All About Shakespeare's Play
All About William Shakespeare’s Plays
William Shakespeare, also known as the Bard, is responsible for some of the best plays ever written in the English language. His most well-known works include Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth and Hamlet. However, Shakespeare wrote plenty of plays which got publishing in the 17th century but the matter of fact is that we dont know that how many play has been written by Skakespeare .Most scholars agree that Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays. However, either because they are lost, or because of the poor documentation of the time, and the fact that authors don't sign their names in a corner of their work like painters do, no one knows exactly how many plays Shakespeare wrote.
William Shakespeare's has three Genres where he has written a play : Tragedies, Comedies and Histories.
In Shakespeare's Tragedies, the main protagonist generally has a flaw that leads to his downfall. There are both internal and external struggles and often a bit of the supernatural thrown in for good measure .Often there are passages or characters that have the job of lightening the mood (comic relief), But overall the play remains serious . A Shakespearean tragedy is a play wrote by Shakespeare himself, or a play written in the style of Shakespeare . Shakespearean tragedy has got its own specific features, which distinguish it from other kinds of tragedies.
Tragedies may involve comedic moments, but tend towards more serious, dramatic plots with an ending that involves the death of main characters. The main features of a Shakespearean Tragedy are that: Characters become isolated or there is social breakdown and Ends in death. The plays which are generally classed as Shakespearean Tragedy are:
Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Titus Andronicus, Julius Caesar, Troilus and Cressida, Othello, Coriolanus, King Lear, Antony and Cleopatra, Timon of Athens and Cymbeline
In Shakespeare's Histories focus on English monarchs. They usually play upon Elizebethan propaganda, showing the dangers of civil war and glorifying the queen's Tudor ancestors. The depictions of monarchs including Richard III (an enemy of the Tudors) and Henry V (one of the great Tudor monarchs) have been influential in creating a perception of these kings which has persisted throughout the centuries. Many historians point to inaccuracies in the depictions, but the plays have been very powerful in presenting a particular image which it is hard for many people to see past.
The Histories are: King John, Richard II, Henry IV (parts I and II), Henry V, Henry VI (parts I, II and III), Richard III and Henry VIII.
The plays, Coriolanus, Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra are classified both as Tragedies and as Roman Histories.
In Shakespeare’s Comedy is not necessarily what a modern audience would expect comedy to be. Whilst there may be some funny moments, a Shakespearean comedy may involve some very dramatic storylines. Usually what defines a Shakespearean play as a comedy is that it has a happy ending, often involving a marriage. The main Shakespeare Comedy are :
The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, All's Well That Ends Well, The Tempest, Taming of the Shrew, The Winter's Tale, As You Like It, The Comedy of Errors, Love's Labours Lost, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Measure for Measure, Much Ado About Nothing, Pericles, Prince of Tyre and The Two Noble Kinsmen.
