appraise the seminal contribution of William Shakespeare to English drama
Answers
The Elizabethan tragedy was the mostly influenced from the Senecan form of tragedy. Since the tragedies of Seneca was not acted on the stage, it took the help of figurative languages and rhetorical devices to fill the gap. Elizabethan plays were also filled with the descriptive usage of language, detailed descriptions and the use of long speeches. Shakespeare had borrowed the theme of revenge tragedy from the Seneca for his plays. The revenge taken is an outcome of the wrong and injustice done to the protagonist of the play. The theme of revenge is introduced by the spirit or supernatural creature in the play which leads the play further. “So art thou to revenge” this line shows the introduction of revenge in the play.
Shakespeare's comedies are full of witty dialogues and wordplay exchanged by the characters. The play contains a comic character in it whose thoughts and dialogues are both to evoke laughter and to analyze the seriousness of it. In a comedy, the wilderness is represented by chaos and disorder. Shakespeare's comedies are full of witty dialogues and wordplay exchanged by the characters. The play contains a comic character in it whose thoughts and dialogues are both to evoke laughter and to analyze the seriousness of it. The play contains several love stories moving simultaneously and the different troubles the lovers had to face when they are in true love. Though with such difficulties, the play moves on lightly with the presence of comic reliefs.
Shakespearean sonnets are organized in three quatrains and a couplet. Shakespearean sonnets are composed of fourteen lines which are divided into three quatrains and two lines of concluding couplet. The rhyme scheme of Shakespearean sonnets is abab cdcd efef gg. He wrote the lines in iambic pentameter which is a form of a metrical line in which each line contains five unstressed syllables followed by five stressed syllables. They are usually arranged in an alternating pattern.
Shakespeare has become the sort of gold standard by which other playwrights are judged.
However his plays are prescribed in 50 languages all arounf the world.
He wrote 37 plays,150 sonnets,375 poems,100 quotes and 20 facts.
His works span tragedy, comedy, and historical works, both in poetry and prose.although the man is well recognized for his era in english literature being known as the best dramatist.