2006-09-14 10:54:58 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Theater & Acting
Tommy:
Didn't want to! Any problems with that?
2006-09-14 11:01:27 · update #1
Judgment call. Sophocles, Euripides, Racine, Goethe all have claims - let alone more modern writers. I would be inclined to say there is no such thing as an absolute in the arts.
Whoopee! this just got me Level 3
2006-09-14 11:09:13 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Supposedly.....but I think there is a lot of evidence that Marlowe was the author. No one knows where shakespeare was educated, and how did he know so much about court procedure when he did not move in such circles. Especially the Danish court and the Italian.....Marlow did, and that's just for starters. Marlow was recognised as a great playwrite and they knew for a fact that he was a genius in his own day. If Shakspeare was such an amazing writer and playwrite, then why is there no record of his genius other than his name on the first folio. There's definitely something that went on, and I just hope some evidence comes to light. Marlow's 'Jew of Malta' is identical to the way Shakspeare wrote. It must have been by the same hand.
Anyway it makes no difference really, as the way the words are put together in plays and sonnets is unadulterated pure genius.
Answer to your question....YES
2006-09-14 11:18:05 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that the mere fact that his plays are still studied and performed today is testament to his greatness. Can you think of anyone else who has had his longevity. You have to remember that he was a 'jobbing' playwright - he wasn't writing so that centuries later his work would still be performed. This makes it even more remarkable that he is still 'around' today. There are many words and phrases that we use today that he invented - again, who else can we say that about.
'Addiction', 'accommodation', 'did not sleep a wink', 'every dog has his day', to name but four.
Many people argue that his work is not relevant today. I disagree. The subjects that he wrote about are standard fodder of any soap or TV drama that you can see today - relationships, betrayal, death, murder, family issues etc.
Unfortunately we tend to be fairly lazy, and because sometiomes his language takes a little thinking about before the meaning is clear, we write it off as 'irrelevant'. It's often said that were he alive today, he'd probably be writing scripts for 'Coronation Street', and I have to agree. He had the same skill that the best soap scriptwriters have in that he wrote about what people know and can relate to, tackling subjects that appeal to a wide cross section of society, with characters we empathise with, or love to hate. You should try to see one of his plays performed, I'm sure you would enjoy it. Incidentally, there have been many films and musicals losely based on his work, such as Kiss Me Kate (Taming of the Shrew), West Side Story (Romeo + Juliet), She's the Man (Twelfth Night).
2006-09-15 03:30:31 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Undoubtedly! Sophocles is great, but Willy is a genius!
I firmly believe that he was the greatest playwright that has ever lived!
In addition to tracy w above:
The Taming of the Shrew also became 10 Things I Hate About You (Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles)
2006-09-15 04:38:27 · answer #4 · answered by Huckleberry Finn 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just for his output and staying power alone he is certainly high above most. Like the man said, "There are no absoutes in art."
The Greeks, the Romantics, the you name its, aren't played as much. That sure indicates something about his output. Granted he 'borrowed' plots, but what he did with character and language is hard to rival. Elitists would have us believe that he didn't have the education to write what he wrote. We should just be happy that it all wasn't destroyed everytime a theate in London burned to the ground.
2006-09-14 11:17:17 · answer #5 · answered by Grody Jicama 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Shakespeare
2006-09-14 11:02:37 · answer #6 · answered by Hadley Hodgkin 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In English, absolutely. However, other languages have produced their Genii from Aristophanes to Lorca.
2006-09-15 06:57:46 · answer #7 · answered by wilf69 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a controversy about the fact that W. Shakespeare may not have actually written the plays himself, but just adapted them for his theatre productions.
2006-09-14 11:00:02 · answer #8 · answered by dot&carryone. 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think so. But it's up for interpretation. Some days I like Neil Simon better.
2006-09-14 11:23:31 · answer #9 · answered by laura_ghill 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He's certainly endured the test of time. Whether he was the greatest will always be open for debate!
2006-09-14 11:02:38 · answer #10 · answered by Gazza Bear 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋