SHAKESPEARE AS GREAT DRAMATIST

 Nidhi R. Jasani

 ROLL NO. : 18

  PAPER NO. : 1: Renaissance Literature  

  ENROLLMENT NO.:  PG14101018

  TOPIC: Shakespeare as great dramatist

   SUBMITTED TO : M. K.B.U.

      Smt. S .B. Gardi Department of English

INTRODUCTION

   

                  

   

          

               William Shakespeare belongs to 16^th century English literature. He was born in 23^rd April, 1564 and he dominated the Elizabethan literature. He was considered a genius playwright as well as poet in English literature. He cannot get proper education. He has written round about 36 play and 154 sonnets. He has deal with motifs of life like birth, death, marriage, religion, love in his plays and poems. His plays are written in verse and so they are identified as poetic plays. This plays are classified under four categories according to dramatic type. They are Tragedy, Comedy, Tragicomedy and History plays.

                    Shakespeare has used metaphorical language while writing plays. He has exhaustively used all the poetic devises in his plays. He has immortalized his characters by giving them universal touch. Shake pear soon turned to the stage, and become first an actor, and then playwright. In 1592 he was well known as a successful author. His play can broadly be put under seven groups.

(1)         The early Comedies: The early comedies or Shakespeare the comedy of  manner , love’s labor’s lost and other comedies are immature  plays of Shakespeare , which put him height  of success in his dramatic career .The character of these  plays are less finished  finished and marked with artistic  lapses  in character portrayal.

(2)         The English histories: the history plays like Richard-2, Henry -4, part-1 and Henary-5 king john and many other.  In this historical plays Shakespeare presents British history of three hundred years and create a nice picture of English Kings. This historical plays gives a guides of kings of England, and there life style. In these plays we witness a rapid maturing   of Shakespeare’s skill in plot construction and characterization.

(3)         The mature comedies of Shakespeare are ‘much ado about nothing’, ‘as you like it’ and many other.  In these comedies we found the flower of Shakespeare comic genius. These plays are full of vitality and vivacity marked with relief from the strain of tragedy writing. Shakespeare comedies have been classified under four part 1) Romantic comedies 2) comedies free form romanticism 3) lighter comedies 4) dark comedies. Another classification of Shakespearean comedies is 1) Early comedies 2) Middle comedies 3) late comedies.

           In early comedies comic quality arises from the language in the dialogue, and speeches. The comic situations and comic characters are the essence of the comedy. His humor is many sided. referring to his multifold humor  Dowden says :  Shakespeare abounds in kindly mirth : he receive an exquisite pleasure from the alert with and bright good sense of a Rosalind, he can handle a fool as tenderly as any nurse qualified to take a baby from birth can deal with her charge.”

(4)         The Somber plays:  In this group are all well that ends well, measure for measure and Troilus and Cressida. The reflected cynical disillusioned attitude to life, and a fondness for objectionable desire to expose the falsity of romance and to show the sordid reality of life.

(5)         The Great Tragedies: the great tragedies of Shakespeare are Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet. A tragedy is a tale of death or suffering, shake spear’s tragedies are also powerful tales of death and suffering, but Shakespearean tragedy is a something more than the story of death and suffering. The suffering is of such a powerful nature that it shakes the man and the hero writhes in the coils of insufferable agony. Hamlet in the state of his vacillation is literally on the rack. In the tragedy fate plays an important part in bringing about the tragedy. But in shake spear spit of external’s tragedy man is responsible for his tragic fall. In other word he believes in “character is destiny.” In each of his tragedy the hero catch in some fatal fall, and bed luck, which in spite of external circumstances lead him to his tragic doom.

In Hamlet there is painful consciousness that duty is being neglected. Each hero has virtues above the average man, but it is not necessary that the hero may have virtues alone.

(6)         The roman plays: “are based on North’s tradition of Plutarch’s lives and though written at fairly wide intervals. Usually considered as a group. Antony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus follow the great period and while the former in soaring imagination and tragic power is truly great, both of them show some relation of tragic intensity”  (Albert)

(7)         The last play –romans: the last play of Shakespeare Cymbeline. The winter’s tale and The Tempest, The mellowed maturity is the chief feature of forgiveness and reconciliation. The name ‘Dramatic romances’ applies very aptly to these plays for nether they are not tragedies pure and simple nor are they comedies scintillating with humor and fun. In other words in the play contain incidents are tragic but their end is happy. This play is combination of tragedy and comedy.

(8)         Pleasant humor. Shakespeare creates good humor. The sparking and vivacious heroes and Orlando in ‘As you like it’. His comedies primary aim is neither satire nor a correction of the evils prevalent.

The theme of Shakespeare’s work is always fresh, in other words their freshness and their appeal is permanent in literature. We may read his dramas for the hundred times yet it can give same pleaser, when we read it first time.

Dryden says that “was the man who of all modern and perhaps ancient poets had the largest and most comprehensive soul.” Shakespeare has, too the gift of universality, which alone gives permanence to literature. His characters recur in everygenration; they remain individuals, but yet they are types nor are his comedies all laughter, being true of life, they are

Full of mirth in funeral and dirge in marriage.” The characters of Shakespeare have a permanent hold on the human mind. We have read novels and dramas and have read hundreds of character both male and female, but no one hold of gripes our attention as the character create image in our mind. Shakespeare’s characters do not lose their individuality. Another feature of his characterization is his objectivity.

We admire humanity in his drama.  He loves human being and has an infinite feeling of sympathy for his creation. We like Shakespeare because he likes us.  Shakespeare has praised human being and human life. The beautiful lines on man presented in Hamlet, man in this work:

“What a piece of work is man? How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties in form and moving, how expressive and admirable in action, how like an angel in apprehension, how like a god, the beauty of the world. The paragon of animals. He touches the human heart and moves us to pity and sympathy.

We appreciate Shakespeare for his admirable treatment of subject of love. Shakespeare presents variety of love in his plays. The element of romance makes his dramas highly interesting. In other words love keeps the interest of his plays. His fertile imagination is present everywhere in his plays. His language is grand and majestic. Shakespeare use extra ordinary language.

·      Conclusion

Shakespeare was versatile genius. He creates great tragedies and many other plays. He also wrote sonnets. I think that when he write drama he use his heart for drama. He was not for one age but for all ages. Shakespeare was universal poet and dramatist. He creates best characters in his plays. All kind of characters we find in his drama. I think almost his plays are best work of Shakespeare, that’s why he was genius dramatist of Elizabethan era.  

 Nidhi R. Jasani

 ROLL NO. : 18

  PAPER NO. : 1: Renaissance Literature  

  ENROLLMENT NO.:  PG14101018

  TOPIC: Shakespeare as great dramatist

   SUBMITTED TO : M. K.B.U.

      Smt. S .B. Gardi Department of English

    Introduction

                                 

               William Shakespeare belongs to 16^th century English literature. He was born in 23^rd April, 1564 and he dominated the Elizabethan literature. He was considered a genius playwright as well as poet in English literature. He cannot get proper education. He has written round about 36 play and 154 sonnets. He has deal with motifs of life like birth, death, marriage, religion, love in his plays and poems. His plays are written in verse and so they are identified as poetic plays. This plays are classified under four categories according to dramatic type. They are Tragedy, Comedy, Tragicomedy and History plays.

                    Shakespeare has used metaphorical language while writing plays. He has exhaustively used all the poetic devises in his plays. He has immortalized his characters by giving them universal touch. Shake pear soon turned to the stage, and become first an actor, and then playwright. In 1592 he was well known as a successful author. His play can broadly be put under seven groups.

(1)         The early Comedies: The early comedies or Shakespeare the comedy of  manner , love’s labor’s lost and other comedies are immature  plays of Shakespeare , which put him height  of success in his dramatic career .The character of these  plays are less finished  finished and marked with artistic  lapses  in character portrayal.

(2)         The English histories: the history plays like Richard-2, Henry -4, part-1 and Henary-5 king john and many other.  In this historical plays Shakespeare presents British history of three hundred years and create a nice picture of English Kings. This historical plays gives a guides of kings of England, and there life style. In these plays we witness a rapid maturing   of Shakespeare’s skill in plot construction and characterization.

(3)         The mature comedies of Shakespeare are ‘much ado about nothing’, ‘as you like it’ and many other.  In these comedies we found the flower of Shakespeare comic genius. These plays are full of vitality and vivacity marked with relief from the strain of tragedy writing. Shakespeare comedies have been classified under four part 1) Romantic comedies 2) comedies free form romanticism 3) lighter comedies 4) dark comedies. Another classification of Shakespearean comedies is 1) Early comedies 2) Middle comedies 3) late comedies.

           In early comedies comic quality arises from the language in the dialogue, and speeches. The comic situations and comic characters are the essence of the comedy. His humor is many sided. referring to his multifold humor  Dowden says :  Shakespeare abounds in kindly mirth : he receive an exquisite pleasure from the alert with and bright good sense of a Rosalind, he can handle a fool as tenderly as any nurse qualified to take a baby from birth can deal with her charge.”

(4)         The Somber plays:  In this group are all well that ends well, measure for measure and Troilus and Cressida. The reflected cynical disillusioned attitude to life, and a fondness for objectionable desire to expose the falsity of romance and to show the sordid reality of life.

(5)         The Great Tragedies: the great tragedies of Shakespeare are Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet. A tragedy is a tale of death or suffering, shake spear’s tragedies are also powerful tales of death and suffering, but Shakespearean tragedy is a something more than the story of death and suffering. The suffering is of such a powerful nature that it shakes the man and the hero writhes in the coils of insufferable agony. Hamlet in the state of his vacillation is literally on the rack. In the tragedy fate plays an important part in bringing about the tragedy. But in shake spear spit of external’s tragedy man is responsible for his tragic fall. In other word he believes in “character is destiny.” In each of his tragedy the hero catch in some fatal fall, and bed luck, which in spite of external circumstances lead him to his tragic doom.

In Hamlet there is painful consciousness that duty is being neglected. Each hero has virtues above the average man, but it is not necessary that the hero may have virtues alone.

(6)         The roman plays: “are based on North’s tradition of Plutarch’s lives and though written at fairly wide intervals. Usually considered as a group. Antony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus follow the great period and while the former in soaring imagination and tragic power is truly great, both of them show some relation of tragic intensity”  (Albert)

(7)         The last play –romans: the last play of Shakespeare Cymbeline. The winter’s tale and The Tempest, The mellowed maturity is the chief feature of forgiveness and reconciliation. The name ‘Dramatic romances’ applies very aptly to these plays for nether they are not tragedies pure and simple nor are they comedies scintillating with humor and fun. In other words in the play contain incidents are tragic but their end is happy. This play is combination of tragedy and comedy.

(8)         Pleasant humor. Shakespeare creates good humor. The sparking and vivacious heroes and Orlando in ‘As you like it’. His comedies primary aim is neither satire nor a correction of the evils prevalent.

The theme of Shakespeare’s work is always fresh, in other words their freshness and their appeal is permanent in literature. We may read his dramas for the hundred times yet it can give same pleaser, when we read it first time.

Dryden says that “was the man who of all modern and perhaps ancient poets had the largest and most comprehensive soul.” Shakespeare has, too the gift of universality, which alone gives permanence to literature. His characters recur in everygenration; they remain individuals, but yet they are types nor are his comedies all laughter, being true of life, they are

Full of mirth in funeral and dirge in marriage.” The characters of Shakespeare have a permanent hold on the human mind. We have read novels and dramas and have read hundreds of character both male and female, but no one hold of gripes our attention as the character create image in our mind. Shakespeare’s characters do not lose their individuality. Another feature of his characterization is his objectivity.

We admire humanity in his drama.  He loves human being and has an infinite feeling of sympathy for his creation. We like Shakespeare because he likes us.  Shakespeare has praised human being and human life. The beautiful lines on man presented in Hamlet, man in this work:

“What a piece of work is man? How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties in form and moving, how expressive and admirable in action, how like an angel in apprehension, how like a god, the beauty of the world. The paragon of animals. He touches the human heart and moves us to pity and sympathy.

We appreciate Shakespeare for his admirable treatment of subject of love. Shakespeare presents variety of love in his plays. The element of romance makes his dramas highly interesting. In other words love keeps the interest of his plays. His fertile imagination is present everywhere in his plays. His language is grand and majestic. Shakespeare use extra ordinary language.

·      Conclusion

Shakespeare was versatile genius. He creates great tragedies and many other plays. He also wrote sonnets. I think that when he write drama he use his heart for drama. He was not for one age but for all ages. Shakespeare was universal poet and dramatist. He creates best characters in his plays. All kind of characters we find in his drama. I think almost his plays are best work of Shakespeare, that’s why he was genius dramatist of Elizabethan era.  

 Nidhi R. Jasani

 ROLL NO. : 18

  PAPER NO. : 1: Renaissance Literature  

  ENROLLMENT NO.:  PG14101018

  TOPIC: Shakespeare as great dramatist

   SUBMITTED TO : M. K.B.U.

      Smt. S .B. Gardi Department of English

    Introduction

                                 

               William Shakespeare belongs to 16^th century English literature. He was born in 23^rd April, 1564 and he dominated the Elizabethan literature. He was considered a genius playwright as well as poet in English literature. He cannot get proper education. He has written round about 36 play and 154 sonnets. He has deal with motifs of life like birth, death, marriage, religion, love in his plays and poems. His plays are written in verse and so they are identified as poetic plays. This plays are classified under four categories according to dramatic type. They are Tragedy, Comedy, Tragicomedy and History plays.

                    Shakespeare has used metaphorical language while writing plays. He has exhaustively used all the poetic devises in his plays. He has immortalized his characters by giving them universal touch. Shake pear soon turned to the stage, and become first an actor, and then playwright. In 1592 he was well known as a successful author. His play can broadly be put under seven groups.

(1)         The early Comedies: The early comedies or Shakespeare the comedy of  manner , love’s labor’s lost and other comedies are immature  plays of Shakespeare , which put him height  of success in his dramatic career .The character of these  plays are less finished  finished and marked with artistic  lapses  in character portrayal.

(2)         The English histories: the history plays like Richard-2, Henry -4, part-1 and Henary-5 king john and many other.  In this historical plays Shakespeare presents British history of three hundred years and create a nice picture of English Kings. This historical plays gives a guides of kings of England, and there life style. In these plays we witness a rapid maturing   of Shakespeare’s skill in plot construction and characterization.

(3)         The mature comedies of Shakespeare are ‘much ado about nothing’, ‘as you like it’ and many other.  In these comedies we found the flower of Shakespeare comic genius. These plays are full of vitality and vivacity marked with relief from the strain of tragedy writing. Shakespeare comedies have been classified under four part 1) Romantic comedies 2) comedies free form romanticism 3) lighter comedies 4) dark comedies. Another classification of Shakespearean comedies is 1) Early comedies 2) Middle comedies 3) late comedies.

           In early comedies comic quality arises from the language in the dialogue, and speeches. The comic situations and comic characters are the essence of the comedy. His humor is many sided. referring to his multifold humor  Dowden says :  Shakespeare abounds in kindly mirth : he receive an exquisite pleasure from the alert with and bright good sense of a Rosalind, he can handle a fool as tenderly as any nurse qualified to take a baby from birth can deal with her charge.”

(4)         The Somber plays:  In this group are all well that ends well, measure for measure and Troilus and Cressida. The reflected cynical disillusioned attitude to life, and a fondness for objectionable desire to expose the falsity of romance and to show the sordid reality of life.

(5)         The Great Tragedies: the great tragedies of Shakespeare are Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet. A tragedy is a tale of death or suffering, shake spear’s tragedies are also powerful tales of death and suffering, but Shakespearean tragedy is a something more than the story of death and suffering. The suffering is of such a powerful nature that it shakes the man and the hero writhes in the coils of insufferable agony. Hamlet in the state of his vacillation is literally on the rack. In the tragedy fate plays an important part in bringing about the tragedy. But in shake spear spit of external’s tragedy man is responsible for his tragic fall. In other word he believes in “character is destiny.” In each of his tragedy the hero catch in some fatal fall, and bed luck, which in spite of external circumstances lead him to his tragic doom.

In Hamlet there is painful consciousness that duty is being neglected. Each hero has virtues above the average man, but it is not necessary that the hero may have virtues alone.

(6)         The roman plays: “are based on North’s tradition of Plutarch’s lives and though written at fairly wide intervals. Usually considered as a group. Antony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus follow the great period and while the former in soaring imagination and tragic power is truly great, both of them show some relation of tragic intensity”  (Albert)

(7)         The last play –romans: the last play of Shakespeare Cymbeline. The winter’s tale and The Tempest, The mellowed maturity is the chief feature of forgiveness and reconciliation. The name ‘Dramatic romances’ applies very aptly to these plays for nether they are not tragedies pure and simple nor are they comedies scintillating with humor and fun. In other words in the play contain incidents are tragic but their end is happy. This play is combination of tragedy and comedy.

(8)         Pleasant humor. Shakespeare creates good humor. The sparking and vivacious heroes and Orlando in ‘As you like it’. His comedies primary aim is neither satire nor a correction of the evils prevalent.

The theme of Shakespeare’s work is always fresh, in other words their freshness and their appeal is permanent in literature. We may read his dramas for the hundred times yet it can give same pleaser, when we read it first time.

Dryden says that “was the man who of all modern and perhaps ancient poets had the largest and most comprehensive soul.” Shakespeare has, too the gift of universality, which alone gives permanence to literature. His characters recur in everygenration; they remain individuals, but yet they are types nor are his comedies all laughter, being true of life, they are

Full of mirth in funeral and dirge in marriage.” The characters of Shakespeare have a permanent hold on the human mind. We have read novels and dramas and have read hundreds of character both male and female, but no one hold of gripes our attention as the character create image in our mind. Shakespeare’s characters do not lose their individuality. Another feature of his characterization is his objectivity.

We admire humanity in his drama.  He loves human being and has an infinite feeling of sympathy for his creation. We like Shakespeare because he likes us.  Shakespeare has praised human being and human life. The beautiful lines on man presented in Hamlet, man in this work:

“What a piece of work is man? How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties in form and moving, how expressive and admirable in action, how like an angel in apprehension, how like a god, the beauty of the world. The paragon of animals. He touches the human heart and moves us to pity and sympathy.

We appreciate Shakespeare for his admirable treatment of subject of love. Shakespeare presents variety of love in his plays. The element of romance makes his dramas highly interesting. In other words love keeps the interest of his plays. His fertile imagination is present everywhere in his plays. His language is grand and majestic. Shakespeare use extra ordinary language.

·      Conclusion

Shakespeare was versatile genius. He creates great tragedies and many other plays. He also wrote sonnets. I think that when he write drama he use his heart for drama. He was not for one age but for all ages. Shakespeare was universal poet and dramatist. He creates best characters in his plays. All kind of characters we find in his drama. I think almost his plays are best work of Shakespeare, that’s why he was genius dramatist of Elizabethan era.