Shakespeare’s Greatness
Shakespeare is considered as one of the greatest writers in English Literature. His works are famous for his comprehensiveness, plot construction, and characterization.
Soul of the age!
The applause! Delight! The wonder of our stage!
Shakespeare is considered as one of the greatest writers in English Literature. His works are famous for his comprehensiveness, plot construction, and characterization.
Shakespeare’s Comprehensiveness:
What primarily distinguishes Shakespeare from his contemporaries is that unlike him, he does not have only a narrow limited range within which his genius operates. What Shakespeare deals with is the entire length and breadth of human life and character in all its complexity and variety. Which element of human experience and which segment of human sensibility has Shakespeare left un touched? He as a critic avers, “ sweeps with the hand of a master the varied experiences of human life, from the lowest note to the very top of its compass”.
Shakespeare’s Plot construction:
Shakespeare’s plot construction is unique as he had condemned the three unities, even the most important of the unities the unity of action. Shakespeare seems to have bothered more about the artistic unity of effect than any other mechanical observance of any one of the three unities, or even that of all them put together. We are told in the Prologue to his Volpone
The rules of time, place, persons he observeth
From no needful rule he swerth
Shakespeare’ s Characterization:
According to Compton-Rickett: One of the two qualities which establish Shakespeare’s superiority over his contemporaries is his “ insight into human nature”. Now without this quality the work of a dramatist can neither be interesting nor great. Shakespeare’s characters are round rather than flat and depicts a true picture of human psychology and gives a depiction of the inner world. Portia, Rosalind, Beatrice, Cleopatra, and Juliet are the startlingly modern.
According to Legouis “ One of the most important characteristics that distinguish Shakespeare from his English rivals is the complexity of the characters, which as a rule are not represented only within a short span of a crisis.
Shakespeare’s plays are of universal significance and highly superior to those of his contemporaries on account of his wonderful mastery of his medium, and his masterful insight into human nature which ever remains the same
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great one
There’s no doubt of Shakespeare’s greatness.
Unique article, very informative and well written.
Shakespeare, Shakespeare, Shakespeare, why does he excite so many people? I hold Shakespeare in high esteem not because of his greatness, but because the whole world thinks he is. Great article but look again at his works, so many were based on a reworking of history, all the scenes begin with and end with empty stages, and in some plays, all his characters speak poetically including the laymen. Only his sonnets were perfect! Before I forget, sign up for http://www.greatestwritersforum.com and start publishing!
Hi Shilaho! Thanks for dropping by….No matter how he left some plays and stages empty but still no doubt he is considered as the father of English literature.