Without a doubt, Shakespeare is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the history of the English language and over the course of his works, contributed a great deal to the theatre and to literature. It is widely believed that William Shakespeare was born on April 23rd, 1564, and though no birth records actually exist, this assumption stems from the church records that show he was christened on the 26th of April. Despite being one of the most well-know writers to ever exist, the only sources that provide a basic timeline for his life are his works and official documents, such as church and court records. On May 26th of 1582, records show that Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, who gave birth to a daughter, Susanna, on May 26th of 1583 and …show more content…
He single handedly expanded what could be possible through the use of characterization, plot, action, language, and genre. His influence can be recognized in a variety of things, from contemporary language in plays to the expectations of audience behavior. Shakespeare would often encourage audience members to engage with the events taking place on the stage, which would forever change the formalities of the theatre. More importantly, however, Shakespeare transformed the theatre from a place reserved for the wealthy and educated to a source of entertainment for all to enjoy. By focusing on the universal truths of life and expanding the themes of his plays, instead of simply portraying the lives of the privileged, Shakespeare was able to appeal to the masses and therefore increase the popularity of the theatre. Also, his complex characters and their wide array of emotions brought forth a new style of storytelling in which the character drives forward the plot, which interested and intrigued both actors and theatre-goers. Shakespeare's influence on the theatre world is still felt today in most all plays, such as the famous “West Side Story,” which was directly influenced from Shakespeare’s own “Romeo and …show more content…
The genius of Shakespeare’s characters and plots and his ability to write works on basic human themes that still endure to this day is a feat that has inspired the works of many writers over time. Shakespeare revolutionized the way characters were written and thought of by creating complex characters with depth and variety of emotions. In eloquent verse, Shakespeare was able to span the whole range of human emotions and create tales that transcend their origins in Elizabethan England, which still continues to inspire writers of today. Also, during his time, Shakespeare enriched the English language, which was still fairly malleable, through innovations and dialectal adaptations. The most notable examples of this include Shakespeare's use of metaphors, phrases, and a plethora of new words that he created. It is estimated that in the span of his life, Shakespeare contributed over 1,700 new words to the English language. Many of these words are commonly used and essential to the English language, such as arouse, comprise, generous, and many more. Without a doubt, Shakespeare has been one of the biggest influences on literature over
Throughout history, there have been few writers whose works have influenced society more than those of the English playwright William Shakespeare. His use of language in all of his plays, especially Romeo and Juliet, is one that impacts its audience both emotionally and intellectually. For anyone wishing to pursue a career specifically in the Language Arts, the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare should be continued to be studied and analyzed for its unique and clever uses of English dialect.
By using just the right combination of words, or by coming up with just the right image, Shakespeare wrote many passages and entire plays that were so powerful, moving, tragic, comedic, and romantic that many are still being memorized and performed today, almost four centuries later. But the greatness of Shakespeare’s ability lies not so much in the basic themes of his works but in the creativity he used to write these stories of love, power, greed, discrimination, hatred, and tragedy.
In the article ‘Why Shakespeare is Still Relevant’, Joseph Pearce demonstrates how even though he is over 400 years old, Shakespeare is still pertinent in today’s society and furthering of education. Students should continue to study Shakespeare in classrooms today; ultimately, creating an overall increase in their intelligence and success. An intelligence Shakespeare can expand through the use of the multitude of words he has invented and “since we think with words, we think more clearly if we have more words with which to think”. Through his use of new words, students can communicate and discuss more effectively, creating a higher possibility of learning. In addition to expanding students vocabulary, Shakespeare’s work also delves into the
Did you know Shakespeare wrote 37 plays? In his plays, poems, or anything else, Shakespeare used figurative language in many ways. In the play Romeo and Juliet, by Shakespeare, figurative language is used to reflect detailed imagery to the reader. Shakespeare, the greatest writer in the English language, created over 20,000 words we still use today. With these words, Shakespeare creates imagery in the mind of the reader. Through Shakespeare’s use of similes and personification throughout Romeo and Juliet he provides creative and masterful use of imagery for the reader.
Shakespeare always knew how to keep his audience on the edge of their seats. His use of dynamic characters, irony, and foreshadowing creates a sense of involvement for the audience.
William Shakespeare, the myth, the man, the legend. Shakespeare was born April 23rd, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. Shakespeare lived a favorable life during the Elizabeth era. William was the fourth child of eight children. His parents were a wealthy business family and they could afford Shakespeare an exceptional education. . Shakespeare’s father worked as an alderman and which attained the family’s income because it was worthy job. Rather less what’s the story behind this splendid man?
Shakespeare’s ability to mold the English language into eloquently written poetry gave him the ability to affect the language as he did. Hundreds of clichés that are used daily by English speakers were invented in Shakespeare’s writings. Few people are aware, but expressions such as “dead as a doornail” (Henry IV, Part II) or “something wicked this way comes” (Macbeth) can both be accredited to Shakespeare. In The Story of English, Bernard Levin writes that “if [the reader] cannot understand my argument, and [declares] ‘It's Greek to me’, you are quoting Shakespeare” (McCrum, Cran, MacNeil 99). Levin is simply reminding the reader that much of common English speech can be traced back to idioms used in Shakespeare’s writing. Shakespeare even took the liberty to invent words of his own, supposedly inventing over one thousand commonly used words. Shakespeare was able to create words in multiple ways, including changing nouns into verbs, changing verbs into adjectives, connecting words never before used together, adding prefixes and suffixes, and coming up with words that were completely original (pathguy.com). Shakespearian words include “assassination” and even “obscene” (McCrum, Cran, MacNeil 99), and other such words that are used by English speakers daily. Although a number of writers have used the English language to their advantage, no writer has taken the language to the level that Shakespeare was able to do.
Norman Maclean once said “All there is to thinking is seeing something noticeable, which makes you see something you weren’t noticing, which makes you see something that isn’t even visible”. This is how people think about Shakespeare and see what is noticeable. If they looked long enough then they will see what is not visible to most; language and how it affects his writing. William Shakespeare in the story The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet achieves the effect of contrast through personification, antithesis, and dramatic irony to bring out the love and the hate, and the good and the bad.
...somewhat to fit the modern English language. William Shakespeare was truly a legendary author that helped expand the English language we speak today. His remarkable work will help teach and influence English for many years to come.
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's works have been a major influence on theatre. Not only did Shakespeare create some of the most admired plays in literature, he also transformed theatre by expanding expectations through characterisation, plot, action, language, and genre. He raised the status of popular theatre, permitting it to be admired by all.
It is harder to imagine a more universal writer than William Shakespeare. Rarely if ever is one of his many plays not being performed somewhere in the world and similarly rare is the tertiary English student who has not examined his work at length. His plays, sonnets and poems are common fodder for high school English departments across the globe.
The amount of creativity and individuality Shakespeare had is astonishing. What I find even more amazing is how natural his words have become nowadays. Words like dishearten, inaudible, and even eyeball have become part of everyday speech
Shakespeare has created stories that are so powerful, emotional, comedic, tragic and romantic that they are still continuously remembered and studied in the modern era. Though the essence of his talents does not lie in the simple themes behind his plays, but more so in
In his time, Shakespeare was the most popular playwright of London. As time passed, his smartness covers all others of his age; Jonson, Marlowe, Kyd, Greene, Dekker, Heywood—none had the craft or the kindness of character. He was the master of poetry writing and he did it well. He created the most vivid characters of the Elizabethan stage. His usage of language, both high and low, shows a remarkable fun and insight. His themes fit all generation even to this day.