SH+2014-15+P5+William+Shakespeare

**Historical by Alex Zhao**

From the tragic lovers of “Romeo and Juliet” to the mythical creatures mentioned in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, the lasting impact of William Shakespeare’s plays, the timeless characters, and methods of writing he created demonstrate their lasting impact on history. Although born to a large family living far, far away from urban cultural ideas and influence, Shakespeare’s widely international success reached beyond the confines of his small town 100 miles away from London (“The Life of William Shakespeare”). Shakespeare’s most historic and popular works include “Romeo and Juliet”, “Hamlet”, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, and “Macbeth” which all contain an aspect of Shakespeare’s writing that have become popularized in modern times, such as the archetype of the two young lovers and the confusing love triangle (“Shakespeare FAQ”). Shakespeare’s tragedies and romantic comedies, although created over 500 years ago, have created such a lasting and sincere impact on readers that his plays are frequently taught in schools in America as part of a supplement to many English-based classes (Love 1). On a similar note, Shakespeare’s plays tie in a multitude of aspects from his time period, such as tragic love and the mystical creatures of fairies and superhuman beings, that thrive in today’s modern world as Shakespeare so avidly and passionate published his plays and other works. “Hamlet” has become Shakespeare’s most popular and most performed play in history as “Hamlet” has topped the Royal Shakespeare Company’s list since 1879 (“Shakespeare FAQ”). Similarly, as Shakespeare refreshed the theater industry with his plays, he also wrote poetry in a style called the sonnet or sometimes, the Shakespearean sonnet (Pressley). The differentiation between a sonnet and the Shakespearean sonnet is the three rhyming quatrains and a couplet at the end written in iambic pentameter, a rhyming method (Pressley). The sonnet and some of Shakespeare’s most iconic and popular plays grabbed attention within history because of the significant value and individualized humor and tragedy that were presented within his published and widely famous works.

Works Cited Love, Mark. "Shakespeare in the Classroom." //In Search of Shakespeare//. PBS, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

Pressley, J.M. "Shakespeare's Biography." //Shakespeare Resource Center//. Shakespeare Resource Center, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

"Shakespeare FAQ." //Absolute Shakespeare//. Absolute Shakespeare, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

"The Life of William Shakespeare (1564–1616)." // Shakespeare in American Communities //. National Endowment for the Arts, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

Perhaps best known for his 16th century play “Romeo and Juliet”, William Shakespeare had and continues to have an extremely impregnable influence on modern culture. according to “The New York Times” journalist Marjorie Garber, “I t is one of the fascinating effects of Shakespeare's plays that they have almost always seemed to coincide with the times in which they are read, published, produced, and discussed” (1). Shakespeare’s writing technique and universal themes have allowed his work to age beautifully, as it continues to play a significant role in modern society. His stories of young love, individuality, and revenge still ring true today. Shakespeare had a talent for connecting with his audience, and those who read his work today can easily relate to his universal themes and motifs. In response to the great playwright’s lasting impression on modern culture, Alex Huang states, “Great ideas transcend historical and cultural boundaries can be articulated in many different forms and languages” (1). Despite the boundaries imposed by both a transformed culture and historical differences, Shakespeare’s messages still  to the modern era. Not only is the playwright responsible for his theatre contributions, he is also well known for his large contribution to language. As the creator of a monumental amount of vocabulary and poetry techniques, Shakespeare’s impact went far beyond the territory of center stage. Shakespeare’s modern impact on the culture of today includes a variety of significant contributions that have changed the way humans interact with both literature and their own society.
 * Cultural by Karly Moyers **

Works Cited Garber, Marjorie. "Shakespeare and The Modern Culture." //The New York Times.// The New York Times, 10 Dec. 2008. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

Huang, Alex. "The Global Influence of Shakespeare." //GW Today//. GW Today, 22 Nov. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.


 * Audience by Luis Camacho **

Shakespeare attracted a wide audience in Elizabethan England. They mainly consisted of wealthier Nobles and upper class citizens could afford seats on elevated levels of the theater “Most of the poorer audience members, referred to as groundlings, would pay one penny (which was almost an entire day's wage) to stand in front of the stage, while the richer patrons would sit in the covered galleries, paying as much as half a crown each for their seats”(Mallibard 1). Each play was targeted towards a specific audience: the Upper Class. The actors were not allowed to ridicule the Royal Family and had to align themselves with the Monarch’s political beliefs. The only person allowed to speak their mind had to be a fool or someone that could be laughed at for being crazy. The “fool” could stick up for the peasants or say the King was a fool, but it had to be in a way that it could be laughed at. In Elizabethan England, the plays were made to cater towards the richer audience in order to turn a profit. In today’s society, the idea that one group of people is superior than another is frowned upon, but in 16th century England, it was included in almost every play. Actors also did not make very much money, so the rich had to be catered to in order to continue making a profit.

Works Cited Mabillard, Amanda. "Shakespeare's Audience." //Shakespeare Online//. Shakespeare Online//,// 18 May 2014. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

"Shakespeare's Audience and Audiences Today." //Utah Shakespeare Festival//. Utah Shakespeare Festival, 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

When writing Julius Caesar William Shakespeare had many purposes for writing Julius Ceasar because some of Shakespeare's well known themes are revenge and tragedies. He has written many plays and poems that appeal An article states, “...he wrote his plays with as much attention to politics as attention to the rhetoric of his characters” (Rutledge 1). His purpose was to entertain his readers and audience by having a dramatic ending in Julius Caesar. It appealed to the political parties in England during the 15th century. In Julius Ceasar, William Shakespeare wrote with one of his well known themes, tragedy. The play shows the issues that can happen with the government. Shakespeare expressed that anything can happen to the government at any time by the death of Julius Caesar.
 * Aim by Hannah Stevens **

Works Cited Rutledge, Courtney. "Shakespeare and //Julius Caesar//: Political Propaganda." //James Madison University//. James Madison University, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014

"Shakespeare's Historical Influences for Julius Caesar" //WriteWork//. WriteWork, 23 August, 2004. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

 Shakespeare's Biography