Writing Style Of William Shakespeare

Improved Essays
William Shakespeare is perhaps if not the, one of the most commonly recognized literary writers of his time. It is quite appropriate to argue that the vast arsenal of literary work Shakespeare completed throughout his lifetime has widely influenced people and entertainment throughout history and today. William Shakespeare’s work transcends cross-cultural boundaries and builds bridges of literacy between people all over the world. Shakespeare is most commonly known for his writing style. Though rather complex to follow cohesively at first due to the old-fashioned English dialogue, the intricacy of his writing style is easily recognized as belonging to Shakespeare. He along with his work is not easily mistaken for someone else’s. He is primarily …show more content…
His playwrights specifically fit into one of these three categories for the sole purpose of encompassing individual themes into an overall arching category. Some of Shakespeare’s historic playwrights include: King John, Richard II and Richard III, and Pericles. He wrote several comedic plays such as: As You Like It, Midsummer Night’s Dream, All’s Well That’s Ends Well, and Merchant of Venice. His playwrights categorized as tragedies are perhaps the most adapted into films like his comedies were. Such plays include: Romeo + Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, and Julius Caesar. Perhaps the reason why Shakespeare wrote his plays to specifically fit one of these categories is because history, comedy and tragedy are extremely universal concepts within themselves. These are three major themes that prevail in various cross-cultural regions. Shakespeare’s plays were so widely translated and adapted into so many different languages because they were so relatable to any culture in some shape or form. Aside from being perhaps the most famous Englishman of his generation, his work has remained highly relatable and applicable despite changing times and shifting cultural perspectives. For that sole purpose, all cultures can understand and incorporate his writings into their own culture. Shakespeare’s work and the universality of his playwrights and poets are very open …show more content…
His work continues to shape literature today, it progressively continues to be reflective of culture and society throughout consistently changing and evolving times. His work is the foundation, the literary rubric so to speak, of several of the literary works we’ve come to know today. Not only has Shakespeare remained an inspiration figure in literature and in the world of theater, but he’s also remained an extremely essential icon of modern English and contemporary entertainment through familiarity and reliability. Shakespeare has influenced over 400 years of a variety of facets that we’ve come to know today, and he will continue to hold influence over those facets for years to

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    William Shakespeare is widely recognized as the greatest influence in English literature. He was an English poet, actor and playwright. Shakespeare's extant work consists of many plays, sonnets and narrative poems. His plays are one of literature's greatest legacies, which are divided into many genres such as histories, tragedies and comedies. From famous tragedies like Macbeth and Richard III, there are many similarities as well as differences.…

    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Shakespeare has been acclaimed for being one of the most outstanding writers in the English language. His memorable word choice added a specific flavor to his work. His unique style made him wildly successful from his time to present day. The tools he used gave the readers inside looks on the characters and made the stories even more captivating. One of the tools Shakespeare is famous for is the use of witty double entendres.…

    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Renaissance Man Dbq

    • 601 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A renaissance man is defined as “a person with many talents or areas of knowledge.” (Defining the “Renaissance Man”) There have been many throughout history. One of the most famous people in literature, Shakespeare, could be considered an ideal renaissance man. As I learned more about Shakespeare, I wondered how others portrayed him.…

    • 601 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Sabrina Hezeini Dr. Alan F. Hickman ENGL 103d Drama paper III 18 April 2016 Comparison of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to the Filmed Version William Shakespeare is arguably one of the major English dramatists of all time. As a poet, he is credited with writing hundreds of published manuscripts, and probably more that are yet to be found. As a dramatist, Shakespeare is the author of many notable and famous plays that include Rome and Juliet, Anthony and Cleopatra, The Comedy of Errors, and thirty-five others that can be categorized into comedies, tragedies, and historical narrations. Issues addressed in these dramas included love, human greed, politics, and religion among others.…

    • 1442 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    His works are world renown and found in over one hundred languages. Shakespeare did not have aspirations to become famous through his works. He created them for his own pleasure and to express his feelings. Instead he focused on acting, being a playwright, and part owner in an acting company. Although nineteen of Shakespeare’s works were…

    • 1789 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    William Shakespeare was an extremely talented poet and writer, seeing as he is celebrated with festivals around the world and students are taught some of his works in school. Shakespeare’s influence on the English language is recognized to be more than any other writers in history. Not only was Shakespeare known for his writing, but he was also known as a highly respected property owner and businessman. However, most of Shakespeare’s personal life goes unknown. Altogether, Shakespeare created over 37 plays, 5 poems, as well as 154 sonnets.…

    • 150 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Why Is Macbeth Outdated

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages

    This quote, “His impacts endures not only in the way we express ourselves, but how we experience and process the world around us,” gives us the knowledge that Shakespeare is still relevant. He gradually, intentionally, and cleverly moves to audience to think outside the box and cause the audience to be constantly aware of what is going on in the play. Shakespeare shows an important example of old English text. His works of Macbeth is simple to follow along, with memorable characters, and a history of a tyrant that is good to read to not be a behavior repeated. Shakespeare’s works, coined words, and old English have put impacts on today.…

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Shakespeare must be a black girl,” voiced Maya Angelou as she spoke to a crowd of students and professors during a 2013 visit to Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia (Curtis). As a child growing up in rural Arkansas, Angelou became a victim of racism, rape, and abuse at a young age. One of the few places she found solace from these traumas was at her local public library, a safe haven where she read every piece of literature that she could get her hands on. This is how she first discovered the work of William Shakespeare. “How else could he know exactly how I felt?”…

    • 2120 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    William Shakespeare, England’s greatest and most influential poet, was born in 1564 AD in Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom and died in 1616. Shakespeare is widely considered to be one of, if not the, greatest writers of all time due to his notably unique and intricate style of writing. No other writer’s works have been produced so many times or read as widely in so many countries throughout history. Although Shakespeare technically only possessed the education of an eighth grader, he had the lexicon far surpassing even modern day individuals with a PhD. His exceptional ability to select specific words from his massive vocabulary allowed him to apply said words situationally in order to best represent a mood or feeling within his writing.…

    • 1236 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Shakespeare’s writing portrays people in familiar situations that everyone can understand. Everyone has or will possibly experiences love, marriage, death, birth, grief and even guilt and happiness. We will all have to make choices in our lives. The decision or not to separate yourself from someone that is not right for you, search for someone that you have lost or make up with someone that you had a fallen out with. Shakespeare relays all those emotions and feelings in his writing.…

    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    William Shakespeare is recognized as an important influential writer in the English language. Shakespeare’s work has been admired for many years. His works ranges from poems to plays and even comedies. Centuries after his works were published, his plays continue to be performed on stage and made into films. There has been disputes arising on whether Shakespeare should be read by students.…

    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mark Twain, a prolific American author, once stated, “So far as anybody actually knows and can prove, Shakespeare of Stratford-Upon-Avon never wrote a play in his life. So far as anybody knows and can prove, he never wrote a letter to anybody in his life...” There's a controversy over whether Shakespeare was a actor, a poet, and a playwright or just an actor. Stratfordians believe that William Shakespeare was an actor, poet, and a playwright. Oxfordians believe that William Shakespeare was only a actor, not a poet, or a playwright.…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Shakespeare’s phrases and words stuck with the audience members considering how catchy and distinct they were. Not only did his many phrases stick with the audience originally viewing his plays, they remain a part of everyday phrases we continue to use. Without Shakespeare, we would not have everyday phrases like “a sorry sight or as pure as the driven snow” (“The Influence of Shakespeare”). Shakespeare brought an abundance of new vocabulary and phrases into our language during a time when English hadn’t even been standardized…

    • 902 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    William Shakespeare is known by all as a famous playwright, but not many people understand how important his work is because it was written so long ago, and they believe it is irrelevant. William Shakespeare has influenced the theatrical world, or say the entire world through his work, because of the impact his characters have on the audience. I have been studying William Shakespeare for five years now, he is one of my favorite authors, and I have read many of his books. Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Much Ado About Nothing are just a few of his plays that people can still connect to today through his characters and to where their story goes. “Shakespeare is taught in 91 percent of US high schools.…

    • 1221 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Despite the struggle that William Shakespeare endured throughout his life he still managed to become an influential historian, and become successful regardless of his financial, family and career problems. He had a very different childhood than most think he had, and growing up in the Elizabethan era wasn’t the easiest for him either. He took the word success to a whole new level in his time and left a huge impact on the world of theatre as a whole. Shakespeare has been known for his strong writing skills and famous plays, poems and sonnets but behind those famous pieces is a short lived life of endeavors. Throughout his short and difficult life, Shakespeare wrote several collections of plays and poetry that focused on topics that involving the Elizabethan Age which influenced his writings, significantly changed how dramatic performances were received and has had a significant impact on today’s culture.…

    • 2482 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Improved Essays