatic purposes, he heavily relied on this text.In addition, Shakespeare utilized Sir Thomas North's translation (1579) of Plutarch's Lives for his Roman tragedies. He also modified old plays and adapted English prose romances into dramas such as As You Like It and The Winter's Tale. Furthermore, he incorporated the works of contemporary European authors. For more information regarding Shakespeare's sources, please refer to the table titled "Shakespeare's Play" in this article.

Initially, Shakespeare published two narrative poems: Venus and Adonis (1593) and The Rape of Lucrece (1594). Only five poems that can undeniably be attributed to him are featured in The Passionate Pilgrim, a poetry volume solely credited to him that was published in 1599. Two of these poems can be found in other versions of the Sonnets,

while three appear in Love's Labour's Lost. In 1601, he released a love elegy titled The Phoenix and the Turtle.

During the 1980s and 90s, numerous Elizabethan scholars reached the conclusion that a poem called A Funeral Elegy exhibited characteristics associated with Shakespeare. This poem was published in 1612 and signed "W.S.", but its inclusion in the canon remains unconfirmed.

Overall, Shakespeare's most significant nondramatic poetry is represented by his sonnets. These sonnets were first published in 1609 but had already been circulating privately before that time. Scholars widely agree that these poems were written during the 1590s. There has been extensive debate among scholars regarding both the sequence and amount of autobiographical content present within the sonnets.The dedication in the first edition makes mention of someone with initials W.H., leading some to believe it refers to either Henry Wriothesley or William Herbert. However, there is less certainty regarding Herbert's connection to Shakespeare. The identity of the woman addressed in sonnets 127-152, commonly known as the "dark lady," is also subject to speculation without concrete evidence. Throughout these sonnets, recurring themes revolve around beauty, the fleeting nature of youthful beauty, and love's power alongside art's ability to transcend time and death.

Since Shakespeare's passing, various critical perspectives on his work have emerged over time. These perspectives include both praise and criticism during the 17th and 18th centuries. While negative criticism directed towards Shakespeare has been disregarded over time, certain issues continue to captivate critics today. For instance,Samuel Johnson in the 18th century and George Bernard Shaw in the 20th century questioned Shakespeare's moral propriety.

Initially, criticism primarily focused on matters of form such as Shakespeare's blending of comedy and

tragedy and his disregard for classical drama's prescribed unities of time and place. Prominent critics like Dryden and Johnson accused him of corrupting language with false wit, puns,and ambiguity.However, modern criticism tends to appreciate the use of these devices in his later plays as they contribute a deeper meaning and resonance.During the 17th and 18th centuries, critics often criticized Shakespeare for his lack of artistic restraint, but praised his fertile imagination. Samuel Johnson agreed with many earlier criticisms but defended Shakespeare's departure from classical rules by arguing that stage plays are not meant to mirror real life. Johnson's analysis of Shakespeare's characters laid a foundation for later critics like A.C. Bradley in the late 19th century. German critics Lessing and Schlegel acknowledged Shakespeare as a romantic poet who was distinct from classical poets but equally significant. Schlegel was also the first to highlight the structural unity present in Shakespeare's plays, an idea further developed by English poet and critic Samuel Coleridge.

Schlegel and Coleridge established Shakespeare's plays as artistic organic unities during the 19th century. Georg Gervinus and Edward Dowden sought positive moral tendencies within these works, while William Hazlitt employed analogy and gradation to analyze character during that era. A.C. Bradley further developed this form of character study by introducing unifying imagistic atmospheres in later years.

In the 20th century criticism shifted away from isolated moral considerations and character analysis towards emphasizing the unity of image, metaphor, and tone as it emerged.Caroline Spurgeon played a role in this movement by categorizing Shakespeare's imagery. However, her work later received criticism for its perceived naivety and moral bias. In the 20th century, notable trends in Shakespearean criticism involved

using Freudian approaches to analyze his works within the context of Elizabethan worldviews and stage conventions. Moreover, his plays were also studied from a mythic perspective during this time.