William Shakespeare: A Study of His Work and Writing Advice

The King’s Men Dramatist

Baptized on the 26th of April in 1564, William Shakespeare is widely regarded as one of the most infamous writers of world literature. Shakespeare is known for his plays and the dramas that he composed for the theater during the time that he spent as one of the King’s Men: an organization that he joined in 1594 and allowed him an outlet in which to act and become a well-known playwright. Formerly called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, the acting company located in London was where Shakespeare spent his career and he was fundamental to the success of the troupe. While he also wrote poetry, sonnets specifically, his dramas are some of his most popular works. Thirty-seven plays were written by William Shakespeare and of these there are seven plays that have the consensus as his most important. These works, including the five tragedies and two comedies explored later in this article, have earned him the title as one of the greatest dramatists of all time. 

Timeless Tragedies

ROMEO AND JULIET: Of his twelve tragic plays, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is commonly studied and generally known. While the play is often considered hackneyed due to its extreme popularity, there is still a reason for its pervasiveness throughout time. Many students study Shakespeare’s work due to its ability to remain relevant throughout time and long past its creation circa 1594-96. The universal themes of love and tragedy are timeless and therefore Shakespeare’s composition of Romeo and Juliet has resonated with countless readers who have connected to these human experiences. Countless adaptations of Shakespeare’s tale of the star-crossed couple have been created and will continue to be reimagined. William Shakespeare’s literary techniques provide an element of romanticism within the play from the beginning. Romeo and Juliet begins in the form of a sonnet. The author also tells of the tragic consequence before the play begins in full, another tool that is used. While it may seem as though revealing the ending before the play has even begun to unfurl somewhat diminishes the shock factor, there is still a trust in the reader to grasp the fatal reality of the tragic tale. Despite being a tragedy, the play is riddled with puns, which adds a light-hearted aspect to the otherwise serious theme.

JULIUS CAESAR: Written circa 1599-1600, William Shakespeare’s tragedy Julius Caesar entails a tale of the historical figure, set in the historical era that Shakespeare himself was not a part of. At times, Shakespeare explored societies outside of the England one he was home in, shown here in his telling of the assassination plot of the leader of Rome. Throughout the play, Julius Caesar’s friends and republican partners scheme to assassinate him and do so successfully. The theme of betrayal is illuminated through the betrayal of Julius Caesar that involved his closest confidant and friend: Brutus. Dramatic irony is incorporated throughout the drama due to the audience’s ability to know that the death of Julius Caesar is the result of the play before the characters do. Shakespeare is able to titillate the audience in anticipation. There is also an element of interest and suspense because of the readers’ ongoing attempt to place the pieces into place and understand the circumstances that ultimately lead to the story’s climax. One of the most notable literary devices is the iconic monologue that is known for being among Shakespeare’s best: Mark Antony’s funeral speech. This speech is often studied due to the morals and literary techniques contained within. The character Mark Antony who was a supporter of Julius Caesar and did not agree with the claims made against Caesar. He attempts to sway the Romans in their perceptions of Caesar and Brutus and calls for them to revolt against Brutus. William Shakespeare conveys the mournful state of Mark Antony’s heart through his use of literary devices: repetition and oratorical questions to his audience. While the amounts of his persuasive language change throughout the speech, the character Mark Antony was successful in his efforts to call the Romans to action.

HAMLET: Perhaps one of the most commonly performed plays along with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the tragedy of Hamlet is credited as one of the greatest plays ever written. There are a plethora of critical arguments regarding the true meaning of Hamlet, and some even assert that it is due to the layered complexities woven into the play that keeps audiences and readers revisiting the tragedy. The revenge tragedy was a subgenre that had been popular during the beginning of William Shakespeare’s career in theater and was written circa 1599-1601. Hamlet is also widely commended for its quintessential soliloquies and its iconic standing within English Literature. The character Hamlet has received news of his father, Old Hamlet, dying and endures an intense grief. His mournful heart is a large inspiration for the soliloquies in which he portrays his emotional turmoil. Because other characters cannot hear these soliloquies but the audience can, there is another execution of dramatic irony within Hamlet. Through the ghost of his father, Hamlet later discovers that King Claudius, the new king after his mother has remarried, committed fratricide against Old Hamlet. After Hamlet learns of the betrayal, he is conflicted by the blurred truth of the situation and confused. The confusing nature of witnessing a ghost and subsequently deciding whether to trust the ghost comes to be a central part in the theme of Hamlet. It mirrors the feeling that Hamlet has: that the world refuses to make sense. Within this method of the elements of the story mimicking the theme, William Shakespeare creates a cyclical capacity within the play. 

KING LEAR: This tragedy by the great William Shakespeare is King Lear, published circa 1605-06. Within this drama, a King decides to divide his kingdom amongst his children depending upon the amount of love they show to him. The three daughters are to receive a proportionate amount of land as determined by their love for their father, King Lear. One daughter, Cordelia, who is genuine in her love for her father, is disinherited because she will not tend to her father’s ego. Goneril and Regan however, are dishonest and deceptive and King Lear does not see through their disingenuousness. Later, after the daughters take over the kingdom, they betray their father and throw him out. King Lear is often regarded as William Shakespeare’s most pessimistic play, particularly due to the character King Lear and his depressive attitude. Although Cordelia is a source of optimism and is a force of good, her light is lost in the darkness and cruelty of the world in which she lives. Family and sibling relations are depicted within King Lear due to the relationships between father and daughter that are either broken or falsified. The kinship between the characters shifts as the story goes on, and this is a technique that William Shakespeare uses to create his realistic and dynamic characters and demonstrate the changing bonds between them. Family and the relationships between family members is a theme that will exist exponentially, therefore, King Lear and its theme surrounding relationships is another timeless piece.

MACBETH: Another incredible tragedy written by William Shakespeare circa 1606-07 is Macbeth. The play involves a political nobleman of Scotland named Macbeth, his wife, and a prophecy via three witches that he will become king. In following this prophecy, Macbeth murders the prior King Duncan. Throughout the play, Macbeth goes on to kill more of those who oppose him politically. There is a strong portrayal of immorality and the guilt that can result from the cruelty of murder and disregard for the lives of our fellow humans. Lady Macbeth, the wife of Macbeth, is driven to insanity because of the toll that her husband’s actions have had on her psyche. There were many around Shakespeare’s era who believed that madness was caused as a result of the supernatural. While both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are examples of madness, the idea that one can descend into such diabolical actions as a result of mental ailments, witchcraft, or demonic possession have all been arguments as to both the cause and the effect of their insanity. Eventually, Macbeth’s ambitions to become a powerful figure in society results in his own death. The Scottish man’s violent obsession with maintaining the throne is often seen as an oddity among other rulers. The subsequent king is one who is thought to return the order of the land as he claims the throne. This is mirrored in Shakespeare’s spring imagery that arrives at the time of the new king Malcom’s ruling. This imagery is a powerful tool that creates a sense of renewal through both plot and the literary tool. Both themes of madness and politics are essential plots and have remained relevant over time.

Confounding Comedies

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING: This comedic play features a couple who are thrown into confusion due to miscommunication. There are multiple instances in which the issues that arise could have been avoided, had there been open communication and a lack of deception. Shakespeare also examines the idea that there can be both positive and negative aspects in lies and deception, due namely to the intentions in which they are committed, and the significance that was given to marriage within the Elizabethan culture of the time. Much Ado About Nothing was written circa 1598-99 but the messages contained therein are still of value today. Within Shakespeare’s writing, much wordplay is used to further portray miscommunication and blur the lines that may help circumstances seem clear cut. Instead, the words used are often interpreted differently from person to person and this allows further discord surrounding what is the truth. The characters within Much Ado About Nothing are often misunderstanding each other while disguising their own words by drawing on the different meanings of words. Imagery within Much Ado About Nothing is another literary device that stands out. Among the entirety of the play, there are images that Shakespeare evokes of animals, sickness and disease, and war. The author wisely gives lines to the characters that allow readers to reveal more about their inner perspectives and intentions.

THE TEMPEST: Shakespeare’s comedy that has been changed to a romance, The Tempest, is a play that is classified so despite its themes of both comedy and tragedy. Due to its lack of tragic happenings while compared to some of Shakespeare’s other works, it is still not entirely without woe. However, Shakespeare’s inclusion of the play in his comedic First Folio lends to the reasoning why the play was initially characterized as a comedy. Recently, scholars and critics have argued and enforced a reclassification of this and other plays by William Shakespeare as what is considered comedic has changed over time. Many now deem and categorize the play as a romance instead. Despite the changing classification of the play being a topic of debate, there are still elements among the play that remain important today. The Tempest is set on an enchanted Mediterranean island that is riddled with ethereal music and sounds. Music and song play a large part of the scene and overall tone of Shakespeare’s play. Prospero the magician is the main character in The Tempest who employs the power of song to bring his desires to fruition. He and his daughter Miranda are stranded on the island with their servants Caliban and Ariel who is an airy spirit. Although magic was a disapproved of topic during the early 1600’s in which his play was written, William Shakespeare explores how magic might be used for positive intentions. While this play is not Shakespeare’s last play ever written, there are many symbols of his departure from the theatrical contained within as it contains reflections of his successes and powers as an author.

Salient Sonnets

The Sonnets of William Shakespeare are among his most important and influential writings in poetry. There were two other poems of narrative that William Shakespeare had written: Venus and Adonis and the Rape of Lucrece which were published circa 1592-94. However, the sonnets of Shakespeare are frequently quoted and studied. His collection of 154 sonnets was officially published in 1609 after a plague outbreak that caused his career in the theater to be put on hold. Because of the lack of information on Shakespeare’s inner and personal life, there is much speculation surrounding the autobiographical possibility of his poetry. Critics of Shakespeare’s Sonnets assert that the topics of which Shakespeare writes on, including that of convincing a young man to marry and continue his genealogy, and the amount in which he wrote on this topic would seem odd if it were not autobiographical. The Shakespearean Sonnets contain a wide range of literary devices that are not limited to personification, metaphor, enjambment, and alliteration. These devices are employed in a method that is subjectively beautiful, demonstrative of Shakespeare's masterful authorship, and some of the most well-loved poems among all English Literature. The salience of Shakespeare’s sonnets derives from the wide range of profound subjects. William Shakespeare expresses the timeless universal truths of the human experience through his exploration of the specific.

Discussion Questions

The following questions are starting points to help you evaluate your writing style and apply the author's lessons to your own work. Feel free to comment below or answer the questions and prompts privately. Pick and choose what works for you.

1. Shakespeare often uses universal experiences that pervade each of his characters. How are you incorporating themes that others can connect to in your own work?

2. The literary device of dramatic irony is often incorporated in the works of William Shakespeare by allowing the audience to know the outcome beforehand. As a writing exercise, write a prologue that reveals the end of your story to readers before it begins to see how it would change the piece.

3. William Shakespeare is often regarded as one of the most influential authors of all time despite the lack of autobiographical information on him. How might the words you write change in meaning if they were to be published in anonymity?