Shakespeare’s Theatrical Genius

Plays for audiences ◊ The relationship between audiences and performers was very intimate in Elizabethan theatres. Spectators sat on the stage or stood close to the performer and openly expressed their opinions about what was taking place on stage. Shakespeare had an unparalleled ability to entertain all sections of his audiences; the more intellectual elements enjoyed the poetic language and subtle characterisation of his work while the less educated spectators delighted in the compelling storylines, gory battlescenes and humorous intrigues.

Variety of themes ◊ The variety of timeless themes in Shakespeare's works is unsurpassed:

• the appeal of an unsophisticated life in harmony with nature (As You Like It);

• ambition and jealousy, deception and crime (Macbeth, Othello);

• greed, corruption and ingratitude (King Lear);

• love and politics (Antony and Cleopatra);

• crime, guilt and punishment (Macbeth, Richard III);

• the all-conquering power of love (Much Ado About Nothing);

• the impatience of youth (Romeo and Juliet);

• the pains and pleasures of love (The Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It).

U nforgettable characters ◊ Shakespeare portrayed an unforgettable gallery of characters:

• Hamlet, a complex and sensitive idealist who is paralysed by indecision;

• King Lear, a proud misguided father who loses his mind when he understands his daughters' true nature;

• Othello, a naive victim of his enemy's envy and treachery;

• Macbeth, a soldier who is transformed into murderer by ambition;

• Lady Macbeth, a scheming, ambitious wife who realises, too late, the horror of what she has done;

• Richard III, a liar, manipulator and murderer.

Mastery of language ◊ The highly poetic quality of the language is a feature of all Shakespeare's plays. In Elizabethan theatres scenery and props were almost non-existent so Shakespeare had to conjure up settings, moods, and atmospheres with his words. His richly dense language, with its striking imagery and musicality, is perhaps his greatest legacy. Many of the lines from his plays are so memorable that they have become everyday sayings in the English language, for example, All's Well That Ends Well (title of a play), ‘Neither a borrower nor a lender be' (Hamlet).

TASK

Prepare a brief talk in which you outline the reasons for Shakespeare's greatness.

The Sonnets

Shakespeare's sonnets - 154 in all - were first published in 1609 without the knowledge or consent of their author. Though there is very little direct evidence which might point to a specific date of composition, on stylistic grounds it is believed that they were written at an earlier date.

The sonnets have been conventionally divided into two groupings:

Sonnets 1-126 are addressed to or concern an unnamed 'fair youth', probably Shakespeare's friend and patron the Earl of Southampton.

Sonnets 127-154 are about a woman who is conventionally referred to as the 'dark lady', presumably Shakespeare's mistress. The poet speaks about his troubled love for the woman (who is married) and describes a painful relationship in which they are both unfaithful to each other.

Themes ◊ The range of emotions explored in the sonnets is extraordinary: confident declarations of unselfish love, sad parting words, expressions of joy at reunion or bitter disappointment at mutual infidelity.

Styles ◊ The range of styles is greatly varied. In many sonnets the style is complex and rich while in others the vocabulary, syntax and form are disarmingly simple. The best of the sonnets are widely considered to be the finest love poems in English literature.

TASK

Answer these questions.

a. How many sonnets did Shakespeare write?

b. Who are sonnets 1-126 addressed to?

c. Who is the 'dark lady'?

d. Are all the sonnets written in the same style?