William Shakespeare was one of the most eminent and probably the most famous poet of English Literature. His works have made him immortal. In this lesson today, you will learn how to write an essay on the greatest poet: William Shakespeare.
Short Essay on William Shakespeare in 100 Words
William Shakespeare is by far the best-known literary figure in the history of English literature. He is principally known for his dramas and sonnets that have enriched British literature by folds. As the contemporary of Kyd and Marlow, Shakespeare has innovated the classical theatrical stances and defined them according to his contemporary audience.
He has written several comedies, tragedies, and tragicomedies in his literary career. Some of his famous plays include Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and others. His sonnets are quite famous and are dedicated to two personalities- the Earl of Southampton and the dark lady. It is said that the great poet died on 23 April 1616.
Short Essay on William Shakespeare in 200 Words
‘’Bard of Avon’’ William Shakespeare is the master playwright and poet of Renaissance England. The perfect blending of a playwright and the poet makes his genius so captivating. His career spans over twenty-four years where he has gifted his audience and readers a bounty of productions. Shakespeare has re-defined the theatre and its heroes and heroines. His career has four distinct sections that mark out his prolific capacity.
In the beginning, he has composed history plays like Henry VI plays, Richard III and Richard II, Comedy of Errors, and Love’s Labour Lost. The second phase contains all his comedies like The Taming of the Shrew, The Merry Wives of Windsor, As You Like It, Twelfth Night. The third phase is that of tragedies that sees Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Julius Ceaser. The final stage is of lesser-known plays like Winter’s Tale and The Tempest.
The sonnets of Shakespeare are lyrical poems that evoke sense and sensibilities in the readers. His sonnets are divided into a binary section- the first 126 sonnets are addressed to Earl of Southampton, while the rest 127-152 are for the dark lady. Both the identities of these two figures are mysteries, yet the most beautiful poems of Shakespeare are composed over them. He even dedicates his last two sonnets to Cupid.
Short Essay on William Shakespeare in 400 Words
Little is known about William Shakespeare, one of the greatest names in the British canon of dramas and poems. His biography does not much reveal about his childhood or early occupation. Yet among his contemporaries, Shakespeare is by far the best literary personality of all times and centuries. He was said to be born in 1564 at the Stratford-upon-Avon of United Kingdom. Within this span of twenty-four years of a literary career, he has gifted the British and European canon with his enormous creative prospects that from time immemorial has been the object of criticisms and researches.
The literary career of Shakespeare is roughly divided into four segments.
FIRST PHASE- It includes the history plays of Shakespeare, where he experiments with several aspects of tragedy, comedy, and history. To this period belong his Henry VI plays, Comedy of Errors, Love’ Labour Lost, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and the only tragedy, Titus Andronicus.
SECOND PHASE- This includes his comedies and is one of the best moments of the playwright. To this belongs his greatest comedies and historical plays- The Taming of the Shrew, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Twelfth Night, Merchant of Venice, As you Like It, and King John as the first historical play.
THIRD PHASE- This stage is called the stage of tragedies, where Shakespeare has given world-class tragedies including Othello, Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Julius Ceaser, and others.
FOURTH PHASE- The last phase of the playwright’s career has some lesser-known plays like The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest. It is also in this stage that his sonnets are published in 1609.
Shakespeare’s sonnets are a significant aspect of his career as within the 14lines structure, he asserts a completely different style of address. Here it is not a beautiful lady, but a man and a woman of much darker complexion. The man is considered as Earl of Southampton (1-126) and the woman as Dark lady (127-152), although their identities are still a mystery. An unconventional method of sonnet writing is apparent here. He even dedicates two of the sonnets to Cupid. His poetic style is simple, sensuous, and passionate and is perfectly carried out in his poems. Shakespeare’s literary talent is profound and incomprehensible, yet a specimen of imperishable beauty.
Though we don’t have much information about his life, many researchers say that the greatest poet of all time William Shakespeare died on the 23rd of April, 1616 in the same city he was born.
In this lesson above, I have tried to picture the life of William Shakespeare within very limited words. Hopefully, after going through this session, you have understood how you can actually concise the story of such a vast life within your recommended words. If you still have any doubts, please let me know through some quick comments. If you want to read more such essays and other kinds of English compositions, keep browsing our website.
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