William Shakespeare

(1564-1616)
Plan
1. W. Shakespeares life and professional career
2. Chronological list of W. Shakespeares works
3. W. Shakespeares comedies: The Taming of the Shrew
4. The first of W. Shakespeares tragedies Romeo and Juliet.
5. The tragedy of Othellow, the Moor of Venice
6. The Summit of W. Shakespeares creation: The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
William Shakespeare
(1564-1616)
William Shakespeare is the greatest dramatist of all times and all nations. W. Shakespeare was
born in Stratford-upon-Avon in central England about April 23, 1564. He sprang from honest
hard-working, middle - class stock. His father, John Shakespeare, was a wool dealer (comerciant
de ln), who owed considerable property and held important civic offices in Stratford, including
that of a mayor(primar). His mother, Mary Arden, was the daughter of a man of worship(cult)
and of somewhat higher social standing than her husband. Nothing is known of Shakespeare s
education, except, the fact that he attended a free school. While still in his teens, on November
28, 1582 he married Ann Hathaway, who was several years his senior, and Shakespeare found
himself with the responsibility of a family. His first child, a daughter, Susanna, was born in the
following May, and the twins(gemeni), Hamnet and Judith, in February 1585. Soon he improved
his social standing and in 1597 bought a rich house, New Place, acquired a coat of arms and the
privilege of writing himself Gentlemen. Shakespeare did not live together with his family most
of the time, leaving for London, where he spent the greatest part of his mature life, devoting
himself totally to play writing and theatre work. There are many suppositions(presupuneri)
concerning the reasons of his move there. For instance, there is a familiar romantic tradition that
says that he was driven from his native city because of an escape from Sir Thomas Lucy who
was going to sue(a da in judecata) Shakespeare for hunting(vinatoare) on his lands, another
asserts that Shakespeare was judged by the Gentlemen of Stratford and this made him flee to
London. Other sources claim that William was a butchers(macelar) apprentice(ucenic) who ran
away from his master to join a troupe of actors, and a third asserts that for a time William
Shakespeare was a country schoolmaster. None of these traditions have any corroborative
evidence. It is very possible that Shakespeare turned to London being attracted by London
theatrical life. Shakespeare got at once involved in the theatrical life of London, though his first
writings were not plays. By 1592 Shakespeare aroused the resentment of Robert Green, a
university man, who called the young talent an upstart crow and warned his fellow dramatists
against the whole race of actors, but especially against this absolute Johannes factotum (Jack
of all trades), who in his own conceit was the only Shakescene in the country./
1 In 1593 Shakespeare published his first poem Venus and Adonis, after which followed Rape of
Lucrece (1594). Both these poems were dedicated to the young Earl(conte englez) of
Southampton. But W. Shakespeare did not continue with writing poetry, getting involved in
theatre business - in acting, playwriting, coaching, etc. His first connections with the theatrical
world of London were associated with Christopher Marlowe and later in 1594 with Lord
Chamberlains Company, one of the best troupes in London, with which Shakespeare co-worked
till the end of his career, devoting his talents and life to the activity of this Company. In
December 1594 Shakespeare acted before the Queen and some months later one of his plays,
Comedy of Errors, was put on stage.
He became known as both a playwright and an actor. In 1598 the name of Shakespeare is
mentioned by a critic as the best author of both comedy and tragedy. Shakespeare became a
stockholder of the famous theatre, Globe, which was erected in 1599. The greatest of his plays
have been put on stage in the Globe, which unfortunately burnt to ground in 1613 during the
performance of Henry VIII. In 1603 Lord Chamberlains Company passed under royal patronage

and became the Kings Men, which was a great privilege for that time. In 1608 his company got
the right to open another theatre. In 1609 the Collection of Sonnets appeared in printed form. By
1612 the major part of W. Shakespeares thirty seven plays had been produced. Shakespeare
retired to Stratford, where he spent the rest of his life, writing several more works which form
the third period in W. Shakespeares creation. Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616 and was
berried in the local cemetery, according to his will. Probably during all these years of separation
with his native place the Great Bard missed it and in a verse asked his descendants to leave him
rest in his native town. We find out about it from the epitaph engraved on his tomb, which runs
as follows:
Good friend, for Jesus sake, forbear
To dig the dust enclosed here
Blessed be he that spares these stones,
And cursed be he that moves my bones. (W. Shakespeare)
Many people who knew Shakespeare testify that he was an honourable man of a genial
character, well-shaped, very good company and a ready and pleasant wit./2 Many poets devoted
numerous poems to the memory of the great Shakespeare. Ben Jonson expressed his reverence to
the great Bard in his poem
To the Memory of My Beloved, the Author, Mr. William Shakespeare, and What He Hath
Left Us:
Triumph, my Britain; thou hast one to show
To whom all scenes of Europe homage owe.
He was not of an age, but for all time!
And all the muses still were in their prime
When like Apollo he came forth to warm
Out ears, or like a Mercury to char
Yet must I not give Nature all the praise; thou Art,
My gentle Shakespeare, must enjoy a part.
William Shakespeare left a rich heritage to the generations to come, creating a new epoch in
world literature. His works combine all forms that existed before him, developing them to great
heights. His works emerge from Renaissance and become the forerunners for the literature of the
following centuries. The dramatist created a rich gallery or characters of great depth and unusual
intellects. Shakespeare is attracted by the intellect of man, revealing man from a different
perspective as compared to the attempts made in the previous centuries. W. Shakespeare presents
man as a creature able to love and fight for his own destiny, against social injustice and
prejudices. His characters are new people, dynamic creatures, who change alongside the
development of the events. Shakespeare wants to see man free from prejudices, ready to act and
change the world. Each play is presenting man from a different perspective, showing man as
strong and week, honest and deceitful, noble and mean, loving and hateful, white and darkskinned, creating a rich gallery of characters that continue to inspire. The themes and the
characters that he revealed in his plays have stirred many nations along centuries and remain
actual today. Shakespeare touched upon such themes as: love, relations among people, relations
between children and parents, friendship, devotion, jealousy, race discrimination, role of money
and glory in life, role of man and woman in society, marriage, victory and honour, etc.
In spite of all these great evidences of Shakespeares talents, at different times in history there
have been made attempts to deny W. Shakespeares existence as a writer. Some consider that a
man could not have created such an amount of great works within such a small period of time
(25 years), others considered that Shakespeares insignificant education could prevent him from
creating such great masterpieces, others thought that it was a group of people who wrote all the
plays and used the nickname Shakespeare to sign them. Some of these dissidents consider that
the works have been produced by a woman, namely Queen Elizabeth. Others assert that the
authorship belongs to Francis Bacon, the well-known philosopher and writer, others give
preference to the idea that it was Ben Jonson who wrote the plays. Though judging by the poem

quoted before, this idea sounds as an absurdity. Still all these are just suppositions that probably
come from people who do not trust talent and genius, which the great Bard, William
Shakespeare, was undoubtedly endowed with by God.
Four Periods in Shakespeares Literary Career
William Shakespeare has created quite a number of works, that include 37 plays, 156 sonnets, 2
poems and some stories. His plays can be subdivided into tragedies and comedies. The historical
plays bring forth the life of some great people, such as Julius Caesar, Anthony and Cleopatra,
Henry VI, Richard III, etc. W. Shakespeares literary career can be divided into four periods
1. 1589-1600. This period is characterized by an optimistic tone. The plays of this period are full
of light and wit, and are written in a bright spirit of Renaissance. The characters of these plays
are the creators of their own fate. During this time the great dramatist created most of his
comedies, several historical plays and his first tragedy Romeo and Juliet.
To this period refer:
1589-1592 Henry VI, (parts I,II, III)
1592-1593 Richard III, The Comedy of Errors
1593-1594 Titus Andronicus, the Taming of the Shrew
1594-1595 The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Loves Labours Lost, Romeo and Juliet
1595-1596 Richard II, A Midsummer Nights Dream
1596-1597 King John, The Merchant of Venice
1597-1598 Henry VI, (Part I) Henry VI (partII)
1598-1599 Much Ado about Nothing, Henry V
1599-1600 Julius Caesar, As You like it
2. 1600- 1608 The second period of Shakespeares creation is the summit of his literary career.
He produced the greatest plays, that are admired by people today just as they were during his
times. The chronology of the second period runs as follows:
1600-1601 Hamlet Prince of Denmark, Merry Wives of Windsor
1601 -1602 Twelfth Night, Troilus and Cressida
1602-1603 Alls Well that Ends Well
1604-1605 Measure for Measure, Othello
1605-1606 King Lear, Macbeth
1606-1607 Anthony and Cleopatra
1607-1608 Coriolanus, Timon of Athens
3. 1608-1613 This is the last period of romances and tragicomedy, which include:
1608-1609 Pericles
1609-1610 Cymbeline
1609-1611 Winters Tale
1611-1612 The Tempest
1612-1613 Henry VIII, The Two Noble Kinsmen
For the first time Shakespeares plays were published in Folio in 1623 and republished later in
1632 and 1663. Before that many of W. Shakespeares plays have been pirated and some parts of
plays have been printed from foul papers (papers reproduced by the actors that used to play a
certain part and put it down later by memory). They were not precise variants of Shakespeare s
plays. The Folio published in 1616 by Ben Jonson included 36 plays, 22 of them appearing for
the first time in good text. They present the main and the most reliable source of W.
Shakespeares creation.

W. Shakespeares Comedies
Shakespeares plays are based on sharp conflicts but they possess an optimistic spirit. The
victory of humanist ideals is inevitable but it is attained in a severe struggle against all obstacles.
The heroes fight against destiny itself and build their own fate according to their own free will.
As men of Renaissance, they for the first time trust themselves and their efforts are crowned with
success.
Most of the comedies were written by W. Shakespeare during the first period of his creation.
Among them are: The Comedy of Errors, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew, As
You Like It, in which Shakespeare touched upon such themes as: family relations, happiness in
marriage, relations between parents and children, foolishness of man, freedom of thought, etc.
There is a great deal of entertainment and comical humour and a variety in those characters
which Shakespeare thought to fit people of his time. The characters of these plays are often
forming two antagonistic groups on the one hand there are people of the new generation who
change under the circumstances of life and tend to change, on the other hand among them there
are stupid creatures who prefer to go on living in obscurity and ignorance.
The Taming of the Shrew (1593)
In The Taming of the Shrew (1593) Shakespeares critical tendencies are distinctly revealed. The
plot is borrowed from a play printed at that time under the same title, which was permeated with
the ideas of feudal times. A brute of a husband tames his wife and makes a slave out of her.
According to the old play, women are inferior to men, their duty is to obey and fear their
husbands. Having taken the old plot, Shakespeare gave a new interpretation to the principal
characters and created a comedy humane and progressive in its essence. The main characters are:
Petruccio and Katherine. Petruccio, an adventurous young man, arrives at Padua on his way to
Verona. He gets acquainted with Baptista, a rich citizen, and his two daughters, Katherine and
Bianca. Bianca is a modest and obedient girl, while her sister is extremely stubborn and hard to
deal with. Still it is the shrew who attracts Petruccios attention. He wins her father s consent
and gets his agreement to take her as a wife.
Petruccio is a lover of fun, good jokes and adventures. He never suppresses Katherine, never
makes her change directly, but inspiring her that she is a personality who deserves to be treated
humanly. Katherine feels this attitude and notices that Petruccio is a noble-minded man different
from the greedy and stupid males who surround her. Petruccio does not really tame Katerine but
simply penetrates into her heart and knows how to lead her in the necessary direction.
The characters of Petruccio and Katherine are contrasted to the world of selfish and ignorant
people. If Katherine behaves like a shrew, she does it only in protest against her father who is
concerned with the idea of how to secure rich husbands for his daughters. She struggles with all
her might with her sisters vain and foolish admirers. Petruccio wins her heart not because he
humiliates her, but because she comes to understand how greatly he differs form the petty men
and women she knows. Katherina becomes the most loving and obedient among the wives. This
puzzles the women and the men of their time and they take this change of her character as a
miracle, never understanding that love, reasoning and understanding changed Katherine.
Their union becomes a symbol of an alliance of two young people of the new formation who
have joined their forces to fight against the world, full of vanity and mediocrity. Their moral
superiority makes the reader believe that they will win.
The method of realistic art first applied by W. Shakespeare to his early comedies finds further
development in his historic plays and tragedies. The first among Shakespeares tragedies springs
Romeo and Juliet.
The First of W. Shakespeares Tragedies

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is a lyric tragedy. Notwithstanding its tragic end, it is optimistic in spirit and
remains an apotheosis of youthful and triumphant love. It is a play of great lyric beauty and is
considered to be among the best tragic love-poems in the world. Shakespeares merit is that he
takes Arthur Brookes tale with the same name and doubles its dramatic value by reducing its
timing from months to days. The action in Romeo and Juliet is developed within a week s time.
Shakespeare marshals it to a very definite purpose. Though it is a play about love the author
opens his story not with a love scene but with the clash between the two homes: the Capulets and
the Montagues, which forms the core of the whole conflict. The feud between these two homes
had existed for a long time and it referred to anyone related to the two families, their servants,
cousins, friends, etc. Romeo came from the Montague family and Juliet from the Capulets. After
the first scene of the fight between the servants of the two families Shakespeare introduces
Romeo, who is very moody because Rosalinda, the girl whom he loved rejected him. His friend,
Benvolio, tells Romeo about the existence of other girls in the world who might make better
match for him. The boy calls Romeo to have an adventure and visit a feast in The Couplets
house. It was a party given by the Capulets in order to give a chance to Paris, a young earl, to
meet Juliet, their daughter, for marrying her. Juliets father, had had previously a conversation
with young Paris concerning his proposal to Juliet, very easily decided to make the girl marry
Paris. But this plan turns out to be a failure, as soon as Romeo meets Juliet during their first
dance. They are touched by love which lasted to the end of their life. Soon afterwards both of
them find out that their love is from the hostile family and Juliet concludes: Juliet:
My only love sprang from my only hate.
To early seen unknown and unknown too late.
Prodigous birth of love it is to me
That I must love a loathed enemy.
Juliets monologue on the balcony right after the party is illustrating hear feelings and readiness
to face her destiny:
Juliet: O, Romeo! Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or if thou will not, be but sworn, my love,
And Ill no longer be a Capulet.
Romeo (aside): Shall I hear more, or shall I speak to this?
Juliet: Tis but thy name That is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
Whats a Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other man!
Whats in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were it not be Romeo calld
Retain that dear perfection which he ownes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name;
And for that name, which is not part of thee,
Take all myself
Romeo and Juliet decide to marry. The two lovers understand that their parents will never agree
to such a marriage and they marry secretly by the concern of Friar Laurence. Though the Friar
was a churchman who had to followe the conservative view on marriage based on parents
approval of the choice of both the boy and girl, he saw in this young couple a force that could not
stop them in their intention their love. So he decided to marry them secretly. Unfortunately at
this point the tragedy starts to develop with the death of some men from both homes, involved in
the feud. Mercucio from the Montagues is killed by Tybolt, Juliet s cousin. Romeo tries to stop

their fight but by chance wounds Tybolt to death. The blood, which has been spilt, increases the
bitterness of the enmity between the two families. The tension never relaxes from now on:
Romeo is banished from the country, Juliets parents are making the arrangements for her
wedding with Paris, while Juliet is left totally lonely to face her destiny. Her visit to Friar
Laurence seems to bring a relief to her - he gives her a pill to put her to sleep for forty-eight
hours in order to escape the second marriage to Paris.
On the day appointed for the wedding, arranged by her parents, Juliet takes the drug and is borne
away to the family vault. The letter sent by Friar Laurence to Romeo about these events fails to
reach its destination and Romeo is misinformed that Juliet is dead. His only purpose now is to
die beside his bride in the tomb of his enemies. He has procures a strong poison and hurries to
the churchyard, but is stopped by Paris, who involves Romeo in a struggle. Romeo s decision
can not be interfered by anything he kills Paris in order to continue his way. Near the tomb
Romeo takes the poison and passes into the other world, the world of his Juliet. Juliet, however,
soon wakes up. On seeing her Romeo dead she takes his dagger(pumnal) and kills herself.
Though Romeo and Juliet die, their love is triumphant, it is stronger than death. It makes their
families reconcile over the grave of their children. The two families give the word to stop
fighting and to erect a monument to their childrens love.
Shakespeare concludes the play with the words, which became like a saying:
For there is a story of no more woe
Than that of Juliet and her Romeo.
Characters
Juliet .This is a tragedy of youth that draws an arbitrary line between youth and age. In it W.
Shakespeare deals with such problems as: social prejudices, relations between parents and
children, love, devotion and maturity. Youth turns out to be more mature than their parents. For
instance Juliet, who is urged by her mother to see if she likes Paris, replies to it:
Ill try to look, if looking liking moves...
While her parents seem to be quite immature, trying to convince their daughter to marry at the
age of 14 to a man whom she literally does not know. Juliet is mature judging by her feelings and
the responsibility with which she takes love. She is brave, knowing that her parents will never
accept such a marriage with one of their loathed enemy. Her maturity is seen in her perception of
the name, her beloved hears. She realizes that the name does not change or contribute to a man s
role or position or quality. She has no prejudices like her parents have. Juliet is sincere and
truthful in her feelings. She is ready to fight and overcome any obstacles and preserves her love,
showing great fidelity. All this characterizes an innocent child, who at first sight is obedient
when her mother and Nurse try to convince her marry Paris. In fact she is more reasonable and
much wiser
Romeo is a dynamic character as all the central characters in Shakespeare s creation. He appears
as a melancholic youth, very moody and unhappy. But with the emergence of Juliet he becomes
an active-minded man, ready to act. He takes his destiny with readiness to suffer and overcome
any difficulty but be with his love, with Juliet. He is innocent and pure, never meaning anything
wrong. Even when another conflict emerges between the two families Romeo is ready to
reconcile(impaca), but is not understood by Tybolt. He is a peacemaker. In the encounters with
the Capulets he always wanted to solve the issues peacefully. Even meeting Paris in the
graveyard Romeo asks him not to be provoked wishing to escape a new tragedy. Romeo accepts
his fate without doubt, question, or hesitation. This is clearly seen from his words when they
come to Friar Laurence to get married:
Romeo: Do thou but close our hands with holy words
Then love, devouring death do what he dare,
It is enough, I may but call her mine.
Romeo is very distressed when he is banished. His enthusiasm has vanished even more when he
finds out about Juliets death. Not knowing the real state of things, he vows:
Romeo: Well Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight.

Romeo can not think of life without Juliet. His love is sincere and pure, it is stronger than the
wish to live. He is brave in facing all the turns of life and death.
Romeo has been called by critics an early study of Hamlet. Many ideas that make up Hamlet
were seeded by Shakespeare long before this play with the character of Romeo. Romeo like
Hamlet never stops in his intentions. Though the end is tragic, this play has an optimistic
character. The death of these two wonderful youth put an end to the feud of the two families
which has carried away so many lives.
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice
Othello was written about the year 1604 and was based on a story written by Cinthio.
Shakespeare was attracted by the romantic setting of the story with its actions in Venice and
Cyprus. That story dealt with the degradation of love. Shakespeare improved this work by
compressing it into a drama, endowing its characters with extraordinary actuality and vitality.
Shakespeare charges the sordid form of its original with poetry to make it the high tragedy we
know. Othello is a humanist tragedy in all its essentials, in which W. Shakespeare treats many of
those problems, which formed the essential part of some of his previous plays.
Othello was a Moor(balta, mlastina) of high descent and noble qualities. He was a great man and
a great warrior, highly respected in Venice, his only disadvantage being the dark colour of his
skin(a blending of African and Arabic blood). He often visited Brabantio, an influential senator,
who liked to hear him recount the stories of his numerous adventures at wars. Brabantio s
daughter, Desdemona liked to hear him too and soon she became infatuated with Othello.
Unfortunately Brabantio could not agree to let his daughter marry the dark skinned Moor.
The play opens in the night with Iago and Rodrigo, who awaken Brabatio to tell him that his
daughter has fled with Othello. Iago is a villain who hates the Moor, partly because the latter has
overlooked him in the choice of a lieutenant and has given him only the rank of an ancient.
This honest Iago, good Iago as Othello calls him, is the embodiment of the dark powers that
hate every thing that is truly great and noble. Iago is a great artistic generalization of envy,
selfishness and utter depravity, concealed by good manners and a show of noble intentions.
Messengers arrive to tell Othello that the Duke requires his presence, as a Turkish expedition,
which is thought to be sailing for Cyprus, has been discovered. Then Brabantio appears with his
followers to arrest Othello, whom he accuses of witchcraft, used to gain the affection of a young
lady (Desdemona).
They all go to the Dukes, and as there is no evidence of witchcraft, and as Venice has great need
of Othello, Brabantio is induced to give the Moor his daughter. So the couple is together but their
happiness does not last long.
Othello receives a commission to go to Cyprus and Desdemona accompanies him. Soon after
their arrival the news comes that a storm has destroyed the Turkish fleet. So Othello has no
outward enemy to face. Desdemona is faithful and dearly loves her husband. Whenever she hears
her husbands trumpet she thrills with delight:
Desdemona:
I know his trumpet.
Tis truly so.
Lets meet and receive him.
O, here he comes
O, my fair warrior
My dear. Othello
When he arrives Desdemona meets Othello with the words:
Desdemona:
It gives me wonder, great as my content,
To see you here before me. O, my souls joy!
If after every tempest come such calm
Othello loves and trusts his wife, and it seems no easy matter to make him suspect her, but the
artful Iago insinuates that she is too friendly with Cassio, Othello s lieutenant. Iago contrives for

a handkerchief given to Desdemona by her husband to be found in the possession of the innocent
Cassio and Othello is no longer in doubt. The handkerchief becomes the instrument of Othello s
tortures and when his cup is full he speaks out:
Othello:
that handkerchief
Did an Egiptian to my mother give.
She dying gave, when my fate would have me wive,
To give it her
Meanwhile, Iago is scheming his further actions. He advises Othello to kill Desdemona, for
betrayal.
Iago:
The moor already changes with my poison,
Dangerous conceits are in their natures, poisons,
Which at first are scarce found to disable
But with a little act upon the blood
Burn like the mines of sulphur
Iago goes too far, telling Othello in a cynical way how to kill Desdemona, saying:
Iago:
Do it with poison,
Spangle her in her bed,
Even the bed she has contaminated
In anguish and despair Othello smothers his gentle wife. Then comes an awful awakening for
him. Clear proofs appear of Iagos intrigues and Desdemonas innocence. Othello, without
hesitation, stabs himself. Iago, who has caused the deaths of Rodrigo, Casio and his own wife is
taken away to meet his fate.
But before Iagos wife Emilia makes her speech Iago stabs her because she unmasked his
scheme. Emilia used to serve Desdemona and she brought Iago the requested handkerchief,
without suspecting how it will be used. She loved Desdemona and felt pricks of conscience that
her lady was killed with her assistance. Emilias words were a full protest against Othello s
blindness:
Emilia:
O thou dull Moor! That handkerchief thou speakest of
I found by fortune and did give my husband
She gave it to Cassio! No, alas, I found it,
And did give my husband
Moor she was chaste, she loved thee, cruel Moor
Othello answers decisively to this:
Othello:
I have another weapon in this chamber
It is a sward of Span, the ice-brooke temper
O, here it is. I must come forth
With this weapon Othello commits suicide, never forgiving himself for the mistake done.
In Othello Shakespeare is attracted by the question of love. The first act is very much like Romeo
and Juliet. Just as there we have to face the struggle of a loving couple against social prejudices.
Only here the conflict is deeper and more significant for two reasons:
In Romeo and Juliet the hostility of two families is revealed, while in Othello a social problem
is brought into focus. Othello was a Moor and although the Venetian Patricians made use of him,
they never forgot of what blood he was. They hate him as he was an African. That is why Iago
could so easily succeed in all his intrigues. Besides in Othello we have love of superior kind, a
unity of minds. When Othello is accused of seducing Desdemona he answers with a beautiful
monologue from which we see the source of their mutual love.
Othello: She loved me for the dangers I had passed

And I loved her for she did pity them.

It has been believed for a long time that Othello is a tragedy of jealousy. Such a point of view
is extremely superficial.
Jealousy is not in the centre of the tragedy and Othello himself is not a jealous fellow by nature.
He is too noble-minded to mistrust those whom he loves. He values integrity, sincerity and
loftiness of mind above all other human qualities and he loves and cherishes Desdemona dearly,
just because he finds her to be the very embodiment of these high qualities.
All his ideals are concentrated upon her; all that is pure seems to be condensed in Desdemona
and their mutual love.
All this, together with her youth and beauty, make her his ideal of a woman, and her love the
greatest reward for the toils and hardships of his long, lonesome life. And though his own skin is
dark, his face weather beaten and covered with ugly scars, he is the bearer of a great moral
beauty, and his heart is as true as steel and as pure as gold.
Desdemona and Othello both belong to a new world, but they live, to their misfortune, in a world
based on selfish interest and vile hypocrisy.
When Iago by artful schemes makes Othello believe that Desdemona is unfaithful to him he is
bewildered(dezorientat). If Desdemona, the most virtuous woman of the world, may be unworthy
then nothing is worth, everything falls to pieces. Othello s crime is a natural consequence of this
despair, which penetrates through all his soul. Othello kills Desdemona not out of jealousy but by
way of enacting a sentence of death upon a person whom he believes guilty of a gross crime of
defiling the noblest ideals of life.
When the mistake is discovered, being extremely just Othello does the only thing he can do. He
punishes himself for the crime he had committed. But Othello is no longer that miserable man he
had been before. His faith in love, in humanity revives. He considers that he himself is criminal,
but life as such is not the thing he thought it to be. Desdemona was pure and life was worth
living.
Othello: I kissd thee ere I killd thee; no way But this, (falling upon Desdemona).
Killing myself to die upon a kiss. (Dies).
So in spite of the tragedy and all the dead bodies and blood shared, Othello is an optimistic
tragedy because love and innocence triumph.
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Hamlet is considered to be the summit of Shakespeares art. It was written in 1601-1602 and
first published in 1603. It is a work of profound philosophy.
This famous tragedy has as its scene the kingdom of Denmark. But Danish names couldn t hide
from the spectators and readers the fact that it was England, which the great writer depicted in
his play.
Hamlet is the profoundest expression of Shakespeares humanism and his criticism of
contemporary life.
The present king of Denmark has come to the throne upon the mysterious death of his brother.
He marries his brothers wife right after the death of the former king. Hamlet, the son of the late
king, is deeply affected because of his fathers death and horrified at the action of his mother in
taking a second husband so soon. During this unhappy frame of mind, the ghost of his father
appears to him and tells Hamlet the circumstances of his recent murder. The ghost declares that
he was really murdered by his brother who had stolen the queen s love. Bidding Hamlet to
revenge him the ghost disappears.
Hamlet wishes to find out the truth and insinuates to be mad, using this circumstance for hiding
his real intensions. Hamlet is in love with Ophelia, whose father Polonius forbids her to have
anything to do with the prince, fearing that Hamlet can mean nothing honourable towards a girl
of inferior rank. These ideas are borne into his mind by Claudius, the present king who wanted to
smash Hamlet and have no other rivals.
Hamlet however in his anguish of spirit at the discovery of the villainy of his uncle and treachery
of his mother has no more thought of anything but vengeance. So much does the horror of the

situation press upon his mind that the court thinks he has gone mad. In bitter mood he
contemplates suicide and comes with his famous monologue:
To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whethertis nobler in the mind, to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles;
And by opposing end them? To die, - to sleep,
No more; and, by a sleep, to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, - tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wishd. To die, - to sleep; To sleep! Perchance to dream: ay, theres the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: theres the respect,
That makes calamity of so long life,
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressors wrong, the proud mans contumely,
The pangs of despisd love, the laws delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life;
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscoverd country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will;
And makes us rather bear those ills we have,
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied oer with the pale cast of thought;
And enterprises of great pith and monument,
With this regard, their currents turn away,
And lose the name of action.
Bright hopes and aspirations of his youth come to a clash with crude reality. The infidelity of his
mother, the servility of the courtiers who bowed and cringed to the unworthy king, the falsehood
of his friends and, finally, the crime committed by his uncle, made him realize how wicked and
unjust the world he lived in was. He understood that he was not the only sufferer in the country:
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time
The oppressors wrong, the proud mans contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the laws delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,?
Hamlet understands that life is cruel and the social injustice presses so much on people. He can
see it better now when Claudius is ruling the country. In great despair he asks himself: To be or
not to be But looking at the picture of the surrounding him world he considers that to die is
easier but Conscious does make cowers of us all It seems that he did not commit suicide
because he was a coward. But in fact, it was an act of a greater courage to go on living with the
reality he had to face and so Hamlet decides to live and disguise the murderer. To satisfy himself
on this score Hamlet devices a plan: a company of traveling actors is to perform before the king
and Hamlet instructs them to act out in a play the precise circumstances of the later king s

murder as revealed to Hamlet by the ghost. When the actors were performing this, the king could
stand it no longer. He is tormented and leaves the room. Hamlet is now absolutely convinced of
the kings guilt. In a stormy scene with his mother hamlet reproaches her bitterly for her part in
the affair. Hearing someone behind the curtains Hamlet stabs through them thinking it is the
king. But it was instead Ophelias father, who thus meets his death. The death of her father
added to her lovers supposed madness is too much for Ophelia. The poor girl looses her senses
and is subsequently drowned in a brook.
A poisoned weapon through the machinations of the king wounds Hamlet. But before he dies he
slays the murderer. The queen also meets her death accidentally drinking a cup of poisoned wine,
which had been prepared for Hamlet.
Characters
Hamlet
The character of Hamlet recalls the titans of the Renaissance. Hamlet is a man of genius, highly
educated, a man of searching mind and sparkling wit. Hamlet is the pride of all Denmark. The
common people of the country love him. Hamlet is a humanist, a man who is free from medieval
prejudices and superstitions. Shakespeare makes him a student of the Wittenberg University, a
seat of learning. He is very just and noble. This finds expression in Hamlets admiration of man
a s a creature. It is so characteristic of Renaissance. He says:
Hamlet: What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason!
How infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable!
In action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a God!
The beauty of the world. The paragon of animals! This enthusiastic exclamation could have
come only form a man of Renaissance. Such is Hamlet, who opposes a cruel hypocritical and
treacherous world. His indignation at what he sees is summed up in bitter and condemnatory
words: Denmark is a prison. Hamlets ideas bring him to the heights of humanist ideas.
Hamlet had to oppose the sea of troubles. And he starts with his family. The immediate
surrounding of his is his Mother, Gertrude, and her husband, Hamlets uncle, the present king
Claudius.
Claudius, the present king, personifies the most disgusting traits of the Court he is a villain
and a murderer. He pretends to be generous and caring. But in fact he has a destructive force
which brought Hamlets family and the whole kingdom to destruction. Hamlet calls him the
king of strings and patches. Claudius has lost any sense of decency after killing his brother
with cold hand, he perverts Gertrude, his sister-in law. He plays the noble and just man, fooling
everybody around, using Laertus, Othelias brother, to kill Hamlet. In fact Claudius used
everybody in disguising his crimes but justice triumphs. All the main characters of this play are
killed. Before his death Hamlet addresses people with the request not to commit such mistakes
which were committed in the Kingdom of Denmark. He challenges everyone to live in peace and
love.
Hamlet Prince of Denmark is a very humanistic tragedy. It calls for justice, freedom and honesty.