The article “The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606, by James Shapiro” by Jane Smiley seeks to explain how James Shapiro connected the events of the year 1606 with Shakespeare’s master pieces. Smiley writes a book review for “The New York Times” which analyzes not only the book, but Shakespeare himself, the events, the author and how they all connect. The first thing Smiley does in her review is present a personal anecdote of her high school years when she was reading Shakespeare. This starts off the article with a light tone and style, and makes Smiley more approachable as an author. She also writes about the author of the book, James Shapiro, and his credibility. He studied at Columbia University and has published several books on Shakespeare,
Shakespeare, William. "King Lear: A Conflated Text." The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York:
In William Shakespeare’s (1564-1616) attempt to explore themes of love, friendship and loyalty in his plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1600) and King Lear (1603-1606), there is distinct and constant portrayal of these themes classified of inconsistencies. It is crucial to understand that the historical context of Shakespeare’s writing is important in grasping a true understanding of the inconsistencies that exists in love, friendship and loyalty. Writing during the time of the renaissance, Shakespeare’s critical writing of such themes is of great importance in understanding the new socio-political framework of the early modern English times. Shakespeare therefore presents a new kind of paradigm for human relations unearthing past traditional ideologies with a forward outlook of society. Through his careful use of characterization, dialogue and the interesting development of plot, Shakespeare successfully creates for the reader, a rather insightful appreciation for the central themes of the plays in relation to theatre at the time of his writing. Regardless of the difference in form of the plays under analysis, Shakespeare manages to maintain and demonstrate the idea of the fluidity of love, loyalty and friendship by highlighting how inherently erratic human relationships are while at the same time providing for the reader, an opportunity to rationally decipher his employment of style and form in his portrayal of these themes.
Dutton, R., & Howard, J.E. (2003). A Companion to Shakespeare’s Works.(p. 9) Maiden, MA: Blackwell Pub.
Watts, Cedric. Twayne's New Critical Introductions to Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1991.
Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, Vol. 34, No. 2, Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama (Spring, 1994), pp. 341-356 Published by: Rice University http://www.jstor.org/stable/450905
Cohen, Walter, J.E. Howard, K. Eisaman Maus. The Norton Shakespeare. Vol. 2 Stephen Greenblatt, General Editor. New York, London. 2008. ISBN 978-0-393-92991-1
Bengtsson, Frederick. “Historical Context for King Lear by William Shakespeare.” Columbia College. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2014. .
[25] Foakes, R. A. (ed) King Lear The Arden Shakespeare. The Arden Shakespeare: third edition (1997, 2000) p15 introductory notes.
William Shakespeare, poet and playwright, utilized humor and irony as he developed specific language for his plays, thereby influencing literature forever. “Shakespeare became popular in the eighteenth century” (Epstein 8). He was the best all around. “Shakespeare was a classic” (8). William Shakespeare is a very known and popular man that has many works, techniques and ways. Shakespeare is the writer of many famous works of literature. His comedies include humor while his plays and poems include irony. Shakespeare sets himself apart by using his own language and word choice. Shakespeare uses certain types of allusions that people always remember, as in the phrase from Romeo and Juliet, “star-crossed lovers”.
Shakespeare, William, and Russell A. Fraser. King Lear. New York: New American Library, 1998. Print.
Shakespeare, William, Tucker Brooke, and William Lyon Phelps. The tragedy of King Lear. New ed. New Haven: Yale University Press;, 1947. Print.
Shakespeare Studies 11 (1978): 53-76. MLA International Bibliography. Web. The Web. The Web.
Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. The Tragedy of King Lear. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2009. Print.
Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. The Tragedy of King Lear. New York: Washington Square, 1993. Print.
Shakespeare, William, and Russell A. Fraser. King Lear. New York: New American Library, 1998. Print.