William Shakespeare is considered the greatest English writer and poet of all times and the world's most renown dramatist. His plays are still the most frequently performed in theatres worldwide, outshining by far any other playwright. With about 39 plays, 154 sonnets, and a few other works, his legacy is fairly considerable and a subject of exploration and continuous interpretations. Essays on Shakespeare works may focus on his characters and their struggles, on love, loyalty, fate, sacrifice identity, vengeance, human nature, the corrupting effect of power, etc. This makes them relevant for students even nowadays. Check out the essay samples in this rubric for additional topics and examples of good writing focused on Shakespeare’s works.
Hamlet’s tragic flaw is his inability to avenge his father’s death because he hasn’t been able to conquer himself in his internal conflict. This recalls the cliche- “One’s greatest enemy is no other than oneself”. I think procrastination is the inaction that leads to Hamlet’s...
William Shakespeare is arguably the most famous writer of the English language, known for both his plays and sonnets. Much about his life remains open to debate due to incomplete evidence. In the mid-sixteenth century, William Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare, moved to the idyllic town...
“When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.”- Jimi Hendrix. The power of love is strong enough to open the hearts of powerful men, who abuse their power, to obtain dominance, control, and to seek revenge. Lust for...
Shakespeare, the Einstein of his time has changed the intrepid minds of many influential people in the Elizabethan era which includes King Edward I. In his greatest play, Macbeth, has showed us that ‘foul is fair and foul is fair’ in the relationship between Macbeth...
There are many powerful stories in the world. Tales of intrigue, revenge and redemption. But it is the skilful craft of storytelling which makes these narratives memorable. Narratives which are well told that involve the compelling characterisation of complex individuals, an engaging and suspenseful plot...
Julius Caesar was a popular leader of the Rome Republic. When he was born it was a new chapter in Roman history. When he turned 31, he was going into several wars and got involved in Roman politics. After several alliances he became the dictator...
William Shakespeare’s highly acclaimed drama Romeo and Juliet is the story of two lovers against fate who by their death end the quarrels between their families, The Montagues and the Capulet. After meeting each other at a masquerade, Romeo and Juliet fall in one. The...
In Shakespearean plays, women have always played important roles. Whether their purpose was to create the base of the play, main conflicts, or generate moral and cultural questions, women are always put in arduous situations. Often, the role of women surpasses the role of male...
Many cultural and literary historians, along with feminists, without leaving any margins of doubts, have demonstrated that throughout the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, rebellious and defiant women were always a concern for men in the Elizabethan society. Evidence of unease, anxiety and discomfort...
Hamlet is a tragic story where there is a hero and criminals. Everyone has an imperfection that leads to something tragic or r emotional in all of the history. The main evil in this story is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. In Shakespeare’s Theatrical Story, Hamlet...
“An evil person may be considered as somebody who condones bad or morally wrong activities that cause ruin, injury, misfortune or destruction.” That is how Brandon Johnson describes an evil person in his article in “Analysis of Iago Character in Shakespeare’s “Othello.” In the play...
The nature of mankind makes us struggle to choose between right and wrong. From time to time, there is struggle between personal desires and moral decisions. In the play “Macbeth”, William Shakespeare illustrates humanity as murky and corrupt. He demonstrates the unsavory side human nature...
Vengeance, chaos, uncertain honor and untimely death-whether describing the fall from grace of a noble king, impassioned General, or valiant warrior, each arises in the historically based tragedies of William Shakespeare. Coriolanus, Shakespeare’s account of the societal and self destruction of a Roman warrior paragon,...
Kate’s difficult personality and behavior are not entirely due to the lack of love she receives. In fact, Kate’s problematic persona is caused by her self-absorption. For the first time in Kate’s life, when she is headed off with Petruchio, she sees others being verbally...
William Shakespeare’s revenge tragedy Hamlet presents a universal protaganist who defies to Aristotelian tragedy conventions to wholly embody the struggle of the human condition – Hamlet’s psychological transition from disillusionment to a state of resolution. Hamlet, a christian humanist, provides a unique introspection into the...
William Shakespeare’s 55th Sonnet and John Donne’s “The Canonization” are both poems that possess the same themes, anxieties, and cultural practices, thus illuminating the two poets’ experiences in early modern Britain. According to Sasha Roberts, “’wit’ in the early modern period denoted ingenuity, intelligence, imagination,...
One of Shakespeare’s earliest plays (its first recorded performance was in December 1594), The Comedy of Errors has frequently been dismissed as a pure farce, unrepresentative of the playwright’s later efforts. While Errors may contain some farcical elements, it is a complex, layered work that...
William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Sophocles’ Antigone both develop a complex plot structure and show many similarities and differences. They share some common tragic illumination along with some uncommon tragic illumination, as well. Each of the plays ended in some sorts of fatalities, but...
Hamlet’s tragic flaw is his inability to avenge his father’s death because he hasn’t been able to conquer himself in his internal conflict. This recalls the cliche- “One’s greatest enemy is no other than oneself”. I think procrastination is the inaction that leads to Hamlet’s...