Historical Accuracy of Shakespeare's Works

Historical Accuracy of Shakespeare’s Works

A heart felt tragedy and a whimsical comedy looking past the fictional of fairies and extreme use of over melodramatic language, both works are held by a factual anchor. Both Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream take place during the Renaissance era, written by William Shakespeare. His writings have also been known to reflect the culture of the time era. Both Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream are historically accurate to a large extent because of the settings, the allusions to history, and the realistic characters that Shakespeare incorporates into his plays.

The setting of Romeo and Juliet is accurate because it portrays the violence and hostility between families in Italy during the time. For instance, as evidence in a scholarly essay says, “But Verona, like all other regions of the country, was subject to rampant violence and war, a condition that had endured throughout Italy for centuries” (“Overview: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare” 1). What is said is that Verona was violent and had small wars throughout it all of Italy during the time. Romeo and Juliet has a similar setting that is violent and has hostilities between the families, making it a true place in history. A setting that accurately shows what it was like in history helps add to the historical value in the story. In addition, according to a historical powerpoint, “It is generally believed that the story is based on a real Italian love story from the third century. The ‘real families’ are the Capeletti and Montecci families” (“Romeo and Juliet Historical Context Pwpt” 1). Simply put, Shakespeare based the story off of an actual event from the past and included similar qualities into it. The ...

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...plays actually represent time frames in history, and should be seen and interpreted as them.

Work Cited

“Family Life in Shakespeare’s Works.” Npu.edu.ua. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 April 2014.

"Internet Shakespeare Editions." The Age of Marriage. N.p., 01 Apr. 2011.Web. 28 Apr. 2014..

"Overview: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare." (1997): 1-8. Literature Resource Center. Web. 29 Apr. 2014..

"Romeo and Juliet Social and Historical Context Pwpt." Slideshare. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. .

“Women in Shakespeare Comedies." Shakespeare Through Performace. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014..