Shakespeare, William - Life and Major Works

Shakespeare's early life

Shakespeare was born in 1546 on april 26. He was baptized on april 26 and some people say that he was born on april 23 the date of his death. His father was a merchant and he had a large family: 8 sons in all and Shakespeare was the firt of them. He hadn’t a good education and he studied in a local grammar school where he learned a little latin. In fact we don’t find any traces of imitation of the classics. When he was 18 he married Anne Hathaway.

Shakespeare's career in London

In 1584 he went with his family to London where he made his first experience with the playhouse. His intelligence brought Shakespeare in the most important London companies of actors and he become a good playwriting. In 1593 London theater closed because plague and Shakespeare needed the support of a patron: the earl of Southampton and he wrote a lot of sonnets to him. When the theater opened Shakespeare become the most famous playwriting of the most important company of actors in London. In 1599 Shakespeare and his company built the Global Theater. The end of his life Shakespeare come back to Stratford where he died when he was only 52. He was buried in a local church.

Shakespeare's sonnets

Shakespeare’s sonnets are divided into two section: the first was addressed to the friar young probably his patron and the theme of this sonnets are the increase and the time.

The second part instead was addressed to the dark lady, a woman who isn’t nice but she is very attractive. Very important in this sonnets is the use of the addresses. In fact it bring Shakespeare to exploring the universal theme as Love, beauty, Death and time.

Themes in Shakespeare's plays

Shakespeare take his characters by all social classes. In the top he always put an aristocratic or a king or a nobleman because the order and stability is fundamental in his plays. From the king or nobleman the list descended to the other classes. In the Elizabethan theater there isn’t the curtain and the plays were performed without a interval. Shakespeare used a lot of rhetorical figures as smiles, metaphor, archaic words and he used the blank verse.

Plot of Hamlet

Hamlet’s father, the king of Denmark, is killed and after 2 month his wife married Claudius who become king. The ghost of hamlet’s father appear to hamlet and say him that Claudius put him a poured poison in his ear while he was sleeping. He also ask him to kill Claudius.

Hamlet organized a representation with a company of actors smile to the murder of his father. During the performance Claudius go out and hamlet follow him. Here hamlet kills Polonius who was spying him. The king send hamlet in England. When he come back he fight in a duel with Laertes. During this duel the queen died and hamlet kills both Learsts and Claudius. Finally hamlet tell oratio to write his story and to proclaiming Fortinbras as new king.

Themes in Hamlet

Shakespeare take hamlet’story by Thomas Kyde. The principal theme of hamlet isn’t the Revenge but the most important theme are the Doubt and the relation between appearance and reality.

Another important theme is the honor and in the end the theme of love become brothely love and charity.

Macbeth
The first act start with Macbeth and his friend that they are coming home after a battles with the Norvegians. While they are coming home three witches greet Macbeth as “thane of cowdor” and they say him that he will become king of Scotland and predict banqo that a lomnge dynasty of king come from him. During the street Macbeth meet a king’s messenger who proclaim Macbeth thane of cowdor. Macbeth start to think to the prophecy and invited Duncan, the king of Scotland, in his castle while his wife organizes a plan to kill Duncan. Macbeth kills both Duncan and his servants and Banquo and Macduff suspect him. He remember the prophecy and kills Banquo and his family but Flance, escape. The three witches predicted Macbeth that he will be salve as Birminam Wood move against him and none woman born will kill him. Meanwhile Malcolm ,duncan’son , is coming against the castle with his army and his soldiers cut the tree of the birnam wood to advance. Malcolm represent the order and stability. MacDuff kills Macbeth and he claimed Malcolm as king of Scotland restabilising the order.

Themes in Macbeth

Macbeth is the shortest Shakespeare tragedies. It’s very simply and direct in his structure but it’s very complicated in his physiological analysis.

The principal theme is the time and the equivocation . In this plays the hero become tyrant as result of his ambitious of power. Regicide bring to the chaos and in this play the most frequent words are blood bloody and to bleed. The murder of Duncan cause the chaos because break the order and stability and it is followed by exceptional natural event ( the earth tremble, the night characterized all the play and a own kill a falcon.)

Romeo e Giulietta

Plot of Romeo and Juliet

In the first act Shakespeare introduces the main important characters of his play: romeo, lord Montegue’s son, and Juliet lord Capulet daughter. Capulet and Montegue family are two rival family. In the first act there are some dialogue on the curtly love and in the end there is the meeting between romeo and Juliet to the masque.

The second act is developed around the relationship between Romeo and Juliet and their secret marriage in the chapel. The deviated communication bring the division of the characters in two groups and only Friar Laurence and Juliet share both. Romeo is expulsed form Verona because he kills Juliet cousin. When he come back he see Juliet on the bed and he think that she is died and he suicide him. Juliet wake up and see the romeo’s body and suicide her.