Shakespeare's plays

William Shakespeare was an English playwright and poet who created a canon of approximately 39 dramatic works.

These plays are widely regarded as some of the greatest in the English language. They are performed continually around the world and have been translated into every major living language. While many plays appeared in print as individual quartos, about half remained unpublished until the posthumous First Folio was released in 1623. This collection helped preserve his work for future generations. Scholars often categorize his plays into three traditional groups: tragedies, comedies, and histories.

However, modern criticism has introduced new terms. Some plays are called "problem plays" because they are difficult to classify. Others are called "romances" to describe his later comedies.

Shakespeare’s dramatic style grew from two different traditions. The first was the Tudor morality play. These plays were often symbolic rather than realistic. They used personified moral attributes to teach characters to choose virtue over evil. The second tradition was classical aesthetic theory. This theory came from Aristotle and was studied in universities through Roman interpreters. In academic settings, these were called Roman closet dramas. They were usually performed in Latin and focused on long speeches rather than physical action. Shakespeare learned these classical theories at grammar school through the works of Plautus and Terence.

As Shakespeare began writing, he helped create a new, distinctively Elizabethan synthesis. This new drama was influenced by the "University Wits," such as Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Kyd. These writers blended the energy of morality plays with the rhetorical complexity of academic drama. This resulted in a secular form that was more ambiguous and complex. Shakespeare used these strategies to explore what it means to be human. In his comedies, he drew from writers like John Lyly. Lyly provided models for witty dialogue and romantic action. Shakespeare often used these elements to build his comedic mode.

The physical setting of the plays was also unique. Most London English Renaissance theatres followed a similar general plan. Public theatres were typically three stories high and built around an open center. They were often polygonal in shape to create a rounded effect. Three levels of inward-facing galleries overlooked the central open space. The stage was a platform that jutted into the audience. It was surrounded on three sides by the spectators. The upper level behind the stage could serve as a balcony. This was used in plays like *Romeo and Juliet* or for characters to address crowds in *Julius Caesar*.

Early theatres were often built of timber, lath, and plaster. They also featured thatched roofs, which made them vulnerable to fire. For example, the Globe theatre burned down in June 1613. It was eventually rebuilt with a more durable tile roof. A different model was the Blackfriars Theatre, which began regular use in 1599. The Blackfriars was smaller than the public theatres and was roofed rather than open to the sky. This made it resemble a more modern theatre style. Shakespeare's work shifted as he moved from the Elizabethan era into the Jacobean period.

During the Jacobean era, Shakespeare responded to changing popular tastes. He moved toward dramatic satire and the popular fashion of tragicomedy. He even collaborated with John Fletcher, a writer who helped popularize the tragicomedy genre. His Jacobean tragedies often featured a darker tone than his earlier works. Instead of the heroic mode seen in Elizabethan plays, these works showed characters in corrupt environments. His final plays often returned to romantic situations. However, these later works brought serious, sombre elements to the forefront. Some scholars believe he collaborated with Fletcher on his very last plays, such as *The Two Noble Kinsmen*.

Shakespeare's technical writing style was highly sophisticated. While he used prose, he frequently wrote in iambic pentameter. This is a rhythmic pattern used to create a steady beat. He often used blank verse, which is unrhymed iambic pentameter, for character dialogue. To signal the end of a scene, he frequently used a rhyming couplet. A couplet consists of two lines that rhyme together, providing a sense of completion. He also utilized soliloquies, where a character speaks their inner thoughts aloud to the audience. His work is also famous for extensive wordplay and rhetorical flourishes. Even in his tragedies, Shakespeare included humor to connect with his audience.