8 Characteristics of William Shakespeare's THEATER

William Shakespeare he is probably the best known and most important author of literature in the English language. His works not only stayed in the UK, but crossed all cultures, thanks to their everyday and relevant themes.

We wanted to dedicate this lesson from a PROFESSOR to this playwright and explain to you what are the characteristics of the theater of William Shakespeare, so you can see why his works are so relevant and are still present today.

William Shakespeare he was a English playwright, actor and poet that he lived in Victorian age. He has been considered one of the main figures in English literature and one of the best-known writers in the field of universal literature. Some of his works have been translated into virtually every language and are being published and performed on stage today more than ever.

Shakespeare wrote mainly theater and poetry. His way of writing has constituted a literary canon in the Western world, along with other relevant authors such as Miguel de Cervantes, León Tolstoy, Dante Alighieri or Charles Dickens.

Throughout his life, his works were recognized and performed, but his greatest fame came during the 19th century, when the romantic poets they realized the genius of his writing and used it, often for inspiration.

Even today there are numerous reinterpretations of Shakespeare's works, to adapt them to the times in which we live. Their such characteristic characters and their universal themes They have served as an inspiration to artists of all kinds and even to scientists who carried out studies in psychoanalysis or anthropology.

shakespearean theater is characterized mainly by the language game What is between the characters? This kind of lofty language exists in both his comedic and tragic works and shows that the author had a superb level of writing.

The topics Shakespeare's theater most common are:

• Love
• human passions
• The Salvation
• The relationship of people with authority and political power

These themes are also those that the other authors of the time dealt with, but Shakespeare was able to express the truth in a very everyday way and at the same time attractive to the public.

In all of his works we find a character who functions as jester or madman of the town and that he is the only one capable of speak out politically incorrect opinions and comments that William did not want to pass up. He was a sly way of saying what he thought, without getting his hands dirty.

If we talk about your historical dramas, we can see that Shakespeare is capable of recreating the most famous characters of the Greco-Roman historical tradition and make them human. This is achieved by delving into his feelings, his fears, his dilemmas, his morality, etc. Shakespeare's reading in the face of historical events often exceeds in truth the mere events that occurred and reported by historians.

The imagination of him and his characters have been considered as archetypes of the western way of thinking and they have been re-elected by different authors to write their pieces later. We can see the essence of William Shakespeare in artistic works by other authors in the field of narrative, poetry, painting, music, cinema, etc. This fact has been decisive in considering Shakespeare as one of the primordial authors for the development of the Europe we know today.

If you look closely you will be able to find the similarity of many current works, with Shakespeare's theater. For example:

• West Side History it is based on Romeo and Juliet
• The Lion King, in the work Hamlets
• ran, japanese, in The Lear King

The classical themes that Shakespeare wrote about, Today they are still valid and it is for this reason that they can be understood by the public of any era, making them feel identified with one of the characters:

• Free will and destiny
• Love in its many facets: betrayed, incestuous, spoiled, capable of a crime.
• Old age and its consequences.
• Sexual desire as a powerful force.
• religious faith.
• Friendship, betrayal and petty villainy.
• The authority of the monarchical State.
• Innocence and jealousy.
• Forgiveness and redemption.
• Individual responsibility for one's own actions and their consequences, and even for the reactions that we intentionally provoke in others.
• The idea of ​​justice both human and divine, or monarchical.
• War and its terrible consequences.

Now you know the main characteristics of the theater of William Shakespeare and why this author continues to be so relevant in the panorama of Western literature. If you are interested in continuing to learn more authors who have marked a before and after with their writings, do not hesitate to consult our section on the history of literature.