William Shakespeare as a Dramatist

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December 31, 2021

Question: Write an essay on William Shakespeare as a Dramatist.

Introduction
Shakespeare lived in a world that exemplified self-realization, self-respect, and the
courage to think and act. His characters are intensely distinct and dynamic; his dramatic
situation is provoked by strong emotions. The intensity of his plays reflects the growing
Renaissance stimulus. Shakespeare’s name has become immortal. He is considered one
of the greatest playwrights in the world of literature. The height he has achieved is
unmatched by any other playwright.

The development of Shakespeare’s mind and art

Shakespeare’s theatrical life spanned a long 24 years from 1588 to 1612. During this time
he wrote about 37 plays and 154 sonnets. Based on the development of his dramatic
talents, his plays can be divided into four distinct periods or stages.

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 Phase I: The first stage is called “In the Workshop”. This period extended from 1588
to 1595. During this period Shakespeare only revised, performed plays for the
theater, and wrote some history, comedy, and tragedy namely Henry Six, Part Two,
Henry Six, Part Three, Richard Two, Comedy of Errors, Love’s Labor Lost. , Two
Gentlemen of Verona, A Mid-Summer Nights’ Dream, Titus Andronicus, and Romeo
and Juliet. These plays clearly show the hand of a talented apprentice, not a
master. Of course, he has surpassed other apprentices.
Phase II: Phase II extends from 1595 to 1601. Dowden called this stage “the world.”
During this time some great comedies and historical dramas were written. This
period can therefore be called the comic period. During this time Shakespeare
wrote The Merchant of Venice, Taming of the Shrew, Much Addo About Nothing, As
You Like It, The Mary Wives of Windsor, Twelfth Night, King John, Henry Four Part
One, Henry Four Part Two, and Henry Five. During this time, Shakespeare’s
emerging talents began to unfold or flourish. He saw the world as it was and his
imagination revealed real life to him. He began to understand the earth and man
and the nature of man.
Phase III: Phase III extends from 1601 to 1608. Dowden called it “out of depth.”
Four major tragedies were written during this period: Hamlet, Othello, King Lear,
and Macbeth. Roman plays such as Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, and
Coriolanus were written. He also wrote other comedies; All’s Well that Ends Well,
Troilus and Cressida, and Measure for Measure. These comedies are not light and
comic but serious and reprehensible. During this period, Shakespeare stopped
taking interest in light comics and thrilling events of life and history but penetrated
the human heart and brought out the hidden weaknesses and merits of human
nature. This is why this period is called “out of depth”.
Final phase: The Fourth Period extends from 1608 to 1612. This period is called
“on the heights”. This is the romantic period of Shakespeare’s dramatic career.
During this time he wrote three romances, Winter’s Tale, Cymbeline, The Tempest,
and Timon in Athens, and a portion of Pericles. Shakespeare’s dramatic genius has
now reached its peak. He has now overcome the storms and struggles of life. These
storms and struggles have made him wise, calm and a huge heart. This period is a
period of quiet self-acquisition, resignation, and reunion.

The art of Shakespeare’s characterization

Shakespeare’s treatment of character showed a deep understanding of human
psychology. All his varied characters have been highly personal. Each of them is painted
with his own peculiarities of his conquered idiosyncrasies and the two are not the same
because Shakespeare’s humanity is as diverse as the human race; His men and women
are drawn from every walk of life, age, and place – kings, lords and nobles, ordinary and
great warriors, ordinary people, drunkards, thieves and robbers, cowards, clowns,
dreamers, saints and sinners, men, women and children, all walking across
Shakespeare’s stage, and no other playwright has given us such infinite variety.

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Moreover, his characters are completely true to life. They are neither villains, nor devils or
gods and goddesses in human form, but ordinary people with common happiness and
misery and common evil and virtues. They are made of the same matte as we can each
recognize a part of ourselves in them.

Also, his characters are presented so vividly and convincingly that we can never forget
Rosalind, Orlando, Touchstone, Hamlet, King Lear, Portia, Shylock, Othello, Macbeth,
and many more. These characters are long-lasting in memory and are more effective than
most real men and women. We see that Shakespeare has created a large number of
characters and all of them are equally believable. His minor characters are also very
impressive.

The chief characteristics of Shakespeare’s Dramas

As a master of art, Shakespeare’s plays are packed with some conspicuous features
which are physical like the human body. Some of the chief characteristics of his dramas
are:

High Imagination: Shakespeare’s imagination is poetic and creative in the true

sense of the word. It is by virtue of his lofty imagination that he is able to understand
every aspect of the character and life and to be able to present it so clearly in his
plays. On the wings of his powerful imagination, he marvels from earth to heaven
and from heaven to earth and takes us to every corner of the globe. It is because of
his imagination that he has given us that wonderful and fresh description of nature
which is a source of joy for his readers.
The profundity of thought: Shakespeare had a deep insight into human life. He
had his own ideas about this world and how it should be. If we wish, we can extract
something moral or something else from his tragedy and his comedy. At certain
moments he gets this life nothing but an empty dream. In Macbeth, for example, he
writes;

Life is but a walking shadow

……………….It is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and furry

Signifying nothing.

Poetic quality: Shakespeare is one of the greatest poets. His plays are very poetic.
Heroes and heroines can create verses unpremeditatedly. The poetic virtue makes
his heroes and heroines more popular.

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 The serene sense of humor: The comedy of human life has richly been presented
on Shakespeare’s pages. There is no bitterness in his smile. It is sunny and good-
natured. We laugh with his characters. His plays are full of all kinds of humor. The
clown has a sense of humor, the humor of the character, the humor of the situation,
and the highest kind of wit and humor. His varied humor has been skillfully blended
with Pathos and his influence has been further enhanced by the contrast.

Other Characteristics
Some other conspicuous features of Shakespeare’s plays are;

Vast variety
Soliloquys for self-revelation
Blending of tragic and comic elements etc.

Conclusion
Subtly, it can be summed up that Shakespeare is not of one age but of all ages, not of
one country but of all countries. Not only have his works delighted and thrilled audiences
of his own age and country, but they have delighted and thrilled audiences of all ages and
countries since they were written by the immortal poets of the world.

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