Essay On How Did Shakespeare Engage The Elizabethan Audience

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William Shakespeare was a very talented man known for his various works of literature. His works include poems, plays, and sonnets. His works are then broken down into tragedies, comedies, and histories. Shakespeare left this world centuries ago, but his writings continue to live throughout the world today. He has greatly impacted the world of literature and his existence will forever be remembered.

The influence that William Shakespeare has on western culture and literature is undeniable. His legendary works are still in print and performed today. He is a pioneer of romantic and dramatic theatre as well as literature, and many quotes from his works are still widely quoted in pop culture today “400 years after his death, Shakespeare’s plays are as relevant today as they were when they were first written.” Through analysis and research this essay will answer the writer’s position that they are in fact still very much relevant today.

Well written plays are commonly identified by their effectiveness in relating to the audience. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a highly effective entertainment piece of the Elizabethan era. Through the character of Hamlet, Shakespeare is able to reflect many of the essential elements of life in Elizabethan England in this play. For example, in Hamlet's soliloquy in Act 4 Scene 4, he speaks of Prince Fortinbras and his army, providing insight regarding the value of life on both ends of the social hierarchy during the time period. Furthermore, Hamlet’s descriptions also portray the significant influence of religion in Elizabethan society. Lastly, Hamlet’s soliloquy largely focuses on the importance of honour; which is a very fundamental part of society in the Elizabethan era. Through this soliloquy Shakespeare targets the Elizabethan crowd by including relevant features of life that the audience can easily connect with such as social hierarchy, influence of religion and the importance of honour.

Although picking out the apposition and metaphors in each of the characters’ lines is difficult to do during an actual performance in a dark auditorium, compared to a normal Shakespeare in Performance lecture, where we are able to look at the physical text and listen along to our classmates’ readings or video clips, the director and actors clearly displayed an understanding of Noble’s concepts. The dialogue between characters had interaction, not only through a cordial handshake or a playful hug, but in their voice. The actors fed off of each other’s lines, and kept the story in action. When the actors spoke to one another, their speech sounded like a normal conversation. There was no point in the musical where a character’s line felt out of

According to a William Shakespeare biography website.“William Shakespeare was an English playwright, actor and poet also known as the “Bard of Avon” and often called England’s national poet. In his 20 years as a playwright, Shakespeare wrote plays that capture the complete range of human emotion and conflict.” He was born on April, 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon which was located in the midlands. His parents were farmers which means he lived in a rural farming area. He had eight other siblings including himself. His father John Shakespeare, was a leatherworker who specialized in the soft white leather used for gloves and similar items. A prosperous businessman, he married Mary Arden. Shakespeare was the oldest surviving child,

The first ever aspect of designing light on a play was in the late roman period, they would have built their theatres facing from east to west so that they could perform their plays in the afternoon with the sunlight lighting the stage for the actors but not hitting those in the orchestra. The most modern iteration of this technique is the globe theatre in London, this was used in Elizabethan times as one of the main playhouses that Shakespeare’s theatres would be shown in. There were no more prominent changes to stage lighting until theatres moved indoors in 1576 and the need for artificial lighting became more prominent, the use of candle light introduced the concept of mood lighting to theatre.[1] In the 1600s under Oliver Cromwell theatre was suspended resulting in no

William Shakespeare's Relevance Today For as long as formal education has existed in Britain it has been a largely standard assumption that teaching the works of William Shakespeare is relevant and necessary. Perhaps the relevance of his writing is taken for granted, perhaps it is necessary to re-examine the role of Shakespeare for the modern audience. There are indeed many people who question the relevance of this 440 year old playwright to a 21st century audience, taking it even as far as perhaps the greatest heresy of all, questioning the necessity of GCSE pupils learning Shakespeare at all. This “proposed vandalism from the policymakers” (Guardian 09/02/01) is opposed wholesale by supporters

     William Shakespeare was a great writer who lead a very interesting life. In fact, he is often though of as “the greatest write of his time.”

William Shakespeare, a name we all know whether it be from his many plays, sonnets or even just his life story. The question is; Is he important to us today? The answer can be yes or no for he has written many words that we use today in our modern day and the themes he used in his many plays and sonnets. But he is also unimportant for he is out of date and some parts of his plays and sonnets are unrelatable and quite frankly a waste to the eyes of 21st century high school students. Shakespeare live in a very different world than we do today and some parts of his texts can now be considered racist, sexist or down right disgusting which is something every student in Australia doesn’t need to know.

The prince of Morocco is the first suitor whose choice is included in the play. One important factor in his interactions with Portia is racial prejudice. He immediately feels the need to acknowledge the elephant in the room with his opening comment “Mislike me not for my complexion….” Portia is polite, but by describing him as “fair as any comer I have looked on yet,” it is revealed to the audience she is not enthusiastic about the exotic man, since her earlier suitors were disagreeable in many ways. This shortcoming may be the reason for

Have you ever watched the movie “Romeo and Juliet.” Said that you were “ in a pickle,” or that you were in a “wild goose chase”? If so, you are quoting Shakespeare. Shakespeare made up words, and used words from the speech of Elizabethan England. Then, he took these words and put them into writing. This influenced the English language, which is why we say these sayings today. He is considered the greatest writer in the English language and playwright of all time. Shakespeare was also part of a good family. (Applebee,983)

In some of William Shakespeare's most famous works, he deviates from the historical truth to create the final product of his works. He does this to please loyalty, as well as appeal to his audience at the time. At the same time, Shakespeare also does this to help create a stronger bond between the reader and the characters. To satisfy this, he implements many fictional pieces to his famous works. Macbeth was one of these works as he wrote this in 1606 to honor James I becoming the king of England. To please him, he altered many features of characters, as well as add in fictional characters. This changed the plot of the story greatly, making it very different from the story Shakespeare bases it off of. In addition, The Tragedy of Julius

One does not simply become the father of English literature. To be coined such a grandiose title requires the approval of many, and especially the king of England. Although an entertaining storyline does earn one respect as a writer/poet. It was Shakespeare’s masterful use of literary devices that garners the respect and acknowledgement of many modern day professors. In Act 3, Scene 1, Hamlet begins a soliloquy in which Shakespeare showcases his literary genius.

“ To be or not to be; that is the question” (Shakespeare 64). Williams Shakespeare wrote