Taking a Look at Shakespeare's Imagery

Shakespeare’s writings have touched many lives, both in the Elizabethan era and in today’s modern society. He has so many famous writings and plays that there are too many to talk about. He put a lot of time, heart, and effort into all of his writings. Three of his most famous major works are Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet. They are timeless and classics. It is even a question as to why they have lasted to this day. It is most likely because of Shakespeare’s popularity, imagery, and writing style.

Shakespeare was wildly popular during the Elizabethan era. He, unlike like many authors during this time, was actually famous while he was alive. While Shakespeare was regarded as the foremost dramatist of his time, evidence indicates that both he and his contemporaries looked to poetry, not playwriting, for enduring fame. Shakespeare’s sonnets were composed between 1593 and 1601, though not published until 1609. That edition, The Sonnets of Shakespeare, consists of 154 sonnets, all written in the form of three quatrains and a couplet that is now recognized as Shakespearean. During this time, Shakespeare was also very famous for creating new words. “In his poems and plays, Shakespeare invented thousands of words, often combining or contorting Latin, French, and native roots.” ("William Shakespeare." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 5 May 2014. . ) He had expanded the Oxford English Dictionary with about one thousand words. This led into him expanding the way that he was writing. “Shakespeare wrote more than thirty plays in his lifetime.”( "William Shakespeare." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 5 May 2014. . ) These thirty plays are normally d...

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...uring Shakespeare’s early works rather than his later works.

All in all, it is easy to tell that Shakespeare’s writings have touched many lives during the Elizabethan Era and in today’s modern society. His famous plays and writings have stayed with us throughout the years. That is because of Shakespeare’s popularity, imagery, and writings. It is no question as to where we would be here today without Shakespeare’s famous works and writings.

Works Cited

Spurgeon, Charles E.. Shakespeare's imagery and what it tells us. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1935. Print.

Shakespeare, William. Mr. William Shakespeare's comedies, histories & tragedies: a facsimile of the first folio, 1623. New York: Routledge, 1998. Print.

"William Shakespeare." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 5 May 2014. .

Works Cited