William Shakespeare (usually referred to as just “Shakespeare”) is undoubtedly the most famous playwright in history. His works are usually required reading in high schools, and college english classes as well. Almost everyone recognizes his name when it’s mentioned and knows at least one quote from one of his works. He is known worldwide for his plays especially, which are so special because of his ability to convey the inner workings of the human mind and emotion. His writings have lasted for centuries, and remain relatable to this day. Much of Shakespeare’s life is a mystery. Many of the “facts” and what we know is just speculation. For example, his exact birth date is unknown. At the time, during the Elizabethan era, keeping such records
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This is when he began writing poetry, another form of writing he is famous for (Shakespeare’s Life and Times). His poems are still commonly read today. His sonnets are especially famous, for example Sonnet 29, Sonnet 116, and Sonnet 130 which were featured in our literature. These sonnets are about jealousy, marriage, and love. His sonnets “are more complex and less predictable than those of other poets’ sonnets. Shakespeare writes, for example, of time, change, and death as well as love and beauty.” (Applebee, Arthur and et al). He even has a form of sonnet named after him-- it’s the form he used himself, although he was not the inventor. It contained three quatrains, a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg, was written in iambic pentameter, and ended with a final rhyming couplet. For example: “For thy sweet love rememb’red such wealth brings,/That then I scorn to change my state with kings.” (Applebee, Arthur and et al). This style is called a Shakespearean sonnet (Glossary of Poetic …show more content…
Macbeth is the perfect tragic hero. His tragic flaw of ambition leads to his downfall— death by vengeance. There is both internal and external conflict, which are more characteristics of a tragedy. He is a great soldier and therefore faces external conflict. His captain details one of Macbeth’s killings with “For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name), Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution (like valor’s minion), carved out his passage till he faced the slave; which ne’er shook hands nor bade farewell to him till he unseamed him from the nave to the chops and fixed his head upon our battlements.” (Applebee, Arthur and et al). His multiple murders are great examples of external conflict as well. To cover his own tracks, he kills Duncan’s guards violently and his murder count goes up to three. He goes through the motions of regret after committing the first few murders, which is his internal conflict. He also struggles internally when deciding if he should kill Duncan or not. There are also supernatural elements (another characteristic) such as the witches and Banquo’s
This is when he began writing poetry, another form of writing he is famous for (Shakespeare’s Life and Times). His poems are still commonly read today. His sonnets are especially famous, for example Sonnet 29, Sonnet 116, and Sonnet 130 which were featured in our literature. These sonnets are about jealousy, marriage, and love. His sonnets “are more complex and less predictable than those of other poets’ sonnets. Shakespeare writes, for example, of time, change, and death as well as love and beauty.” (Applebee, Arthur and et al). He even has a form of sonnet named after him-- it’s the form he used himself, although he was not the inventor. It contained three quatrains, a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg, was written in iambic pentameter, and ended with a final rhyming couplet. For example: “For thy sweet love rememb’red such wealth brings,/That then I scorn to change my state with kings.” (Applebee, Arthur and et al). This style is called a Shakespearean sonnet (Glossary of Poetic …show more content…
Macbeth is the perfect tragic hero. His tragic flaw of ambition leads to his downfall— death by vengeance. There is both internal and external conflict, which are more characteristics of a tragedy. He is a great soldier and therefore faces external conflict. His captain details one of Macbeth’s killings with “For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name), Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution (like valor’s minion), carved out his passage till he faced the slave; which ne’er shook hands nor bade farewell to him till he unseamed him from the nave to the chops and fixed his head upon our battlements.” (Applebee, Arthur and et al). His multiple murders are great examples of external conflict as well. To cover his own tracks, he kills Duncan’s guards violently and his murder count goes up to three. He goes through the motions of regret after committing the first few murders, which is his internal conflict. He also struggles internally when deciding if he should kill Duncan or not. There are also supernatural elements (another characteristic) such as the witches and Banquo’s