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Introduction to William Shakespeare

I. LIFE OFWILLIAM
SHAKESPEARE
Born:Stratford-on-Avon, England Date : April (23 ?), 1564
Died: Stratford-on-Avon Date :April 23, 1616
Born at Stratford-on-Avon 1564. Married early. Left Stratford for
London (1586) where he resided till1609. Joined an Actors Company
there, subsequently acquiring an interest in the Globe Theatre,
Southwark. His own dramatic writings were done between 1501 and
1612; he is credited with thirty-seven plays altogether-of which only
sixteen were published before his death-and he wrote amemorable
series of sonnets. The last five years of his life were spent at Stratford,
where he died, 1616.

II. THEWORKS OF SHAKESPEARE

First Printed
Approximate Date
Plays Folio 1623
Before 1594 Henry VI (three parts) 1597
Richard II
Titus Andronicus 1594
Love's Labour's Lost 1598
Folio
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Folio
The Comedy of Errors
Folio
The Taming of the Shrew (pirated 1597) 1599
1594-1597 Romeo and Juliet
1600
Midsummer Night's Dream
A 1597
RichardII
Folio
King John 1600
The Merchant of Venice 1598
1597-1600 Henry IVPart I 1600
HenryIVPartII (pirated 1600) Folio
Henry V 1600
Much Ado About Nothing (pirated 1602) Folio
Merry Wives of Windsor
Macbeth
AyproximateDate
As YouLikeIt
Julius Caesar
First P
Troilus and Cressida

1601-1608
Hamlet
Twelfth Night (pirated 1603)
Measure for Measuretn
Well
All's WellThat Ends
Othello
Lear
Macbeth
Timon of Athens
Antony and Cleopatra
Coriolanus
After 1608 Pericles (Omitted from the Folio)
Cymbeline
The Winter's Tale
The Tempest
Henry VII
Poems
Datès unknown Venus and Adonis
The Rape ofLucrece
Sonnets
ALover's Complaint
The Phonenix and the Turtle
III. DEVELOPMENT OF
SHAKESPEARE'S MIND AND AK
In his plays Shakespeare reveals himself, and the
his mind. It is out of place to consider developme
we are dealing in his autobiographical details
dramas with
expressions of other personages. But the fortunes,
by the general thougnb
characer
tendency
of
ofthe dramas, we
mark out that thereeiis a definite develo
Shakespeare'
parts : s His career is divided into the following
mind.
(0) First Period -
Period of
was
by
His first period
learning his Apprenticeship
is called 'In the whenShakef
Workshop'This, periodisn
trade as: dramatic craftsman.
beautexuber
y andant afancy,
quickbyenjoyment
the presenceof ofexistence.
vivacity, But We do
cleverness,delnol
Shakespeare showinggthe fullness of knowledge offlifeorthecot
 Introduction to William Shakespeare
mastery of the resources of blank verse that he
this period are assigned: afterwards attained. To
(1) Titus Andronicus. (2) Thefirst part of
third parts of Henry VI. (4)Richard II. (5) Love' Henry VI.(3) The second and
Conedy of Errors. (7) Two Gentlenen of Verona. s(8)Labour's Lost. (6) The
Drean. (9) Possibly the tragedy of "Romeo and Juliet"Midsummer-Night'
also
s
period. belongs to this
(i) Second Period- In the World
This period shows in general agreat
characterisation and in the command of poetic advance in power of
is called In The World', i.e. in resources. This period
this period, Shakespeare gets some
experience of human life. The early plays are light and fanciful, rather
than real and massive. But now
Shakespeare's imagination began to
lay hold of real life. He acquired knowledge of the
and women living in it. His plays began to deal world and the men
in an original and
powerful historical matters? The dramas of this period are
deeper and more powerful in character. stronger,
The dramas that belong to this period are as under :
(1) Richard III. (2) King John. (3) The First and Second Part of
IV and Henry V.(4) The Merchant of Venice. (5) The Taming of the Henry
The Merry Wives of Windsor. (7) Much Ado About Nothing. (8) AsShrew. (6)
You Like
It. (9)Twelfth Night.
(iii) Third Period - Period of Sadness and
Contemplation
Philosophical
Shakespeare suffered most in his mind and wrote his best plays.
Private misfortunes weighed heavily upon his heart and he gave vent
to hisfeelings of sorrow in his plays. His son was dead. His father died
probably soon after Shakespeare had written his Twelfth Night. His friend
had deserted him. Whatever the cause may have been, it is quite clear
that the poet bade farewell tothe tales of mirth and love, ceased to care
for the stir and movement of history, for the pomp of wars. He was now
feeling depths of sorrow in his heart and he tried to ventilate those
feelings in his dramas. He was now going tostudy the great problem of
the mystery of evil.
InKing Lear there is aCordelia-an embodiment of self-sacrifice.
In Macbeth, there is a Banquo. Still, in this period, Shakespeare's genius
left the bright surface of the world, and was at work in the very heart
and centre of darkness of human life. The following great tragedies
belong to this period:
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Macbeth
Hamlet. (3) Othello. (4) King Lear. (5) Ma
(1) Julius Caesar. (2) Timon of Athens. (9) All'
Cleopatra. (7) Coriolanus. (8)
(6) Antonyand Measure for Measure.(11) Troilus and Cressida.
that Ends Well. (10) and the gloomy pass=
All these plays deal with the dark side
character, and it has, therefore, been surmised tha
human life and
gloom and sorrow in the poet
are the outcome of a period of and women, thei
Shakespeare paints the vices and follies of men their weaknessec
misfortunes,
and passions, their sorrows and flatterere
strength, treacherous friends and open enemies, base
sincere friends and the cruel fate and avenging conscience that ove
and kill them.
(iv) The Fourth Period - Period of Calmness and Serenity
The dark clouds which had overcast the horizon of Shakespe
life in the Third Period slowly and, gradually lighten and rolla
Once more, the sky becomes quite clear, the days of gloom and sufer
pass away. The poet comes out successfully out of the furnace of affi;
and suffering-a better and awiser man than before. The impressio
upon the reader's mind is that whatever his traits, sorrows and te
may have been, he has come from them wiser, large-hearted and o
souled. He seems to have learned the secret of life. He looks down
life, its joys, its sorrows, its griefs, its disappointments, its errors
a sort of grave tenderness which is almost pity. His soul has not
crushed or beaten out of shape while undergoing the fiery ordeal i
third period, rather it appears to have been hardened so that now,
an experienced sage, he simply laughs at this life of ours
sweet and at the same time so bitter. He has now which:
of soul, calm and peace of mind acquired a tranqu
waves.
which is no longer disturbed by wOT
The spirit of these last plays is that of
fortitude and from the recognition of the serenity which resultst
Allof them express a deep sense of weakness of human nat
of forgivenes. They allshow a the need of repentance and the u
youthful joys such as one feels butdelight in youth and the loveme
who no longer desires to have
A
supernatural
Seems to have element present in these plays. Shakespeare'sf
is
been that the gods
fortunes that they are always preside over our human lives
and
us by means of
of Darkness, fulloracles.
beneficent and divine and trythe V
ard flattery,
Shakespeare,
of toil and
turmoil,
no doubt,
emerges from
mean

ungratefulness jealousy and hatred, tr

mysteries, terrors and crinmesandand murders to shine
disobedience, on theand
misfortunes glor
Ma
.
Introduction to William Shakespeare
Ss heights where 'peace and beauty' dwell, and where 'music, moonlight
a and feeling' are one. Truly, Prof. Dowden calls this period of
Shakespeare's dramatic career as the period of 'On the Heights.' To this
period belong the beautifulromantic plays:
(1) Pericles. (2) Cymbeline. (3) The Tempest. (4) The Winter's Tale.
These dramatic plays mark the close of Shakespeare's dramatic
S, work.
IV. DEVELOPMENT OF THE ELIZABETHAN DRAMA

In England, the different stages of the development of the early

dramatic compositions in verse were as follows.
) Miracle and Mystery Plays
In medieval times, or, to be more exact, in the twelfth century,from
the reign of Henry II, there were miracle plays acted in England. The
subjects of the Miracle plays were taken from the legends of the saints
and the acts ascribed to Virgin Mary. The Mystery plays or the Mysteries
deal with subjects taken from the Scriptures, and their chief object was
to set forth, by the help of events taken from the Bible, the central mystery
Mof the redemption of mankind as accomplished by the birth, the passion
and the resurrection of Christ.
The Miracle and Mystery plays (both terms are used
indiscriminately) were at first acted in the church itself; then in the
s churchyards; and then on stages orplatforms in theopen air by the
guilds or trade companies.
(i1) The Moralities
The moralities or Moral plays teach and illustrate the same truths
as the Miracles and the Mysteries, not, however, by direct representation
of scriptural or legendary events and personages, but allegorically, their
characters being personified virtues and characters. The serious nature
of the abstract characters like Wisdom and Justice was, as a rule, relieved
by the introduction of the Devil and the Vice; the latter teased the Devil,
his master, much to the amusement of the audience. The Castle of
Perseverance, Mind,Will and Understanding, Magnificence are some of the
names of this class of dramas, and help to explain their allegorical
characters.
The Miracle plays passed into the Moralities, and the Moralities
into the Interlude. The Mysteries and Moralities had ceased to please;
the Reformation had made them unpopular because of their former
connection with the Old Church. Moreover, the interest in classicstudies,
called into being by the Revival of Learning, had stimulated dramatic
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