William Shakespeare is considered the greatest playwright in the world & also believed to be the most excellent writer in the English language. He wrote a total of 37 plays in his lifetime. His plays are divided to be written in 4 periods according to the maturation and experiences in the poet's personal life.
1. Period of Early Experimentation: Titus Andronicus, Henry VI(three parts), Love's Labour's Lost, The Comedy of Errors, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Richard III, Richard II, King John.
2. Period of Rapid Growth and Development: Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Henry V.
3. Period of Gloom and Depression: Twelfth Night, The Taming of the Shrew, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Troilus and Cressida, All's Well That Ends Well, Measure for Measure, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, Timon of Athens.
4. Period of Restored Serenity/ Late Experimentation: Coriolanus, Pericles, Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, The Tempest, Henry VIII.
Here's a list of significant plays that are sufficient to know about real life and the mind of Shakespeare. However, in the case of Shakespeare 'more is always less'!
1. The Comedy of Errors
2. Two Gentlemen of Verona
3. Romeo and Juliet
4. Much Ado About Nothing
5. Twelfth Night
6. Julius Caesar
7. Hamlet
8. Macbeth
9. The Tempest
References: English Literature - Its history & significance for the life of the English-speaking world by WJ Long.
No comments:
Post a Comment