An Essay on Great British Authors - William Shakespeare and Thomas Stearns Eliot

Throughout time there have been several great authors whose works have influenced authors in later generations; however, upon deeming an author to be “great” one must ask what exactly makes an author a great author? Is it his ability to successfully utilize various writing techniques or his ability to create various writing techniques? Is it his ability to define a character or his ability to leave characters open to interpretations by his audience? Is it his ability to influence other authors or his ability to dwarf them? Or, above all, is it his ability to successfully weave all of these seemingly conflicting ideas into his works? While many authors have attempted to achieve all of these criteria, only one has succeeded and he is William Shakespeare. In his works, Shakespeare managed to build upon classic writing techniques to create his own, create definite characters whose motives or symbolic meanings are left to interpretation by readers, and most importantly, influence generations of writers whose works, despite being based off of or inspired by Shakespeare’s writing, could never compare to his own. In terms of theatre, Shakespeare dramatically transformed the structure of playwriting by not only making plays accessible to everyone through language, but also making plays tangible through his use of character intimacy in which he fashioned characters that everyone, whether rich or poor, man or woman, young or old, could relate too in at least one aspect. In addition, his influence on poetry is indisputable as his repetitive utilization of three quatrains and couplet has resulted in the such a structure to be called a Shakespearean sonnet, but more than the structure itself, his ability get across in depth emotions and ideas i...

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...n stories and beliefs about his characters. However, though reading his plays may help readers connect to Shakespeare’s intentions, nothing compares to watching a performance of such a play. In a performance available on the Learn360 database, actors explore two variations of dramatic scenes in Hamlet that in the novel itself may be undervalued and even tame. However, in the performance version, it is clear that the conversations like the one taking place between Hamlet and Ophelia during Act 3, Scene 2 is actually filled with longing, betrayal, and deceit - at this point an audience can better see, feel, and understand what Shakespeare is trying to get across in his writing. This is clear proof that the key to understanding a Shakespearean play is not to analyze each line over and over again, but to let the imagination to work in order to bring the text to life.