SHAKESPEARES WORKSShakespeare's works are written in Early Modern English.As William Shakespeare is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language, it come as no surprise that his works - plays, sonnets and narrative poems - are popular reading material across the globe. Much of his work is studied in schools as part of the curriculum, and as such there are hundreds of textbooks explaining the finer points and details of his works in simple English. Many Shakespearian plays have been made into famous films - even children's movies, like Disney's The Lion King, draw upon Shakespeare's work: The Lion King is based upon his play Hamlet - while Shakespearian sonnets appear in music and books across the world.There is a term, which may come across as being slightly mocking, which refers to the great popularity of Shakespeare and his works: bardolatry. The meaning of this term is defined as the worship or idolism - often thought to be excessive - of William Shakespeare. It was coined by George Bernard Shaw, who disliked Shakespeare - thinking his works were not relevant to this time-period as they did not engage with social issues - and refers to the fact that Shakespeare is often known as 'the Bard'.Shakespeare's plays can be divided into three main categories: the comedies, the histories, and the tragedies. His tragedies are widely thought to be some of the greatest writing ever published, and as such are hugely popular among scholars and lay-readers alike.Some of the more popular pieces of Shakespearian writing, which may be studied in school or university, include the likes of Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear.King Lear is thought by many to be one of Shakespeare's greatest triumphs, a play layered with complexities of the human condition: it is a study in human suffering and the kinship of man. It follows the story of Lear, the King of England, as he descends slowly into madness and his three daughters. Lear splits the kingdom between two of his daughters on the basis of which daughter flattered him most, while the third daughter, good Cordelia, leaves to live with the King of France. The consequences of Lear's actions have an effect felt throughout the kingdom.Macbeth may be the shortest of Shakespeare's tragedies, but not only is it one of his most famous, but is often considered one of the darkest of the Shakespearian plays. It investigates the corrupting effects of ambition and power, following the disastrous career of the Scottish lord Macbeth, who uses murder to gain and retain the crown. Macbeth not only destroys his country by plunging it into civil war, but eventually loses hold of all that makes his life worth living, before eventually losing his life also.In comparison, Hamlet is the longest of any of Shakespeare's plays, and is not only hugely popular today, but was during the playwright's lifetime as well. It has remained at the top of the Royal Shakespeare Company's performance list since 1879. It is considered to be one of the most influential pieces of tragedy written in the English language, exploring themes such as revenge, moral corruption and treachery. Like most of Shakespeare's tragedies, there is madness in the characters portrayed within Hamlet: terrible grief battles with unbridled rage, some characters feigning madness while others are truly gripped by it. The plot of Hamlet is one of revenge and murder: it follows Prince Hamlet, who learns from the ghost of his dead father that it was his uncle who slayed the old king, in order to gain his crown and his wife (Hamlet's mother).Romeo and Juliet was another of Shakespeare's plays which attained great popularity and praise during the playwright's lifetime. It portrays the often-told tale of star-crossed lovers from feuding families, who kill themselves for love, resulting in the reconciliation of their families. It is a tale which has been told throughout the ages: based originally on an Italian tale but modified skillfully by Shakespeare. Shakespeare's use of combining comedy with tragedy keeps tensions high throughout the play. It is a play which has been adapted innumerable times, for stage, opera, musical and film and one which is studied in literature courses across the globe.Shakespeare wrote most of his work between 1589 and 1613. As such, the language can be very different from what is spoken and written today. To help Shakespeare scholars to get the most out of reading his work, many editions will have readers' notes which explain, in simpler terms, what specific words mean in today's English. There are also hundreds of textbooks available, explaining and examining the various themes and underlying meanings to Shakespeare's works.Influence on the English language[edit]Shakespeare's writings greatly influenced the entire English language. Prior to and during Shakespeare's time, the grammar and rules of English were not standardized.[26]But once Shakespeare's plays became popular in the late seventeenth and eighteenth century, they helped contribute to the standardization of the English language, with many Shakespearean words and phrases becoming embedded in the English language, particularly through projects such asSamuel Johnson'sA Dictionary of the English Languagewhich quoted Shakespeare more than any other writer.[27]He expanded the scope of English literature by introducing new words and phrases,[28]experimenting withblank verse, and also introducing new poetic and grammatical structures. He also inspired modern terms commonly used in the twenty-first century: the term "swag" was in fact used in "Othello" during act VII line 12, "I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at; for thy beauty swags the heavens for I am not what I am".Vocabulary[edit]For a list of words relating to Shakespeare's vocabulary, see theWords from Shakespearecategory of wordsinWiktionary, the free dictionary.

Among Shakespeare's greatest contributions to the English language must be the introduction of new vocabulary and phrases which have enriched the language making it more colorful and expressive. Some estimates at the number of words coined by Shakespeare number in the several thousands. Warren King clarifies by saying that, "In all of his work the plays, the sonnets and the narrative poems Shakespeare uses 17,677 words: Of those, 1,700 were first used by Shakespeare."[29]He is also well known forborrowingfrom the classical literature and foreign languages.[19]He created these words by, "changing nouns into verbs, changing verbs into adjectives, connecting words never before used together, adding prefixes and suffixes, and devising words wholly original."[30]Many of Shakespeare's original phrases are still used in conversation and language today. These include, but are not limited to; "seen better days, strange bedfellows, a sorry sight,"[31]and "full circle".[32]Shakespeare added a considerable amount of words to the English language when compared to additions to English vocabulary made in other times. Shakespeare helped to further develop style and structure to an otherwise loose, spontaneous language. WrittenElizabethanEnglish stylistically closely followed the spoken language. The naturalness gave force and freedom since there was no formalized prescriptivegrammarbinding the expression. While lack of prescribed grammatical rules introduced vagueness in literature, it also expressed feelings with profound vividness and emotion which created, "freedom of expression" and "vividness of presentment".[33]It was a language which expressed feelings explicitly. Shakespeare's gift involved using the exuberance of the language anddecasyllabicstructure in prose and poetry of his plays to reach the masses and the result was "a constant two way exchange between learned and the popular, together producing the unique combination of racy tang and the majestic stateliness that informs the language of Shakespeare".[19]While it is true that Shakespeare created many new words (the Oxford English Dictionary records over 2,000[34]), an article inNational Geographicpoints out the findings of historian Jonathan Hope who wrote in "Shakespeare's 'Native English'" that "the Victorian scholars who read texts for the first edition of the OED paid special attention to Shakespeare: his texts were read more thoroughly, and cited more often, so he is often credited with the first use of words, or senses of words, which can, in fact, be found in other writers."[35]Shakespeare created many words that are commonly used in British lexicon today

Hamlet

Cuenta cmo el principe Hamlet se venga de su tio Claudio, quien asesin al rey, tomo el trono y se cas con la madre de Hamlet. La obra explora temas como la venganza, la traicin, el incesto y la corrupcin moral. Hamlet es la obra de teatro ms larga de Shakespeare y una de las ms poderosas e influentes tragedias de la literatura. Mientras vivia sta fue una de las obras ms populares de Shakespeare y aun hoy es una de las que ms se interpretan del autor. ha inspirado a escritores como Goethe y Dickens y ha sido descrita como "la historia ms filmada de la historia despus de "Cenicienta". Sin duda es uno de los ms grandes dramas alguna vez escritos y en sus siglos de vida ha sido interpretada por los ms grandes actores y actrices de sus generaciones.

Otelo: el moro de VeneciaSe cree que esta tagedia fue escrita aproximadamente en 1603, la obra gira alrededor de 4 personajes principales: Otelo, su esposa Desdmona, su alfrez Yago y Ludovico. Probando su popularidad la obra apareci en siete ediciones diferente entre 1622 y 1705, por sus variados temas -racismo, amor, celos y traicin- permanece relevante hasta el da de hoy y es interpretada a menudo por profesionales y la gente comun. La obra tambin ha servido de inspiracin para numerosas operas, pelculas y adaptaciones literarias.

MacbethEsta es una de las obras de teatro ms conocidas de Shakespeare y es su tragedia ms corta, posiblemente escrita entre 1603 y 1606 se representa frecuentemente a nivel profesional y amateur por todo el mundo. Ha sido adaptada en pelcula y obras literarias, operas as como tambin ha inspirado msica. La obra habla sobre los peligros del ansia por el poder y la traicin entre amigos.Hay muchas supersticiones alrededor de la obra que dicen que sta est maldita y muchos actores no mencionan el nombre de la obra en voz alta, en vez de eso se refieren a ella como "la obra escocesa"

El sueo de una noche de veranoEsta comedia romantica retrara las aventuras de 4 jovenes amantes, un grupo de actores novatos, sus interacciones con Teseo y Hiplita (principe y princesa de Atenas) y con las hadas que habitan un bosque. Esta obra es una de las ms populares de Shakespeare.

Romeo y JulietaEsta obra es la tragedia de dos jovenes adolescentes enamorados cuyas familias estn en duelo, lo que hace su amor inaceptable. El guion ha sido aclamado por su lenguaje y efecto dramatico. Es una de las obras ms conocidas e interpretadas de Shakespeare. La influencia de la obra aun se ve hoy en da en todos los medios de arte.

Words that Shakespeare InventedHere are some common words that first appeared in Shakespeares plays and their meanings:Auspicious favorable; promising success; a good omen. A wedding is an example of an auspicious occasion.Baseless without a foundation; not based on fact. If you accuse someone of wrongdoing, make sure that you have support to back up your claim and it is not a baseless accusation.Barefaced shameless; withoutconcealmentor disguise. When someone tells a 'barefaced lie' it is not a very good one and you immediately know it is not true.Castigate to punish harshly. Sometimes celebrities and politicians are castigated in the press more harshly than ordinary citizens.Clangor a loud (clanging) sound. Ghosts are sometimes said to be followed by the loud clangor of chains.Dexterously skillful, especially in the use of ones hands (or also ones mind). A good carpenter can dexterously build a bookshelf very easily.Dwindle to get smaller; diminish. Often used to describe money. Many peoples savings dwindle after losing a job.Multitudinous a lot; a great number. You are in luck if you can say that you have a multitudinous amount of friends.Sanctimonious pretending to be very religious or righteous. Sometimes people who judge others harshly are sanctimonious.Watchdog a person or group that keeps close watch to discover wrong or illegal activity. A popular watchdog group is PETA, which exposes wrongful actions against animals.Phrases Shakespeare InventedHere are some phrases that Shakespeare is said to have invented, many of which are commonly used today. "Its Greek to me" (Julius Caesar) - When you say, "it's Greek to me" you are admitting that you do not know or understand something. "Fair play" (The Tempest) - Follow the rules, especially in competitions or sports. "All that glitters isnt gold" (Merchant of Venice) - We usually use this phrase after we discover the fact that something that looks good turns out not to be that great. "Wear ones heart on ones sleeve" (Othello) - To be a hopeless romantic (or be open and honest about how you feel) is to wear one's heart on one's sleeve. "Break the ice" (The Taming of the Shrew) - Often when you meet someone for the first time, you "break the ice" by asking them polite questions about themselves. "The lady doth protest too much" (Hamlet) - If someone denies something more than once, you can say "the lady doth protest too much," meaning you think that they feel the opposite to what they are saying. "Clothes make the man" (Hamlet) - Although not always true, this phrase implies that how a person dresses tells you something about who they are as a person. "A laughing stock" (The Merry Wives of Windsor) - To be a laughing stock is to be considered a joke by many people. "Too much of a good thing" (As You Like It) - It is said that "too much of a good thing" (i.e. money, love, food) is not necessarily good for you. "In a pickle" (The Tempest) - To be "in a pickle" is to be in trouble or a situation that you cannot easily get out of.