Page 24 - DENG203_ELECTIVE_ENGLISH_IV

Unit 2: The Seven Ages of Man by William Shakespeare

1-126, which were addressed to a beloved friend, a handsome and noble young man, and sonnets Notes
127-152, which were addressed to a malignant but fascinating “Dark Lady,” whom the poet
loves. Dramatist Shakespeare made a profound intrigue to novices and scholars alike as to the
identities of these people. Almost all of William Shakespeare’s sonnets study the inevitable
decay of time, and the immortalisation of love and beauty in poetry. The dates, order, and
authorship of the Sonnets have been a controversial topic of discussion.

2.2.2 Tragedy Themed Plays

After 1600, William Shakespeare wrote several tragedies like King Lear, Hamlet,
Othello and Macbeth. In these tragedies, Shakespeare’s characters give strong impressions of
human temperament that are universal and timeless. Probably the most famous of all these
plays is Hamlet, which shows retribution, incest, moral failure and betrayal. These moral failures
usually give twists and turns to Shakespeare’s plots, destroying the hero and his loved ones.
A few of the tragedies written by Shakespeare are possibly inspired by his study of Lives by
Greek historian and essay writer Plutarch and Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles (1587). Some of
these tragedies are also rewordings of earlier stories, and quite a few of these are based on
Roman or English history. The dates mentioned below are when these tragedies were said to
have been first performed, followed by estimated printing dates in brackets, listed in
chronological order of performance. The tragedies written by him are mentioned below.
Titus Andronicus first performed in 1594 (printed in 1594),

Romeo and Juliet 1594-95 (1597),
Hamlet 1600-01 (1603),
Julius Caesar 1600-01 (1623),

Othello 1604-05 (1622),
Antony and Cleopatra 1606-07 (1623),
King Lear 1606 (1608),
Coriolanus 1607-08 (1623), derived from Plutarch
Timon of Athens 1607-08 (1623), and

Macbeth 1611-1612 (1623).

2.2.3 History Themed Plays

With the exception of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare’s first plays were mostly histories written
in the early 1590s. William’s series of historical dramas which were based on the English Kings
from John to Henry VIII were a remarkable as they dramatised the lives of kings and the
changing political events of their times. Richard II, Henry VI (parts 1, 2 and 3) and Henry
V dramatised the destructive results of corrupt and weak rulers. These have been interpreted by
drama historians as Shakespeare’s way of justifying the origins of the Tudor Dynasty. No other
playwright had ever attempted to create such challenging ambitious works. Some of these plays
got printed on their own or in the First Folio (1623). These plays include:
King Henry VI Part 1 1592 (printed in 1594);
King Henry VI Part 2 1592-93 (1594);
King Henry VI Part 3 1592-93 (1623);
King John 1596-97 (1623);

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