In those days it was very fashionable and Shakespeare wrote many plays such as Hamlet and Julius Caesar written using a similar concept of tragedy. However this play of “Romeo and Juliet” is unusual because both characters die which increases the sense of waste as two young lives have ended. Overall in this specific scene, Shakespeare has set out to achieve a dramatic emotional meeting between the lovers, and put it into the context of the family feud so that the tragedy is already foreshadowed. The themes and techniques which are characteristic of Romeo and Juliet are clearly illustrated in Act 1 Scene 1. The main themes in the play are love, family, conflict and death.
Regardless of a person’s age or literary preference it is undeniable that William Shakespeare had a flair for composing dramatic tragedies. Tragedy is a powerful underlining theme which portrays the qualities of the human capacity. In one of Shakespeare’s most brilliant plays, Hamlet, tragedy is portrayed through the protagonist’s constant contemplation of suicide. Shakespeare often alludes to powerful images of death by using pathos and bereavement in life to be inconsequential. In the play, Hamlet, William Shakespeare produces a tragedy which illustrates the suggestion of suicide and the imagery of death as solutions to problems through Ophelia’s demise, the minor characters reflection upon death, and most importantly the protagonist Hamlet.
One should only take that the ideas portrayed in the work are those that stemmed from the writer’s mind, and therefore links the dramatist with the piece, as in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In the exploration of Hamlet as a character removed from William Shakespeare himself, critics have often made numerous interpretations, based on their own findings through the unchanging words of Hamlet. As Bradby states: “Hamlet is a central figure of surpassing interest and genius, which has gripped the imagination of the learned and the unlearned in all ages and which will continue to fascinate so as the mind of man is haunted by the mystery of life and death” (Bradby 60).
It is evident that the piece that pride, betrayal, and fate are the prime thematic topics, but Shakespeare blurs the line between the allusion of a life full of fortune, and the reality of the burdens that come with life. Inevitably, “Shakespeare took great liberties with this source, adapting various historical events to increase the dramatic effect of his tragedy” (Hact). Elizabethan plays were very sophisticated, for the majority of those who wrote them were scholarly, and had an education. The plays consisted of humor, tragedy, and had a certain sophistication about them. In the Tragedy of
The audience feel a great sense of tragedy as the death of the lovers would not have happened if they had an extra few minutes. Shakespeare succeeds to create an impending sense of tragedy and foreboding by using a variety of successful devices. For example, he wrote in different moods within a scene, also he included a very important prologue at the beginning of the play. Furthermore, Shakespeare’s adds to his technique by writing parallels and echoes to portray this important sense of foreboding. All of the contrasting styles which Shakespeare adopts in his writing contribute to the tension building in this outstanding play.
King Lear is a Renaissance tragedy and this particular form of the tragic genre defines how Shakespeare approaches the theatrical and literary tools that he uses. Renaissance tragedy differs slightly from the original trage... ... middle of paper ... ... Lear in all its sheering cliffs of chaotic madness, ranges of double entendres and hidden meanings, is truly a tragic masterpiece. It is a tragedy not only in the gloomy, foreseen death of its titular character, but also in the way it marks the tragic nature of socio-political issues such as class struggle, tyranny by monarchy, power-driven relationships. King Lear ultimately seeks to remind the audience that these things exist in their day to day lives. The genre chosen by William Shakespeare clearly supports this socio-political commentary.
Polonius’s language is used to further his character: his authority in Court (almost Claudius’ equal) contrasts with his rambling language to exacerbate his foolishness and almost guarantee his later destruction. Therefore, Shakespeare’s use of language not only creates tension, suspense, interest, diversity, and mood, but his imagery exaggerates the feelings already created by the rest of his text. Thus, though it could be said that his plot, variety, characterisation or any number of the different mechanisms that he used to create his tales earns him the title of ‘great’, in the first two acts of Hamlet, it is his language and imagery that makes Shakespeare a truly original playwright. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. Hamlet.
A man of many words, a many of many ideas creating incredible plays that have tragic ends, that man is Shakespeare. William Shakespeare had created two characters that continuously change throughout his plays. In both plays of Macbeth and Othello, both characters change for the worst, ultimately ending in their down fall. Macbeth had been both a victim of his wife’s duplicitous ways, yet he also became a terrifying man, Shakespeare create this through his creative use of figurative language and character development. In a similar situation of being a victim, Othello starts off as a good man then becomes someone beyond belief of what he had become.
Although Shakespeare did in many ways copy Brook’s ideas, he developed them and gave them his own style of writing and edge. But this idea of copying and using other’s ideas, no matter how substantial or subtl... ... middle of paper ... ...ng with the theme of death and love, ‘now old desire doth in his death-bed lie.’ William Shakespeare’s immense success with Romeo and Juliet is due to the fact that the two themes love and hate compliment each other and collide giving the play, drama, excitement, tragedy and suspense. This has been recognised in years since and the idea of star-crossed lovers and fated love has been used time and time again in films, musicals e.g. West Side Story, and even soaps. Its an idea that is popular with both young and old which is why Romeo and Juliet managed to remain fresh in people’s minds two centuries later, with modern adaptations and performances taking place still even today.
Unlike many playwrights, Shakespeare’s method of writing differs because of his mindset and sense of humor. He gave this play life by writing an immersive plot with incredible characters and by incorporating striking symbols. The plot in Hamlet is well known because of the dramatic moments and striking choices made in order to progress the story. If Hamlet’s father wasn’t murdered by Claudius there wouldn’t be a motive to seek revenge. Without this inciting incident, Hamlet wouldn’t descend into madness and recite one of most memorable soliloquies in theatrical history.