WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
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William
Shakespeare (23 April 1564 –
23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest
writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is
often called England's national
poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant
works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems and a few other verses, some of uncertain
authorship. His plays have
been translated into every
major living
language and are performed
more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the
most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be
studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful
career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing
company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King
James VI of Scotland to the
English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to
Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's
private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such
matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs and even certain fringe
theories as to whether the
works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589
and 1613. Many of Shakespeare's plays
were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime.
However, in 1623, John
Heminges and Henry
Condell, two fellow actors and
friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First
Folio, a posthumous collected
edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its
Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, who hailed Shakespeare
with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".
Comedies:
His
early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced
in these genres.
All's
Well That Ends Well
As
You Like It
Comedy
of Errors
Love's
Labour's Lost
Measure
for Measure
Merchant
of Venice
Merry
Wives of Windsor
Midsummer
Night's Dream
Much
Ado about Nothing
Taming
of the Shrew
Tempest
Twelfth
Night
Two
Gentlemen of Verona
Winter's
Tale
Histories:
Henry
IV, Part I
Henry
IV, Part II
Henry
V
Henry
VI, Part I
Henry
VI, Part II
Henry
VI, Part III
Henry
VIII
King
John
Pericles
Richard
II
Richard
III
Tragedies:
He then
wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Othello, King
Lear and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in English.
In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) such as The Winter's Tale and The Tempest, and collaborated with other playwrights
Antony
and Cleopatra
Coriolanus
Cymbeline
Hamlet
Julius
Caesar
King
Lear
Macbeth
Othello
Romeo
and Juliet
Timon
of Athens
Titus
Andronicus
Troilus
and Cressida
Shakespeare’s sonnets:
154
Shakespeare’s
sonnets are poems of expressive ideas and thoughts that are layered with
multiple meanings, and always have two things in common:
·
All sonnets have fourteen lines
·
All sonnets are written in iambic pentameter.
Famous Sonnets:
1: From
Fairest Creatures We Desire Increase
3: Look
In Thy Glass, And Tell The Face Thou Viewest
12: When I Do Count The Clock That
Tells Time
18: Shall I Compare Thee To A
Summer’s Day?
19: Devouring Time, Blunt Thou The
Lion’s Paw
20: A Woman’s Face With Nature’s Own
Hand Painted
23: As An Unperfect Actor On The
Stage
29: When In Disgrace With Fortune and
Men’s Eyes
30: When To The Sessions Of Sweet
Silent Thought
33: Full Many A Glorious Morning I
Have Seen
55: O! Not Marble, Nor The Gilded
Monuments
73: That Time Of Year Thou Mayst In
Me Behold
98: From You Have I Been Absent In
The Spring
104: To Me, Fair Friend, You Never
Can Be Old
106: When In The Chronicle Of Wasted
Time
116: Let Me Not To The Marriage Of
True Minds
128: How Oft When Thou, My Music,
Music Play’st
129: Th’ Expense Of Spirit In A Waste
Of Shame
130: My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing
Like The Sun
William Shakespeare uses many literary devices in Twelfth Night,
including:
- Foreshadowing: Provides
hints to the audience about future events in the play
- Dramatic
irony: A literary device
that creates humor through misunderstandings and misinterpretations
- Mistaken
identity: A central plot
device that uses disguises and the fluidity of identity to create
humor
- Natural
imagery: Characters use
natural imagery, such as trees and flowers, to symbolize love, beauty, and
death
- Antithesis: Shakespeare uses antithesis,
especially in soliloquies, to emphasize the differences between
opposites
- Soliloquy: A dramatic technique that Shakespeare
uses in Twelfth Night
- Aside: A dramatic technique that Shakespeare
uses in Twelfth Night
- Rhetorical
language: A dramatic
technique that Shakespeare uses in Twelfth Night
- Music: A
dramatic technique that Shakespeare uses in Twelfth Night
One
of the most famous quotes from
"Twelfth Night" is "If music be the food of love, play on," spoken by Duke Orsino at the beginning of the play,
signifying his deep, consuming love for Olivia and his desire for music to
soothe his romantic pain; this line highlights the play's theme of love
and its powerful influence on characters.
Other notable quotes and their explanations:
·
"Be not
afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have
greatness thrust upon them":
This line appears in a letter that Malvolio believes is from Olivia,
signifying his delusional belief that he can achieve a high social status if he
plays his cards right; it's often used to discuss the idea of
self-importance and ambition.
·
"What is
love? 'Tis not hereafter; Present mirth hath present laughter; What's to come
is still unsure; In delay there lies no plenty":
Sung by Feste, the fool, this quote emphasizes the fleeting nature of
love and the need to seize the moment.
·
"I am not
what I am":
Spoken by Viola, disguised as Cesario, this line highlights the central
theme of deception and the complexities of identity within the play.
·
"Better a
witty fool than a foolish wit":
Feste uses this line to defend his role as a fool, suggesting that true
intelligence can be found in seemingly foolish behavior.
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