William Shakespeare is undeniably known as one of the greatest writers in literature and theatre. His clever use of dramatic irony, word play, and imagination had made him an iconic figure in the Elizabethan era. The typical Elizabethan audience comprised of working class families who were influenced through the economic, social, and cultural means of his work. In his infamous play, Hamlet, Shakespeare was able to include both influential and poetic speeches to influence the audience. For example, one spoken by Hamlet;
“A man may fish with the word that hath eat of a
King, and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm…
Nothing but to show you how a king may go a progress through the guts of a beggar” (4.3.25-30).
These lines are able to connect to the Elizabethan audience as they influenced or were influenced by the social, economic, and cultural perspectives of the time. Firstly, the quote’s significance had been influenced by Shakespeare’s targeted Elizabethan audience socially. In this quote,
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The economic status of the Elizabethan era was not bright. According to historians, the majority of England’s population endured inadequate living standards. With a collapsing economy, people were able to take advantage of the monarchy quite easily compared to now. In the quote, Hamlet states that a beggar consumed a fish that ate a worm that consumed a King, thus indicating how the beggar ultimately ate the king. With this in mind, many grew to believe that if only a mere beggar would be able to over-throw the government and easily defy the king, they would be able to do so as well. Specifically, those who were of a lower class believed that if one of their own, a beggar, was capable of defying laws and rebelling against the government, it could be achieved by anyone of equal or greater power. Evidently, the quote posed a huge impact in influencing the Elizabethan audience
I will show understanding of the plot, character and themes and Shakesperes use of language and dramatic devices within the play.
No society remains immobile, even if some human beings resist changes. The advances in technology and the emergence of new beliefs allow people to have a broader imagination. Thus, numerous new interpretations of ancient works, whether they are plays, folktales, or poems, permeate around the world. These renditions re-tell the original stories in contexts that adjust to modern world. What was regarded serious in the past becomes mockery nowadays. William Shakespeare, one of the greatest English play writers, has a profound influence upon different societies globally since the fifteenth century, for his plays inspire many contemporary artists to present new scopes reflecting their societies. Considered as one of Shakespeare’s greatest
Many people knew who William Shakespeare was, but not everyone knew how is life was in the Elizabethan era. He wrote poems and playwrights that some people liked and others disliked. Many things in the Elizabethan era encouraged and discouraged Shakespeare's writings.
If every playwright in Shakespeare's time aspired, as he did, to paint a portrait of an age in their works, his would have been the Mona Lisa, leaving the most lasting impression on generations to come and at the same time, one of the world's most baffling mysteries. Surely it is no coincidence that the world's most celebrated dramatist would've lived during the time when one of the world's most powerful rulers in history reigned. Or was it?
One of the reasons why Shakespeare was so popular and still is distinguished from other writers of his time is because of his ability to create topics that reach and speak to all types of people. He strayed away from what was normal for that time by
We in the 21st century enjoy Shakespeare’s plays for a variety of reasons. His plays have different themes like love, ambition, pride, friendship, supernatural, etc. His language is rich and full of imagery. Many of his famous quotes are used even till today such as "To be, or not to be" and "O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?"-Romeo and Juliet, form some of literature's most
During the Elizabethan era, the citizens of England held Queen Elizabeth in high regard, her time of rule was known as “the Golden Age”, so if Shakespeare were to make a connection to her rule and government it had to be positive. This is where we find a connection made to the economic values and perspectives of the audience. Towards the end of his speech, Prince Hamlet says “To be truly great doesn’t mean you’d only fight for a good reason. It means you’d fight over nothing if your honor was at stake” and “I watch twenty
Do you ever wonder why Shakespeare is still taught in high school. In high school, Shakespeare was shoved down our throats and I despised Shakespeare and his works. I thought that they were pointless and was just a way to torture high school students, but the more I think about what Shakespeare is trying to teach through his works. The more I respect and understand the themes and the language of his works. The more that you understand the more that you can relate, the more that you can relate the more that you can reflect on the things that you have learned. In this essay, I will argue that Shakespeare’s works are important to learn . I will support my argument by explaining the universal themes in Shakespeare’s
The social class for the Elizabethan Era was unique because of the different ways it was set up than from today. This social class has a very different type of hierarchy than any other social class that was ever made. Even though this social class was unique, it still needed the opportunity for improving the flaws. Certain levels of hierarchy needed a possibility for demotion for their class to move up in the rankings so they can get treated and respected better. The lower levels of the social classes didn’t have the best ways of living and suffered cruelty. The social class in the Elizabethan Era had a different type of hierarchy than we do today, the social class had the opportunity for improvement, and the possibility of demotion of the social class; therefore the social class could have had a revolution or change in the system.
women who wanted to act was seen as a very low job for them and what society wanted for women is to be at home taking care of their family and be obedient. Young boys were hired to act in a female role. The problem was that the young boys who had to end up wearing lots of make up just to play the women role end up being very unhealthy and had unpleasant facial skin diseases and many of them died due to the poisoning.
Therefore I'll none of it. Honour is a mere scutcheon. And so ends my catechism." (5.1.129-140)
In the words of T.S. Eliot, “We can say of Shakespeare, that never has a man turned so little knowledge to such great account” (Eliot). The works of Shakespeare are known throughout the world as classic literary pieces. The lessons learned through reading Shakespeare have carried themselves and remain to be true although they have been around for hundreds of years. The style in which William Shakespeare wrote has influenced a great amount of the literature that has been written in the more recent past-- books that are read throughout schools in the United States today. It is necessary to read the work of William Shakespeare in schools today, not only because of the lessons in his work, but to understand the roots of some of today’s literature.
Shakespeare’s work is littered with metaphors; some which require careful reading to pick up on, while others are easily detectable. Simon Palfrey states that “Shakespeare’s
Shakespeare has a difficult task entertaining the rowdy Elizabethan audience, especially during the exposition of the play, which sets up the entire plot. The audience needs to be engaged and invested in the play, otherwise many of the Elizabethan audience would throw food and furniture on stage or vandalize the theatre in response. Shakespeare employs a variety of techniques throughout the exposition of the play in order to do this, by creating tension between characters, introducing scandalous plots and unresolved issues right at the beginning of the play leaving the audience waiting for an answer. This essay will explore Shakespeare’s techniques and methods of engaging his Elizabethan audience.
William Shakespeare was an English poet and a great playwright. He still has a great impact on our history today. Shakespeare has written many plays, including Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet. He had very extant works which people could not understand (6). Romeo and Juliet is considered to be one of his more famous plays. His plays were translated into many different languages and styles (6). William Shakespeare was a very talented man who had a great impact on history, during the Renaissance time and still does today.