Category: Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is definitely the world’s greatest writer. He has a hundred masterpieces including tragedies, comedies, histories and poems and sonnets. His plays contributed to his worldwide acceptance, because of his distinct flavor and touch of his stories. Here are some of his best plays that continue to influence the modern era:

Hamlet

Undeniably, Hamlet is considered to be Shakespeare’s greatest play of all time. Set in Denmark, this play follows the tragic story of Prince Hamlet who grieves for his father and avenges for his death. The play vividly embraces the theme of madness, from overwhelming grief to seething rage. It also explores treachery, incest, and moral corruption. Hamlet, Shakespeare’s longest play was truly the most powerful tragedy in English literature.

Romeo and Juliet

Next to Hamlet is Romeo and Juliet. This Shakespearean play has entered the consciousness of pop culture as the classic love story of two “star-crossed lovers” whose untimely deaths unite their feuding households. Its influence can be felt everywhere, very popular because of its timeless themes anyone can relate. Rome and Juliet have been the language of lovers to today, translated into musical works, theatre and films.

Macbeth

Macbeth is Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606. This play is tightly written with short, punchy and intense plot following the rise and fall of Macbeth from soldier to King to a tyrant. This revolves around h theme of lust for power and betrayal of friends. This has been performed and adapted for books, opera, theater, and films.

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar is one of the Shakespearean plays that was written based on true events from Roman history. It portrays the conspiracy against Julius Caesar, his assassination, and its aftermath. Although the play is titled “Julius Caesar”, Caesar only appeared in a handful of scenes. The story centers Marcus Brutus who was involved in the assassination of Caesar. This work shows the struggle between conflicting demands of honor, patriotism, and loyalty.

Much Ado About Nothing

This is considered to be Shakespeare’s best-loved comedy. The play combines comedy and tragedy with interesting texts from a stylistic point of view. The key to its popularity rests on the wild love-hate relationship between Benedick and Beatrice. However, the comedic element of the play lies in the supporting characters who provided us with wit and confound us with absurdity.

Midsummer Night’s Dream

This romantic comedy portrays the events surrounding the marriage of Theseus, the Duke of Athens to Hippolyta, the former queen of the Amazons. It also portrays the adventure of four Athenian lovers and a group of six amateur actors who are manipulated by the fairies who inhabit the forest, which they play is set.

Henry V

Henry Vs is the final part of a tetralogy, preceded by “Richard II,” “Henry IV, Part 1” and “Henry IV, Part 2.” It was written in 1599 based on the life of King Henry V of England during the events before and after the Battle of Agincourt in the Hundred Year’s War.

The Tempest

The Tempest believed to be the last play Shakespeare wrote in 1610 to 1611. It follows the story of the sorcerer Prospero plans to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place through illusion and skillful manipulation. The Tempest is a play honoring the glories of reconciliation and forgiveness.

How many plays of Shakespeare have you read and what are your most favorite among them?

Probably everybody has read a William Shakespeare novel or at least a paragraph. Maybe most of you have read his poems and sonnets too, learning his style and the metrical line. Whether you like it or not, William Shakespeare will always be part of our lives. His works are part of your schools’ English curriculum. You may be unaware too, but some of the words you often use might actually be the words he ‘invented’. Let us discover some of these words that we owe to the “Bard of Avon”:

Addiction

According to the book “Coined by Shakespeare”, the word ‘addiction’ was first used by Shakespeare in “Othello”, act II, scene 2 as a relatively neutral word with a sense of something like ‘strong inclination’. He also used it in Henry V which means inclination or tendency.

Belongings

In “Measure for Measure”, act I, scene 1, Duke Vincentio exclaimed, “Thyself and thy belongings are not thine”. The word ‘belongings’ was used deeply to mean personal characteristics that belong to a person. Now, ‘belongings’ is used to refer to things that a person owns.

Cold-blooded

“Thou cold-blooded slave, hast thou not spoke like thunder on my side,” said Constance in King John. The 17th-century play uses this term to metaphorically describe serial killers and vampires. However, in the present dictionary, ‘cold-blooded’ pertains to animals such as fishes and reptiles, “whose blood temperature ranges from the freezing point upward.”

Dishearten

According to King Henry V, no one should show fear as it could ‘dishearten’ his army. As the opposite of ‘hearten’, Shakespeare used the word to refer to the feeling of being down.

Eventful

In “As You Like It’, Shakespeare used the words ‘eventful history’ which he means more than one event is taking place. Further, after Shakespeare used the word, it was never used until 200 years later.

Eyeball

Shakespeare’s protagonist Prospero used the word ‘eyeball’ in “The Tempest”. Despite no medical background, Prospero was the first fictional character to coin the term that refers to those round objects with which we see. After discovering ‘eyeball’, Shakespeare then used ‘eyedrop’, ‘eyesore’, and ‘eyewink’.

Fashionable

Shakespeare invented the word ‘fashionable’ in “Troilus and Cressida” when Ulysses referred to time as a ‘fashionable’ host. Shakespeare did not talk about heels, dresses, and jewelry here. What he meant about ‘fashionable’ is good or appropriate.

Inaudible

‘Inaudible’ is one of the many words Shakespeare invented by just adding the prefix “in”, including ‘invulnerable’, ‘indistinguishable’, and ‘inauspicious’. Basically, Shakespeare totally meant the opposite of ‘audible’ which cannot be heard.

Manager

Lastly, everybody is using ‘manager’ to refer to those who manage projects, especially in work. Shakespeare used this in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in which King Theseus is looking for the ‘manager of mirth’. Basically, Shakespeare meant of the person who handles, organizes or manages.

These are just a few of the hundreds of words which was attributed to William Shakespeare. We bet you are unconsciously using some of Shakespeare’s original words.