William Shakespeare

When we look for figures of speech, we're looking for words and phrases that are not meant to be taken literally, so we're specifically looking to identify these devices: figurative comparisons...

This quote is from the Opera Falstaff by Verdi. Fenton sings it to Nannetta in Act 2 Part 2: Come ti vidiM’innamorai,E tu sorridiPerchè lo sai. The Italian can be translated to: "When I saw...

Shakespeare is considered the greatest playwright in the world. This includes not just English-speaking countries, but everywhere. There are a number of reasons for this, and these explain why we...

Here’s a simple Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet and the Shakespearean (English) sonnet. Let’s break down the diagram to look into these similarities and...

Shakespeare's greatest contribution to literature would probably be the variety of material that he produced during his lifetime. He wrote histories, such as Julius Caesar. He wrote love stories,...

Shakespeare has had an enormous influence on English literature. Shakespeare, who was never afraid to innovate, contributed more than 1,700 words to the English language. More importantly, he...

It is important to note that during Shakespeare's lifetime, there were two monarchs ruling in England. Elizabeth I came to the throne at the age of twenty-five, following "Bloody Mary's" disastrous...

William Shakespeare's poetry and, particularly his plays, are still among the greatest ever, and his work is unmatched in the history of the English language. It is no wonder that students around...

Shakespeare lived and worked through the reign of two monarchs, Queen Elizabeth I and King James I of England (who was also King James VI of Scotland). This was generally a time of relative...

The soliloquy “To be, or not to be: that is the question” appears in Act 3 Scene 1 in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It is, perhaps, one of the best-known soliloquies by Hamlet in the play, which...

In this passage of the play, Lady Macbeth plots the murder of King Duncan, who is coming to her home to celebrate his victory in the war, and to honour Macbeth's role in that victory. Moments...

According to Hardin Craig and David Bevington in their introduction to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Elizabethan England was a place of explosive economic growth as well as growing...

Excellent answer. One other reason for the prohibition is that society tended to assume women in acting groups were prostitutes. Partly this was a prejudice based on the travelling of acting...

Enough historical evidence exists to prove that the full name of the poet and playwright now known to be one of the world's greatest dramatists was William Shakespeare. That was his true name. He...

As you can see by the previous answers, this question is almost a trick question. Depending on whether you consider certain parts of Shakespeare’s famous plays “poems” or whether you consider works...

Further, for the ancient Greeks, honoring the gods via the plays' plots was extremely important. For example, one major theme of the popular Sophocles drama, Oedipus Rex, is that one simply cannot...

Shakespeare is famous because he wrote some great stories. People love stories above all else. One of the reasons his plays are so popular is because he wrote about kings and queens, and big lives...

The Globe was significant in the past because it was part of the English Renaissance, a time when theater and the arts flourished. It was also the place where many of Shakespeare's plays saw their...

First, this entire passage is a soliloquy, a device in which an actor in a play speaks his thoughts out loud to the audience. Here, Hamlet is expressing his frustration at himself for constantly...

"Good Friends, for Jesus' sake forbear, To dig the bones enclosed here! Blest be the man that spares these stones, And curst be he that moves my bones." In his epitaph, which he oddly wrote...

Rather than embrace the method employed in the other answer to the student’s question – how did Shakespeare influence the Renaissance – by inverting the question, I will attempt to answer the...

I'm not entirely sure what you might be meaning by the word "era", so I'll give a few interpretations. Shakespeare wrote most of his plays right around the year 1600. 1589 to 1613 to be exact....

Hamlet and Macbeth are both obsessed with death. They are both nobles. Both are doomed to be tragic heroes. They are different in many ways, though. Hamlet is younger, and he’s not married. He...

As noted in the other answer, these words are written by Shakespeare and appear in Henry V, Act IV, scene iii. As background, the English troops massed in France are about to fight the Battle of...

You can actually find out this information from the Globe Theatre itself, although the modern Globe is only the latest iteration of what was, in fact, the first purpose-built theatre in England. In...

The typical, simplest English sentence structure takes the subject (S), verb (V), object (O) grammatical pattern, which is frequently abbreviated to SVO. In other words, a typical English sentence...

No, for the most part at least, Shakespeare is not mimicking the voices of people living in Elizabethan England in his plays. Shakespeare wrote his plays primarily in blank verse, which is the...

There have been many movies based on "Hamlet." We just finished watching the Mel Gibson edition. I'd ask Shakespeare to watch them all and let us know which most closely embodies his...

In sixteenth century France and England, to “die” could also mean to orgasm. Both are a climactic conclusion, one to life and the other to sex. This connection between sex and death can be seen in...

Shakespeare utilizes a number of literary devices in this poem, which is concerned with the inevitable passage of time. He makes particular use of metaphor and personification in order to convey...

Absolutely. Shakespeare was a phenomenal writer for his time. The fact that we still discuss his writing indicates it should be taught as quality literature. Do we, however, have to teach all parts...

Another example of the difference between the use of iambic pentameter and prose for a specific purpose in a play is seen in Hamlet. Hamlet, as the prince of Denmark, speaks in iambic pentameter...

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, a tempest can be defined as "a violent storm." Its alternate definition is "tumult, uproar." In the classic play The Tempest by William...

I agree that Romeo and Juliet should catch a break. They are just kids! However I would like to change the ending to Macbeth. The problem is that if we did, Macbeth would not be a tragic hero...

Shakespeare was often inspired by history. He wrote many plays with historical figures, and based his kings and queens and other characters on them as well. We know he was also inspired by Greeks...

As others have stated, there were two monarchs that ruled during Shakespeare's life, which was roughly from 1564-1616. I will try to add new insight into these two characters, as opposed to...

This is, in fact, as the previous educator has said, not a quote from William Shakespeare at all. Instead, it is a quote from "Bedouin Love Song" by Bayard Taylor, and it was written in the 19th...

Shakespeare often expresses a negative view of human nature through his characters. Hamlet, for instance, says: How weary, stale, flat and unprofitableSeem to me all the uses of this world!Fie...

A bit of ancient history here: In William Parkes book, Curtain-Drawer of the World (1612), we find this reference to the practice of raising flags to announce plays:"Each play-house advanceth his...

William Shakespeare, the Bard, was an extremely prolific playwright during his time. He wrote comedies, tragedies, and histories--37 plays total. I organized his plays into genres for you, so you...

One of the most interesting things about Shakespeare is that, unlike almost every other successful writer of his time, he was working class. His father was in trade in Stratford, and Shakespeare...

William Shakespeare is well known for his extensive use of metaphors, similes, symbolism and imagery in his writing. Although understanding his works requires knowledge of the English terms used at...

William Shakespeare wrote plays and poems, and in fact, it was one of his poems that helped him gain popularity: "As early as 1593 he had an overnight sensation with [Venus and Adonis]," a...

In Shakespeare's time most spectators, known as groundlings, stood in the yard around the platform stage. Few members of Shakespeare's audience could afford to purchase seats; only the well-to-do...

This incident occurs in act 2, scene 1. Ophelia is speaking. She informs her father, Polonius, that she was frightened by Hamlet when he suddenly entered her room in a disheveled condition. She...

Scholars are divided on the issue of Shakespeare's sexuality and whether or not he had affairs. There are very few primary source documents available, and those that are accessible are debatable....

The themes considered in Sonnet 65 by William Shakespeare are those to do with the passage of time. They include age, youth, decay, poetry and the idea of memorial. The poet seems heavily concerned...

Christopher Marlowe is often suggested as Shakespeare's rival and as the real author of Shakespeare's plays. Others, such as Ben Jonson, might be put forward as the authors of Shakespeare's plays...

Shakespeare's plays are traditionally broken down into three categories: comedies, tragedies and history plays. Interestingly, plays such as Julius Ceasar and Corialanus are not designated as being...

Shakespeare's conception of tragedy illustrates the durability and timelessness of principles that date back to antiquity and were enunciated in Aristotle's Poetics. Tragedy must evoke pity and...