William Shakespeare: the Greatness of a Legend

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On the stage and beyond

William Shakespeare stands as the greatest writer in English literature, even as centuries pass and trends change. It is amazing to recall that this giant of a writer was active in his career only for a quarter century. He wrote 37 plays, 154 sonnets and two epic poems. He wrote about deep universal human emotions like love, ambition and envy in words that reverberated through the centuries, long after his audiences dispersed.

His plays have been translated into all major living languages in the world today. His attention was on creating interesting characters. His plays were emotionally intense and insightful. People laughed at his protagonist, fools and villains. To the Elizabethans of the 16th century, Shakespeare opened a world of passionate romance, hot blooded, rivalry, cold blooded betrayal and jealousy.

Shakespeare made huge contribution to the evolution of the English language too. His plays standardized the language and provided it with new words and phrases. It is said that about 1,700 words were first used in English by Shakespeare!

Shakespeare’s Plays

Shakespeare’s plays have been classified in many ways. The traditional classification falls into four categories: the comedies, the histories, the tragedies and the romances. Today, a comedy means an entertaining laugh-riot movie. However, the word ‘comedy’ had a very different meaning in the Elizabethan times. A comedy was a light-hearted happy-ending play in which young men and women marry each other promising a successful life thereafter.

A Comedy of Errors, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, As You Like It are some of Shakespeare’s comedies. “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them” – Twelfth Night In Shakespeare’s tragedies, the heroes undergo certain difficult situations, all the while suffering from internal conflicts. They all have a ‘tragic flaw’ that ultimately leads them to their own destruction. Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, Hamlet, Othello are some of Shakespeare’s tragedies.

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” – Hamlet There are ten history plays by Shakespeare. They are Henry VI, parts one, two and three, Richard III, Richard II and Henry IV, Parts one and two, Henry V, King John and Henry VIII. Shakespeare’s history plays center around actual events and monarchs from Britain’s history. The Gain and loss of power and the divine rights of kings are the main theme of these plays.

The romances were previously grouped with comedies. However, today, these plays are considered more mature plays of Shakespeare as he wrote them all after the success of his tragedies. His romances are Pericles: Prince of Tyre, Cymbeline and The Tempest.

Shakespeare contribution to language

Shakespeare is a colossal figure when it comes to his contribution to literature. As is expected from any writer of such magnitude, his contribution to language is huge. Many words that we use today have been in some ways or other were modifies or used with a distinct meaning by Shakespeare. He has invented over 1,700 words that we commonly use. Shakespeare achieve this by changing nouns into verbs, changing verbs into adjectives, connecting words never used together, adding prefixes and suffixes and devising words wholly original. Several phrases that are still very much a part of our language ad conversation such as ‘full circle’, ‘a sorry sight’, ‘strange bedfellow’ and ‘seen better days’ are coined by Shakespeare.

In Merchant of Venice, he used the word ‘laughable’ for the first times. It was Shakespeare, who used the word ‘majestic’ for the first time in his play ‘The tempest’. Shakespeare introduce the word ‘radiance’ in King Lear. The word was not in use formerly in English language as he modified the Latin word ‘radiantem’ meaning ‘beaming’. There are many others such as ‘hurry’ in Henry VI Part I, and ‘generous’ in Hamlet. ‘Critical’ was first used in Othello. In his comedy, the Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare used the word ‘undress’ for the first time.

Considering the fact that English as a language was only evolving into its modern form, much scope existed for the kind of innovations Shakespeare made. Words were not sufficiently available for the bard in his creative ventures. Therefore, he had to invent!

Shakespeare on the big screen: Multiple Roles

Shakespeare worked as an actor, writer and co-owner of a drama company called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men – later known as the King’s Men.

Thousands of films have taken inspiration from Shakespeare. Akira Kurosawa, renowned Japanese filmmaker, directed Throne of Blood, which is an adaptation of Macbeth. His Ran, directed in 1985, is inspired by King Lear. Laurence Olivier is probably the most famous filmmaker and actor who has successfully adapted Shakespeare’s plays. His Henry V, Hamlet and Richard III are popular films.

Shakespeare has wielded his influence in India too. Vishal Bharadwaj’s ‘Omkara’, ‘Maqbool’ and ‘Haider’ have been both popular and critical successes. “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts…” – As You Like It, Act II, Scene 7.

REFERENCES

Bradley, A. C. (1991), Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth, London: Penguin, ISBN 0-14-053019-3.
Cercignani, Fausto (1981), Shakespeare’s Works and Elizabethan Pronunciation, Oxford: University Press (Clarendon Press).
Edwards, Phillip (1958), ‘Shakespeare’s Romances: 1900–1957’, in Nicoll, Allardyce, Shakespeare Survey 11, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-21500-5, OCLC 15880120 (http:/ / www. worldcat. org/ oclc/ 15880120).
Lee, Sidney (1900), Shakespeare’s Life and Work, London: Smith Elder & Co..
Tillyard, E M W.: Shakespeare‟s Problem Plays and Shakespeare‟s History Plays: Chatto and Windus, London: 1961

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William Shakespeare: the Greatness of a Legend

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