William Shakespeare?

Question

I understand that William Shakespeare was around in the 'Elizabethan Era', but in which period were his plays set?
eg. Romeo and Juliet?

Answer 1

S's writing is divided into four periods (Browning, 1970):
1. up to about 1594, "he may be regarded as a writer learning the technique of his art and trying one experiment after another" (Browning:608): "Venus and Adonis";"Rape of Lucrece"; Henry VI; Richard III; Titus Andronicus; The Comedy of Errors; The Taming of the Shrew; The Two Gentlemen of Verona; Love's Labour's Lost;

2. from 1594 to about 1600, S. "attained full power as a dramatist and produced many of his most beautiful plays, though they lack the profundity that was to come later" (idem:608): Richard II, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Henry IV, Henry V; The Merry Wives of Windsor;

Comedies:The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It; Twelfth Night;

3. "Up to this time [at 36] his plays reveal a spirit of youthful freshness and optimism. But with the approach of middle age he seems to have been overwhelmed by a feeling of disillusionment and in some degree to have lost his faith in human nature" (idem:609).

Four great tragedies: Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear and Othello, all marked by "subtle character-drawing, skilful analysis of human motives, and philosophical reflections more profound than anything that appears in the earlier plays" (idem:609).

Roman plays, "which borrow their plots from Plutarch's Lives: Julius Caesar; Antony and Cleopatra; Troilus and Cressida; Timon of Athens;

Two "dark comedies": Measure for Measure; All's Well That Ends Well.

4. S. "had shaken off his black mood" [...] producing several plays "with an atmosphere of serene faith in the triumph of good over evil" (idem:609): The Winter's Tale, The Tempest.

As Browning points out, "[p]ractically all the known facts about Shakespeare and his life are collected in Sir Edmund Chambers's monumental Shakespeare: A Study of Facts and Problems (1930)" (idem:610).

Answer 2

Romeo and Juliet was set in Verona, Italy, based upon a story that was written in Italian, French and English sources. Shakespeare also set another play, The Two Gentlemen of Verona in that city. The Taming of the Shrew was set in Padua, Italy.All were in eras centuries before contemporary England of Shakespeare's time. Shakespeare set his plays in many different countries and in many different eras, from the Roman era to (then) current history of England up to Henry VIII . Julius Caesar was set in early Rome, as was Antony & Cleopatra, and Titus Andronicus . Troilus & Cressida was set in ancient Greece, as was Timon of Athens. Venus and Adonis in mythic Rome.Many of his plays were set in 15th and 16th century Italy.(Othello and The Merchant of Venice) Of course, Hamlet is set in Denmark, Macbeth in Scotland. Some were in fictitious places such as A Midsummer Night's Dream, or The Tempest. And, of course, those plays that are referred to as The Histories, tell the story of various kings of England going back to the earliest days of the kingdom, and the battles of the dynasties for the British Crown. The last, Henry VIII, tells of that king, the father of Queen Elizabeth.

Answer 3

because of the certainty of the pressures Juliet faces in Act 3 Scene 5 Romeo has to go away after killing her cousin so she in basic terms has one evening time with him. Her mom tells her that she is to marry count Paris even although she is already secretly married to Romeo who she loves. while she refuses her Father threatens that if she does no longer marry him he will in no way consult together with her returned and can kick her out. Her mom says she needs she develop into lifeless. Her mom says that they are going to in looking Romeo and kill him for killing Tybalt. wish that helps basically complete my essay on it Lol Xx