William Shakespeare is frequently credited with being the greatest writer of the English language. And while many people take this for granted, including those who have never even read a single one of his plays, the fact is that it is a substantial claim. And while many people acknowledge this, very few can actually justify or argue its validity. And then when conspiracy theories related to the actual authorship of his plays are touted around as the latest intellectual fad, it further enhances the bloated legendary aspect of the title. And really, is it so much that he’s put on such an acclaimed pedestal, or the fact that he continues to be the most popularly produced playwright around the world that continues to draw audiences, academics and critics alike? Or is there something more to his work than what any playwright has created since his time? And can it be a testament to greatest to appear on a GRE practice test
? All of these are interesting dynamics of various associations to Shakespeare’s plays as well as his biography. But once it’s accepted that he is the greatest playwright, there still remains conflicting ideas about which of his plays are the best.
Typically his tragedies are considered to be his most compelling work, and among them are some diverse topics and themes. Hamlet is hands down agreed upon as his overall masterpiece. It incorporates various psychological aspects into the characters and these are incorporated into the plot. And the title character, Hamlet, himself remains one of the most intriguing figures in all literature. After this play, other tragedies remain at the top of many academic’s and critic’s choices.
Macbeth, properly referred to as the Scottish play, when being mentioned in a theatre, another one of his popular tragedies. This is also one of his more controversial works as it deals with regicide, a very threatening subject during Elizabethan times . It also address themes such as ambition and paranoia. Another play that deals with controversial royal themes, is King Lear. In this play Shakespeare deals with themes of pride, loyalty and the nature of love, which is one of his frequent topics of exploration and is common to his comedies as well as tragedies. Of course this is also one of the themes in Romeo and Juliet as well as is the nature of prejudice and family loyalty. Loyalty and betrayal are also major themes in Othello, one of Shakespeare’s more ironically tragic plays. Whichever of his tragedies you’re dealing with, Shakespeare explores the depth and layers of human psychology in such a manner as had never been seen before and has not yet been matched. And don’t forget that in addition to their great production and entertainment value, his work can be an excellent resource for ESL games and other educational elements.
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