Assessment n°8 : William Shakespeare

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A)History of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was born on 26 April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England and
probably died the same of the birth in 1616.. He was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded
as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s greatest dramatist. He is often called
England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon” (or simply “the Bard”). His father was a successful local
businessman and his mother was the daughter of a landowner. Shakespeare is widely regarded as the
greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He wrote about 38 plays, 154
sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, of which the authorship of some is uncertain.
wHis plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those
of any other playwright. Shakespeare was born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of 18, he
married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith.

1) What did Shakespeare write?

Between about 1590 and 1613, Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays and collaborated on several more. His 17
comedies include The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing. Among his 10 history plays are Henry V
and Richard III. The most famous among his tragedies are Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. Shakespeare
also wrote 4 poems, and a famous collection of Sonnets which was first published in 1609.

2) Was Shakespeare successful in his lifetime?

By 1592, Shakespeare was well-known enough as a writer and actor to be criticised by jealous rival Robert
Greene as an ‘upstart crow’ and ‘Johannes Factotum’ (a ‘Johnny do-it-all’) in his pamphlet Groats-worth of Wit (a
groat being a small coin). Although it is difficult to determine the chronology of Shakespeare’s works, it is likely
that by 1592 he had authored 11 plays, including Romeo and Juliet, Richard III and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
His plays were successful: the box office takings from the first performance of Henry VI, Part 1 at the Rose in
1592 were £3 16s. 8d., the highest recorded for the season. For much of the period from September 1592 to June
1594, the London playhouses were shut because of the plague. Shakespeare published two epic poems during
this time, Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. Shakespeare’s success grew through the 1590s. He joined
and became a shareholder of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men who performed before Queen Elizabeth on numerous
occasions, and as well as writing more plays, he published several poems and circulated his sonnet sequence in
manuscript. His successes enabled him in 1597 to buy New Place, the second largest house in Stratford. This
success was not untainted by tragedy however: in 1596 his 11 year old son Hamnet, died.

3) Where were Shakespeare’s plays performed?

In 1599, Shakespeare’s company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men took up residence in the newly built Globe. Julius
Caesar was one of the first plays performed there. Performances at the Globe were divided into three seasons
with breaks around Christmas when the players performed at court; Lent, when playing was intermittent; and
summer when the players toured the provinces escaping the infection and infestation of the city. When Queen
Elizabeth died in 1603, her successor, King James I, announced that the Lord Chamberlain’s Men would now be
the King’s Men. This patronage was a huge coup for the troupe, but Shakespeare was by no means a puppet
playwright and he continued to write plays that posed difficult questions about kingship. The Jacobean works of
1604–08 were darker and include the mature tragedies Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. In 1608 the King’s Men
took on a second theatre, a candlelit indoor venue at Blackfriars, whose expensive seats catered to a more elite
audience and whose lighting may have influenced the atmosphere of late plays such as The Tempest.

4) When did Shakespeare die?

In 1613 the Globe burned down and the same year Shakespeare retired from the London theatre world and
returned to Stratford. He died on 23 April 1616 and was buried in Holy Trinity Church, where he had been
baptised 52 years earlier.

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B)Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona, Italy, where there is an ongoing feud between the Montague and Capulet
families. The play opens with servants from both houses engaged in a street brawl that eventually draws in the
family patriarchs and the city officials, including Prince, Escalus. The Prince ends the conflict by issuing a
decree that prohibits any further fighting at the risk of great punishment. Meanwhile, Romeo, a young man from
the Montague house, laments his unrequited love for a woman named Rosaline, who has vowed to remain
chaste for the rest of her life. Romeo and his friend Benvolio happen to stumble across a Capulet servant,
Peter, who is trying to read a list of invitees to a masked party at the Capulet house that evening. Romeo helps
Peter read the list and decides to attend the party because Rosaline will be there. He plans to wear a mask so
that he will nobody will recognize him as a Montague. Romeo arrives at the Capulet's' party in costume. He falls
in love with young Juliet Capulet from the moment he sees her. However, Juliet's cousin Tybalt recognizes
Romeo and wants to kill him on the spot. Lord Capulet intervenes, insisting that Tybalt not disturb the party
because it will anger the Prince. Undeterred, Romeo quietly approaches Juliet and confesses his love for her.
After exchanging loving words, they kiss. Afterwards, Juliet's Nurse tells Romeo that Juliet is a Capulet, which
upsets the smitten youngster. Meanwhile, Juliet is similarly distraught when she finds out that Romeo is a
Montague. Later that night, Romeo climbs the garden wall into Juliet's garden. Juliet emerges on her balcony
and speaks her private thoughts out loud. She wishes Romeo could shed his name and marry her. Upon
hearing her confession, Romeo appears and tells Juliet that he loves her. She warns him to be true in his love,
and he swears by his own self that he will be. Before they part, they agree that Juliet will send her Nurse to
meet Romeo at nine o'clock the next day, at which point he will set a place for them to be married. The Nurse
carries out her duty, and tells Juliet to meet Romeo at the chapel where Friar Laurence lives and works. Juliet
meets Romeo there, and the Friar marries them in secret. Benvolio and Mercutio (another one of Romeo's
friends) are waiting on the street later that day when Tybalt arrives. Tybalt demands to know where Romeo is so
that he can challenge him to a duel, in order to punish him for sneaking into the party. Mercutio is eloquently
vague, but Romeo happens to arrive in the middle of the verbal sparring. Tybalt challenges him, but Romeo
passively resists fighting, at which point Mercutio jumps in and draws his sword on Tybalt. Romeo tries to
block the two men, but Tybalt cuts Mercutio and runs away, only to return after he hears that Mercutio has died.
Angry over his friend's death, Romeo fights with Tybalt and kills him. Then, he decides to flee. When Prince
Escalus arrives at the murder scene, he banishes Romeo from Verona forever. The Nurse tells Juliet the sad
news about what has happened to Tybalt and Romeo. Juliet is heart-broken, but she realizes that Romeo would
have been killed if he had not fought Tybalt. She sends her Nurse to find Romeo and give him her ring. That
night, Romeo sneaks into Juliet's room, and they consummate their marriage. The next morning, he is forced to
leave when Juliet's mother arrives. Romeo travels to Mantua, where he waits for someone to send news about
Juliet or his banishment. During Romeo and Juliet's only night together, however, Lord Capulet decides that
Juliet should marry a young man named Paris, who has been asking for her hand. Lord and Lady Capulet tell
Juliet of their plan, but she refuses, infuriating her father. When both Lady Capulet and the Nurse refuse to
intercede for the girl, she insists that they leave her side. Juliet then visits Friar Laurence, and together they
concoct a plan to reunite her with Romeo. The Friar gives Juliet a potion that will make her seem dead for at
least two days, during which time Romeo will come to meet her in the Capulet vault. The Friar promises to send
word of the plan to Romeo. Juliet drinks the Friar's potion that night. The next morning, the day of Juliet and
Paris' wedding, her Nurse finds her "dead" in bed. The whole house decries her suicide, and Friar Laurence
insists they quickly place her into the family vault. Unfortunately, Friar John has been unable to deliver the
letter to Romeo informing him of the plan, so when Romeo's servant brings him news in Mantua that Juliet has
died, Romeo is heart-broken. He hurries back to Verona, but first, buys poison from an Apothecary and writes a
suicide note detailing the tragic course of events. As soon as Friar Laurence realizes that his letter never made
it to Romeo's hands, he rushes to the Capulet tomb, hoping to arrive before Romeo does. Romeo arrives at the
Capulet vault and finds it guarded by Paris, who is there to mourn the loss of his betrothed. Paris challenges
Romeo to a duel, and Romeo kills him quickly. Romeo then carries Paris' body into the grave and sets it down.
Upon seeing Juliet's "dead" body lying in the tomb, Romeo drinks the poison, gives her a last kiss - and dies.
Friar Laurence arrives to the vault just as Juliet wakes up. He tries to convince her to flee, but upon seeing
Romeo's dead body, she takes her own life as well. The rest of the town starts to arrive at the tomb, including
Lord Capulet and Lord Montague. Friar Laurence explains the whole story, and Romeo's letter confirms it. The
two families agree to settle their feud and form an alliance despite the tragic circumstances.

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C)Hamlet
Something is amiss in Denmark - for two successive nights, the midnight guard has witnessed the
appearance of the ghost of Old Hamlet, the former King of Denmark who has recently died. The guards bring
Horatio, a learned scholar and friend of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, to witness this apparition. Though
skeptical at first, Horatio sees the ghost and decides to report its appearance to Hamlet. Meanwhile, a new
king of Denmark has been crowned : Claudius, Old Hamlet's brother. Claudius has taken Old Hamlet's widow,
Gertrude, as his wife. We watch their marriage celebration and hear about a threat from the Prince of Norway,
Fortinbras, which Claudius manages to avoid by diplomacy. Hamlet is in attendance at this wedding
celebration; he is hardly in joyous spirits, however. He is disgusted by his mother's decision to marry
Claudius so soon after his father's demise. Horatio tells Hamlet of the appearance of the ghost and Hamlet
determines to visit the spirit himself. Meanwhile, the court adviser, Polonius, sends his son, Laertes, back to
Paris, where he is living. Laertes and Polonius both question Ophelia (sister and daughter, respectively) about
her relationship with Hamlet. Ophelia admits that Hamlet has been wooing her. They tell her to avoid Hamlet
and reject his amorous advances, emphasizing the importance of protecting her chastity. Ophelia agrees to
cut off contact. That night, Hamlet accompanies the watch. The ghost appears once more. Hamlet questions
the ghost, who beckons Hamlet away from the others. When they are alone, the ghost reveals that Claudius
murdered him in order to steal his crown and his wife. The ghost makes Hamlet promise to take revenge on
Claudius. Hamlet appears to concur excitedly. He has Horatio and the guards swear not to reveal what they
have seen.
Act Two finds us some indefinite time in the future. Hamlet has been behaving in a most erratic and
alarming way. Claudius summons two of Hamlet's school friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, in order to
discover the meaning of this strange behavior. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's attempts to discover the
reason for Hamlet's madness are met with evasion and witticism. Meanwhile, Polonius hatches a theory of his
own: he thinks that Hamlet is insane due to Ophelia's rejection of his love. He arranges to test his theory by
setting Ophelia on Hamlet when they are apparently alone and then observing the proceedings with Claudius.
Hamlet's only consolation appears to be the coming of a troupe of players from England. Hamlet asks the
player's whether they could play a slightly modified version of a tragedy. We realize that Hamlet plans to put
on a play that depicts the death of his father, to see whether Claudius is really guilty, and the ghost is really to
be trusted.
In Act Three, Ophelia approaches Hamlet when they are apparently alone; Claudius and Polonius hide
behind a tapestry and observe. Hamlet behaves extremely cruelly toward Ophelia. The king decides that
Hamlet is not mad for love of her but for some other hidden reason. Hamlet prepares to put on his play, which
he calls "The Mouse Trap." After instructing the players in their parts, Hamlet retires to the audience, where
Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, and Polonius have gathered, along with many others. In the course of the play,
both Gertrude and Claudius become extremely upset, though for different reasons. Gertrude is flustered by
Hamlet's veiled accusation that she was inconstant and hypocritical for remarrying after Old Hamlet's death;
Claudius is shaken because he is indeed guilty of his brother's murder. Claudius decides that he must get rid
of Hamlet by sending him to England. Following the play, Gertrude calls Hamlet to her room, intending to
berate him for his horrible insinuations. Hamlet turns the tables on her, accusing her of a most grotesque lust
and claiming that she has insulted her father and herself by stooping to marry Claudius. In the course of their
interview, Polonius hides behind a tapestry; at one point, he thinks that Hamlet is going to attack Gertrude and
cries for help. Hamlet stabs Polonius through the tapestry, thinking he has killed Claudius. When he finds that
he has merely killed a "rash, intruding fool," Hamlet returns to the business of "speaking daggers" to his
mother. Just as Gertrude appears convinced by Hamlet's excoriation, the ghost of Old Hamlet reappears and
tells Hamlet not to behave so cruelly to his mother, and to remember to carry out revenge on Claudius.
Gertrude perceives her son discoursing with nothing but air and is completely convinced of his madness.
Hamlet exits her room, dragging the body of Polonius behind him. After much questioning, Claudius
convinces Hamlet to reveal the hiding place of Polonius' body. He then makes arrangements for Hamlet to go
to England immediately, accompanied by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Claudius writes a letter to the
English court asking them to kill Hamlet immediately upon his arrival and places the letter with his two
cronies. On their way to the ship, Hamlet and his entourage pass Fortinbras' Norwegian army en route to a
Polish campaign. Back at Elsinore (the Danish palace), Ophelia has gone mad following her father's death.
She sings childish and bawdy songs and speaks nonsensically. Laertes soon returns to Denmark with a mob
in tow, demanding an explanation of Polonius' death. Claudius gingerly calms the young man and convinces

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him that Hamlet was the guilty party. Letters arrive attesting to a strange/ turn of fortunes on the sea. Hamlet's
ship to England was attacked by pirates, who captured Hamlet and arranged to return him to Denmark for a
ransom. Hamlet sends Claudius an aggravating letter announcing his imminent return. Claudius and Laertes
decide that Hamlet must be killed. They decide to arrange a duel between Laertes and Hamlet in which
Laertes' sword is secretly poisoned so as to guarantee Hamlet's immediate death. As backup, Claudius
decides to poison a cup of wine and offer it to Hamlet during the contest. Just as Act Four comes to a close,
more tragic news arrives. Gertrude says that Ophelia has drowned while playing in a willow tree by the river.
Act Five begins at a graveyard. Two gravediggers joke about their morbid occupation. Hamlet and Horatio
arrive and converse with them. Soon, Ophelia's funeral begins. Because there are doubts about whether
Ophelia died accidentally or committed suicide, her funeral lacks many of the customary religious rites.
Laertes bombastically dramatizes his grief, prompting Hamlet to reveal himself and declare his equal grief at
the loss of his erstwhile beloved. After a short tussle, Hamlet and Laertes part. Later, Hamlet explains to
Horatio that he discovered Claudius' plot to have him killed in England and forged a new letter arranging for
the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. While they are conversing, Osric, a ridiculous courtier,
approaches and proposes the duel between Laertes and Hamlet. Hamlet eventually accepts this challenge.
The duel begins with Osric as referee. Hamlet wins the first two passes, prompting Claudius to resort to the
poisoned drink. Hamlet refuses the drink. In his stead, Gertrude drinks a toast to her son from the poisoned
cup. After a third pass also goes to Hamlet, Laertes sneak-attacks the prince and wounds him. A scuffle
ensues in which Hamlet ends up with Laertes' sword. He injures Laertes. Just then Gertrude collapses. She
declares that she has been poisoned. Laertes, also dying, confesses the whole plot to Hamlet, who finally
attacks Claudius, stabbing him with the poisoned sword and then forcing the poisoned drink down his throat.
Hamlet too is dying. He asks Horatio to explain the carnage to all onlookers and tell his story. Hamlet dies.
Just then, Fortinbras arrives at the court, accompanying some English ambassadors who bring word of the
death of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. With all the immediate royalty of Denmark dead, Fortinbras asserts
his right to the crown. He arranges for Hamlet to receive a soldier's burial.

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