William Shakespeare lived
in a time when ideas and social structures that had been
established in the middle ages were being questioned.
Atheism challenged the beliefs of the Elizabethans; Romes
authority had been challenged by Luther, Calvin and other
smaller religious sects. The Divine Authority of the
Throne was being challenged in Parliament. Economic and
social order were being disturbed by the rise of
capitalism, the redistribution of monastic lands by Henry
the VIII and the expansion of education. It was typical
during this time to mix new ideas with old. There was
growing skepticism and the English were afraid of
Machiavellis new practical code of politics. From
1603-1606, Shakespeares plays reflected a new
Jacobean distrust.

Latin comedies were familiar and English translations
were performed by students; Senecas tragedies were
translated and imitated. There was a strong native drama
tradition derived from the medieval miracle plays that
were performed until forbidden during Elizabeths
reign. These were Shakespeares predecessors and
were called "university wits", however, their
plays were seldom structured the way they were studied at
university.

The English language was also changing during this time
with contributions from France and Italy. Cheaper printed
books helped the language to become standardized.

Shakespeare borrowed from Plautus, Ovid and Seneca; from
morality drama; from Marlowe; from the commedia dellarte
of the Italian popular tradition and made them all his
own. Shakespeares plots were intricate and his
characters vivid; he used the English language to paint a
picture.

Shakespeares association with the Kings Men
and the Globe Theatre gave him direct working knowledge
of all aspects of the theatre and tradition has it that,
like Alfred Hitchcock, he played small parts in all his
plays. Shakespeare was able to work with his plays and
know the actors and his audience. There was never any
doubt his plays were written to be acted.
Since there was little time for group rehearsals,
Shakespeare kept his crucial scenes between 2 or 3
characters or one that dominated a crowded stage.

Shakespeares works were influenced by prevailing
contemporary conventions but were marked by vivid
characterizations and a rich inventive use of the English
language. His plays contained elaborate word play that
lent an air of realism to his carefully structured plots.
Shakespeare liked to interweave real historical events
with his own subtle and complex domestic characters in
his "history" plays.

The tragedies (Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth)
examined with psychological subtlety the personality
flaws in the main characters with led almost inevitably
to the tragic destruction of themselves and almost
everyone around them. These plays also provided for
exploration of human character, morality and spirit.
Though many of his critics thought writing for a theatre
company hampered his "natural gift" for
writing, some believed it lent to his genius. Shakespeare
was not a didactic playwright and was criticized for the
lack of moral and absence of "poetical justice"
in his plays.

The last plays, "The Winters Tale" and
"The Tempest" appear to be experimental in
their light-hearted and fanciful, yet still tragic form
and were different from his earlier writings in their
resolution of the conflict through penitence and
forgiveness and emphasis on hope through mutual
reconciliation, reunion and faith in the younger
generation.

Ben Jonson, a contemporary of Shakespeare, said the Bard
"was not for an age, but for all time" though
he believed Shakespeare to be undisciplined. Many late
17th Century and 18th Century critics censured
Shakespeare for his carelessness and artistic faults.
Shakespeare was a genius for his time and ours and is
still the example many follow, though some begrudgingly.