Letteratura inglese 2

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born in 1564 at Stratford-upon-Avon (a city not so far from London), where he died in 1616. He was the son of John and Mary Arden Shakespeare, his father was a glovemaker and a local politician and his mother was the daughter of a wealthy landowner.

He didn't receive a wealthy education, indeed he attended "King's New School" in Stratford, where he was educated in: rhetoric, logic, history and latin. But, when his father lost his fortune, he was forced to drop out of middle school.

Shakespeare married in 1582 to Anne Hathaway, who was pregnant at the time with their first daughter, Susanna (born in 1583), and then they had twins, Hamnet and Judith (born in 1585); but, unfortunately, Hamnet died from plague at the age of 11.

He started his theatrical career as an actor and he was a member, and later part-owner, of the "Lord Chamberlain's Men" (later called "King's Men"). He was also the primary

investor of the building of the Globe Theatre, which was built in 1599 and burned down in 1613 during one of Shakespeare's plays.

Today, we have 38 plays firmly attributed to him:

• 14 comedies
• 10 histories
• 10 tragedies
• 4 romances

We also know that his first folio, which was published in 1623, contains only stage plays, not his sonnets.

A very important question is the linguistic one, indeed Shakespeare didn't write in Old English (which is the language of "Beowulf"), nor in Middle English (which is the language of Chaucer and Malory), he wrote in Early Modern English; it was a mix of old and new, rural and urban words and it was understandable both by the lowest peasant and the highest noble. We can say that he played an important role in the transformation of the English language, since he invented more than 1000 words.

Shakespeare comedies:

• "The Comedy of Errors" (1592-1593) > this is Shakespeare's shortest play. It is

based on Plautus’ “Menaechmi”;- “The Taming of the Shrew” (1593-1594) > it revolves around the troubled relationship between Katharina and her suitor, Petruchio, who is determined to mold her into a suitable wife;

“Love’s Labours Lost” (1594-1595) > it fell out of cavour for many years, criticized by scholars and muddled and confusing.; but the play is making a comeback, and Kenneth Branagh’s version has helped it along;

“Two Gentlemen of Verona” (1594-1595) > it is the tale of 2 friends who travel to Milan and learn about the chaotic world of courting;

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1595-1596) > it is a magical exploration of the mistress of love, and one of Shakespeare’s best-known comedies;

“The Merchant of Venice” (1596-1597) > the character of Shylock has raised a debate over whether the play should be condemned as anti-semitic, and this controversy has overshadowed many

Other aspects of the play:

"Much Ado About Nothing" (1598-1599) - it is the story of 2 very different sets of lovers: Beatrice and Benedick, and Claudio and Hero. The witty banter between Beatrice and Benedick is the highlight of the play.

"As You Like It" (1599-1600) - it is considered by many one of Shakespeare's greatest comedies, and the heroine, Rosalind, is praised as one of his most inspiring characters.

"Twelfth Night" (1599-1600) - Shakespeare loved to use the device of mistaken identity, and he used this convention more skilfully than in "Twelfth Night".

"The Merry Wives of Windsor" (1600-1601) - it is unique amongst Shakespeare's plays, because it is set in the poet's England. It features the Bard's beloved character, Falstaff.

"Troilus and Cressida" (1601-1602) - it is difficult to categorize because it lacks elements vital to both comedies and tragedies, but now it

is classified as a comedy;

“All’s Well That Ends Well” (1602-1603) > modern scholars contend that this is a ‘problem play’, due primarily to the character of Helena and her ambiguous nature;

“Measure for Measure” (1604-1605) > it is considered a ‘dark’ comedy. It was inspired by Cinthio’s “Epitia” and Whetstone’s “Promos and Cassandra”;

“Pericles, Prince of Tyre” (1608-1609) > Portions of it are ripe with imagery and symbolism, but the first 3 acts and scenes V and VI (the notorious brothel scenes) of act IV are considered inadequate and likely the work of 2 other dramatists. The play was not included in the First Folio. In Shakespeare’s sources, Pericles is named Apollonius;

“Cymbeline” (1609-1610) > this play, modeled after Boccaccio’s “Decameron”, is often classified as a romance. It features the beautiful Imogen, considered by many to be

dramatist or simply it is his underdeveloped first attempt at the genre;- “Romeo and Juliet” (1594-1595) > it is celebrated for the radiance of its lyric poetry. It was tremendously popular from its first performance. The sweet whispers shared by young Tudor lovers throughout the real were often referred to as “naught but pure Romeo and Juliet”;- "Julius Caesar” (1599-1600) > although there were earlier Elizabethan plays on the subject of Julius Caesar and his turbulent rule, Shakespeare’s penetrating study of political life in ancient Rome is the only version to recount the demise of Brutus and the other conspirators;- “Hamlet” (1600-1601) > since its first recorded production, it has engrossed playgoers, thrilled readers, and challenged actors more so than any other play in the Western canon. No other single work of fiction has produced more commonly used expressions;- “Othello” (1604-1605) > Othello, a valiant

Moorish general in the service of Venice, falls prey to the devious schemes of his false friend, Iago;

"King Lear" (1605-1606) > it is the story of King Lear, an aging monarch who decides to divide his kingdom amongst his 3 daughters, according to which one recites the best declaration of love;

"Macbeth" (1605-1606) > it is one of Shakespeare's most stimulating and popular dramas. Renaissance records of Shakespeare's plays in performance are scarce, but a detailed account of an original production of this play has survived, thanks to Dr. Simon Forman;

"Antony and Cleopatra" (1606-1607) > it is the story of Mark Antony, Roman military leader and triumvir, who is madly in love with Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt;

"Coriolanus" (1607-1608) > it is the last of Shakespeare's great political tragedies, chronicling the life and the mighty warrior Caius Marcius Coriolanus;

"Timon of Antes" (1607-1608) > it was

Written late in Shakespeare's career and it is criticized as an underdeveloped tragedy, likely co-written by George Wilkins or Cyril Tourneur;

Shakespeare's histories:

• "Henry VI, Part II" (1590-1591) > it is the second part of Shakespeare's chronicle play. It is based on Hall's work and it contains some historical inaccuracies;
• "Henry VI, Part III" (1590-1591) > it begins in media res, with the Duke of Suffolk death and the Duke of York being named Henry VI's heir;
• "Henry VI, Part I" (1591-1592) > it is the first in Shakespeare's trilogy about the War of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York;
• "Richard III" (1592-1593) > the devious machinations of the deformed villain, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, made this play an Elizabethan favourite;
• "Richard II" (15965-1596) > it is one of the earlier history plays. It is notable for its

well-rounded characters;- “King John” (1596-1597) > in the shadow of Shakespeare’s secondtrilogy lies this neglected masterpiece. Although seldom read orperformed today, it was once one of the poet’s most popular histories,praised for its poetic brilliance;

- “Henry IV, Part I” (1597-1598) > it is one of Shakespeare’s most popularplays, featuring the opportunistic miscreant, Sir John Flstaff;

- “Henry IV, Part II” (1597-1598) > this is the third play in the secondtetralogy of history plays, along with “Richard II”, “Henry IV, Part I”and “Henry V”;

- “Henry V” (1598-1599) > it is the last in the second tetralogy sequence.King Henry is considered Shakespeare’s ideal monarch;

- “Henry VIII” (1612-1613) > many believe it to be Shakespeare’s last play,but others firmly believe that he had little, if anything, to do with itscreation.

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