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Who is William Shakespeare?

Biography

Elizabethan Era:

This is the time period when Shakespeare first begun writing plays - during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The tragedies produced by Shakespeare during this time were largely historical (like 'King John' and 'Richard II") or romantic (such as 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Shakespeare was establishing notoriety for his plays and theatre (The Globe), and his work appealed to a diverse audience.

Jacobean Era:

After the coronation of King James, Shakespeare's style began to develop further. His subject matter often appealed to the interests of his King (such as the exploration of ambition and the divine right of Kings, with the supernatural intrigue of 'Macbeth'), and showed greater control in diversifying narrative. During this era, Shakespeare began to perfect the art of the tragicomedy, and it is within this era that he wrote most of his problem plays.

Categorising his work

Broader chronological grouping of text:

First Grouping:

Histories and Comedies, that are frequently adaptations of existing stories.

Final Grouping:

His final period consisted mostly of romances with redemptive endings, greatly contrasting his previous work.

Middle Grouping:

Dark dramas that primarily centre on themes of ego, betrayal and power. Many of his most famous and enduring plays were written here.

What is a 'problem play'?

Problem Plays

Problem plays can be defined in two ways - and "Measure for Measure" fits both.

F.S. Boas (who coined the term) defines a problem play as using comedy to explore serious and dark social problems.

Neil Rhodes, however, suggests they are plays that present both sides of a contentious issue without offering a resolution.

Many literary scholars determine "Measure for Measure" is the only true problem play, whereas others also include "The Merchant of Venice", "All's Well That Ends Well", and "Troilus and Cressida".

Iambic Pentameter

Style and Features of his plays

Soliloquies

Soliloquies

The notion of a soliliquy was not invented and is not exclusive to Shakespeare's work. However, they are a notable feature which he utilises in all of his plays to aid his narrative.

A soliloquy is best described as a speech made by a key player that seemingly addresses the audience directly. It presents the character's innermost feelings and concerns, and remains inaccessible to the other characters on the stage at that time.

Soliloquies provide insight necessary for dramatic irony, and can assist with backfilling important information which is relevant to the plot.

Asides act in a similar way. Unlike a solilquy, an aside is usually a brief single comment directed to the audience, but like a soliloquy, the comment cannot be heard by other characters in the scene.

Sonnets

Much like soliloquies, sonnets were not invented by or exclusive to William Shakespeare. However, we often associate the two together.

Shakespeare published 160 sonnets (6 within his plays).

They each follow the same general structure:

* 3 quatrains (4 line stanzas)

* Finishing with a couplet

* Composed in iambic pentameter

* Following the rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate.

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimmed;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or nature’s changing course untrimmed.

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,

Nor shall Death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st.

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Sonnets

Inventing new language

Language

One other feature Shakespeare is famous for is inventing new language, and scholars believe he invented approximately 1700 words. Shakespeare's audience were able to understand what these new words meant by the context they were used in.

Many of the words he invented are commonplace today:

assassination obscene

bloody amazement

hurry aerial

gloomy road

suspicious bump

countless laughable

exposure lonely

dislocate submerge

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