A person, a symbol, a literary authority, a genius: Shakespeare can be considered the play-writer that changed the way theatre was written and dared to present an Elizabethan audience with topics that went against the established norm.
When I think of Shakespeare I imagine myself standing in the middle of a crowd. I open my nostrils and take a deep breath, the air is filled with a distinct smell of sweat and rotten food. I look around and I see hundreds of people all looking in the same direction: the central stage. I am standing in the middle of the Globe theatre watching one of Shakespeare’s plays. I can smell the anticipation in the still air hovering above the theatre, I can hear the crowd buzzing anxiously. They are all slightly leaning forward, waiting to discover what will happen next. As my gaze drifts upwards I can see three different stories where people can sit, and I soon realize it is as if the theatre is divided into different zones. On the highest story sat people with the best view of the play; they were dressed in expensive clothing and had jewelry around their necks. Some might even think they were royalty. In the next story down, rich landlords and their wives enjoyed the show, they could afford such a luxury. In the lowest story sat the less economically affluent people who still could afford to enjoy the play from the comfortable chair they were sitting on. They could all sit and enjoy the show with the tranquility of having a roof over their heads. This was very different down below. I was standing right in front of the theatre, surrounded by people in simple clothing who had nowhere to sit for the duration of the play. The sky was coved in grey and black hues, indicating it would start raining any minute. But of course only us would get wet. Even though each person sat within their respective groups, one thing brought all of them together: their desire to be entertained by a literary genius.
I have only previously studied a few Shakespearian novels such as “The merchant of Venice” , “Romeo and Juliet” and “Macbeth”. By having a brief past on Shakespeare and his plays I have grown to admire this great author that has served as an inspiration to many others. When I studied “The Merchant of Venice” I remember understanding the importance of considering for what audience the plays were initially written for, which is essential in order to understand the whole meaning of his work. One of the aspects I distinctly remember about the Shakespearean plays I have previously studied is how certain topics, such as love, power and social barriers, are recurring. In addition, the real and the unnatural world are combined in some way, something that can be seen clearly in “Macbeth”.
Furthermore I am enthusiastic about learning more about Shakespeare through one of his most famous works: “Hamlet”. Although I expect it to be challenging, I also feel that it will be very rewarding and that it will enrich me to study such a significant work by this author. I am convinced that learning more about Shakespeare will help me when studying posterior writers. I consider Shakespeare to be the greatest genius of his time period and I eulogize his work. Although it is not an easy writer to understand and his plays have a much deeper meaning to what is written on the page, his works have certainly been and are a literary revolution and an inspiration for many generations of writers.
When I think of Shakespeare I imagine myself standing in the middle of a crowd. I open my nostrils and take a deep breath, the air is filled with a distinct smell of sweat and rotten food. I look around and I see hundreds of people all looking in the same direction: the central stage. I am standing in the middle of the Globe theatre watching one of Shakespeare’s plays. I can smell the anticipation in the still air hovering above the theatre, I can hear the crowd buzzing anxiously. They are all slightly leaning forward, waiting to discover what will happen next. As my gaze drifts upwards I can see three different stories where people can sit, and I soon realize it is as if the theatre is divided into different zones. On the highest story sat people with the best view of the play; they were dressed in expensive clothing and had jewelry around their necks. Some might even think they were royalty. In the next story down, rich landlords and their wives enjoyed the show, they could afford such a luxury. In the lowest story sat the less economically affluent people who still could afford to enjoy the play from the comfortable chair they were sitting on. They could all sit and enjoy the show with the tranquility of having a roof over their heads. This was very different down below. I was standing right in front of the theatre, surrounded by people in simple clothing who had nowhere to sit for the duration of the play. The sky was coved in grey and black hues, indicating it would start raining any minute. But of course only us would get wet. Even though each person sat within their respective groups, one thing brought all of them together: their desire to be entertained by a literary genius.
I have only previously studied a few Shakespearian novels such as “The merchant of Venice” , “Romeo and Juliet” and “Macbeth”. By having a brief past on Shakespeare and his plays I have grown to admire this great author that has served as an inspiration to many others. When I studied “The Merchant of Venice” I remember understanding the importance of considering for what audience the plays were initially written for, which is essential in order to understand the whole meaning of his work. One of the aspects I distinctly remember about the Shakespearean plays I have previously studied is how certain topics, such as love, power and social barriers, are recurring. In addition, the real and the unnatural world are combined in some way, something that can be seen clearly in “Macbeth”.
Furthermore I am enthusiastic about learning more about Shakespeare through one of his most famous works: “Hamlet”. Although I expect it to be challenging, I also feel that it will be very rewarding and that it will enrich me to study such a significant work by this author. I am convinced that learning more about Shakespeare will help me when studying posterior writers. I consider Shakespeare to be the greatest genius of his time period and I eulogize his work. Although it is not an easy writer to understand and his plays have a much deeper meaning to what is written on the page, his works have certainly been and are a literary revolution and an inspiration for many generations of writers.
