The Greatest Playwright Of All Time - 856 Words

Forget about Arthur Miller, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett and Tennessee Williams. Shakespeare is widely considered as the greatest playwright of all time. His plays, such as Hamlet, contain incomparable elegance and poise, and his knowledge is impressively divergent. Surprisingly for the world s greatest playwright, very little is actually known about his life. To fully understand Shakespeare’s plays â€Å"you need to [...] find out as much as you can about [...] the thought of his [time] period† (Bonnycastle 83). Well, one fact is certain, Shakespeare lived in England during the 16th century, also known as the Elizabethan era. During this time period, the social hierarchy was extremely important and perhaps the most crucial element in the understanding of the era. Elizabethan England had five main classes: the Monarch, the Nobility, the Gentry, the Yeomanry, and the Poor. A person s class determined every aspect about their life. When taking into consideration the social classes of the 16th century, the inequalities between characters, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, become apparent. Hamlet presents multiple examples of the social structure: when Laertes asks permission to return to France, Ophelia is warned about her relationship with Hamlet, when the ghost of King Hamlet doesn’t speak to the sentinels, King Claudius shows how he has power over his subjects and the gravediggers express their thoughts on Ophelia’s burial. In 16th century England, the government system was a monarchy.Show MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare : The Greatest Playwright Of All Times1845 Words   |  8 PagesWilliam Shakespeare is considered the greatest playwright of all times but one of the most famous English writers. Not only was he a talented playwright but he lived a very pivotal life; some say it s due to his 37 plays and 154 sonnets credited to him. His remarkable talent with the English language has inspired many writers and playwrights. However, over the years there has been much speculation about Shakespeare s life regarding his religious affiliation, sexual orientation, sources of collaborationRead MorePlay Flourishing in Elizabethan Era and a Review of Christopher Marlow’s Play The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus678 Words   |  3 PagesThe Tragical History of Doctor Faustus is a play written by Christopher Marlowe. Christopher Marlowe is an English playwright who lived and created during the rule of Elizabeth I. The whole period of her reign, from 1558 to 1603, is called Elizabethan age and is known for being the greatest period in the history of English literature, so as the golden age of English drama. Since the number of plays was growing, lots of theaters were opened and made art more available to average people. 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I will be including in my research countless facts about Shakespeare and educated information on why William Shakespeare is considered the greatest writer of all time. Shakespeare s feats and accomplishments have all been established and based on his early life and childhood. William ShakespeareRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet, King Lear, And A Midsummer s Night Dream1037 Words   |  5 PagesThe Bard of Avon, commonly known as William Shakespeare is one of the best known playwrights in the (Video). A few of his most famous plays include Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, and A Midsummer’s Night Dream (McArthur). Although he was popular during his time, Shakespeare’s influence continued to grow after his death and today he well known around the world. He added 2,000 words to the English dictionary and he is the 2nd most quoted after the Bible (Video). 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