What Are The Chief Characteristics or Features of Shakespearean Plays
What Are The Chief Characteristics or Features of Shakespearean Plays
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Lecture by Uffaq Zahra
YouTube Channel URL (https://www.youtube.com/c/BsEnglishliteraturenotes) For More Notes.
• What are the chief characteristics or features of Shakespearean plays?
• Shakespeare's tragedies elements?
• Elements of Shakespearean Comedy?
Shakespeare, the greatest dramatist, is the master of art. No other dramatist has been successful in
attaining the heights he has achieved. The extent, variety and the richness of his plays are quite
bewildering as one approaches them. Some of the characteristics of his plays are given below:
i)Universality: Shakespeare is not of an age but of all ages, not of the country but of all countries.
Not only did his works amuse and thrill the audience in all ages and countries, they were composed
by the world's immortal poet. Though they were written more than four hundred years ago and
reflect the tastes, customs and traditions of Shakespeare's own age, they are as popular today as
before. They have been translated into almost all the important languages of the world and most of
them have been filmed. Shakespeare's plays are immortal because they deal with the universals—
the central passions which are common to all humanity.
ii)Versatile genius: Shakespeare had a wonderful imagination and power of understanding
fundamental things. His success was all round. He is equally master of tragedy, comedy and tragi-
comedy. His versatile genius creates wonderful characters and very interesting situations without
any repetition. Just as he unsurpassed in tragedy, he is unbeaten in comedy.
iii)Art of characterization: In delineation of character Shakespeare stands unrivalled in English
literature. Shakespeare's humanity is varied as the human race, his men and women are drawn from
every walk, age and station of life—King, Lords and nobles, general and great warriors, common
people, drunkards, cut throats, thieves and robbers cowards, clowns, dreamers, saints and sinners,
men, women and children all walk across the stage of Shakespeare. No other dramatist of the world
has given us such infinite variety.
Shakespeare's characters are entirely true to life. In the treatment of character Shakespeare
displays a profound understanding of human psychology. All his varied characters have been
extremely individualized Besides his characters are so vividly and convincingly presented that we
know them better than we know most of our neighbors and friends, but we can never forget
Rosalind, Orlando, Touchstone, Jaques, Hamlet, King Lear, Portia, Shylock, Othello, Edmund etc.
Shakespeare has created a large number of characters and all are equally convincing. His minor
characters are also highly impressive.
iv)Humanity of Shakespeare: Shakespeare is admirable for his humanity. His greatness lies in his
sympathy for human beings. He is not a rapid satirist like his contemporary Ben Jonson. He has
defined human beings and when we study his plays we get a glorious picture of ourselves. For who
could applaud humanity and human beings better than Shakespeare in his Hamlet and The Tempest.
We are simply amused and delighted to read the following glorious lines on man in Hamlet and love
the man who could glorify 'man' in these words.
"What a piece of work is man!"
v)Pathos in Shakespeare: Shakespeare touches the human heart and moves us to pity and
sympathy. The quality of pathos in his dramas makes us tender, soft, and kind towards the sufferers
in human life. That is why we like and love Shakespeare.
vi)Shakespeare's Treatment of Love: We admire Shakespeare for his admirable treatment of the
subject of love. The element of romance makes his plays highly interesting. We have the devotion
and fidelity in love in his plays as in the case of Desdimona for Othello, Miranda for Ferdinand,
Rosalind for Orlando etc. All these cases are of extreme devotion to do credit to the lovers.
vii) Shakespeare’s philosophy of life: His profundity of thought :
Shakespeare had a deep insight into the human life. He may not have a philosophy of life, his
observations about life and its different facets are so meaningful that we do not find such a rich
treasure house of wisdom regarding human life in any of (he plays of his contemporaries and
dramatists of the later times. Shakespeare's observations are true to life and moves us to think
about the mysteries Of life. In Macbeth he utters the truth—
BS English Literature Notes. www.bseln.com
Lecture by Uffaq Zahra
YouTube Channel URL (https://www.youtube.com/c/BsEnglishliteraturenotes) For More Notes.
"Life is but a walking shadow is a tale .
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing."
The observation of Shakespeare is rich and profound and it gives us a rich key to the essential reality
about human life. He makes us to think about life and that is his greatness as a dramatist.
v) Shakespeare's variety: Shakespeare's work is distinguished from that of his contemporaries by its
variety. He handled most diverse subjects with an ardour almost equaled by his achievement. Of all
the world's greatest dramatists, he alone displays an equal aptitude for tragedy and comedy.
In conclusion we can say that Shakespeare's plays have an enduring quality. Shakespeare's vision of
life, his wonderful art of characterization, his broad humanity, his sense of humor and tolerance, his
catholicity of outlook and his dramatic art have all found an eloquent expression in his plays. He has
easily transcended the limits of time and space. He has become a rich heritage of mankind. Ben
Jonson has rightly said that "He was not of an age but for all times". He was not for only England, but
for all mankind
All in all, elements of Shakespearean comedy are myriad and even today there are still many aspects
to his plays which we could analyse and dissect. What’s most obvious, however, is that
Shakespeare’s understanding of the complicated interactions between people have laid the
foundations for most comedic storytelling. Shakespeare’s comedies explore how experiences may
not necessarily be as we perceive it to be; they found humour in pondering how suffering may be
due to reasons beyond our control; and they expose the irony in how thinking rationally stands in
stark contrast to our heart’s desires. For those reasons, it’s easy to appreciate why his plays have
retained a timeless appeal, and for writers there is still much to be learned.