10 Reasons Why Shakespeare's Plays are Better Than Other Plays
Shakespeare's Plays are Better Than Other Plays
Who hasn’t heard of Shakespeare? His name has been synonymous with great plays and stories ever since his death in 1616, but even though he remains a major figure in English and world literature, there are still some people who haven’t read any of his works or watched his plays on stage or screen. These critics say that Shakespeare’s characters are one-dimensional and unrealistic, his plots are too complex to follow and the writing style isn’t compelling enough to hold people’s attention nowadays.
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| 10 Reasons Why Shakespeare's Plays are Better Than Other Plays |
1) Shakespeare wrote his own play
It might seem like a silly reason to pick one playwright over another, but Shakespeare was also a playwright. He wrote his own plays. Sure, he didn’t have any trouble getting hired to write plays for his friends when he needed money (like William Wycherley), but Shakespeare created dozens of works that were 100% his own idea. That makes Shakespeare’s writing unique from other writers of his time, who would often take plots from other writers and hire someone else to put it in writing. The fact that all 37 of Shakespeare’s original dramas survive is pretty impressive since only about 40% of all English drama from before 1700 has survived in any form at all.
2) Shakespeare is known as the best writer ever
This is a no-brainer. If you’re writing drama, your work better stand up to Shakespeare’s. Not only did he write plays, but he also wrote poetry and sonnets that even today seem absolutely genius. His plays have stood the test of time and continue to be performed throughout the world more than 400 years after his death. No matter how you feel about Shakespeare personally, it’s hard to deny his masterful execution of drama and plot.
3) Shakespeare has many famous quotes
For goodness’ sake. To thine own self be true. Friends, Romans, countrymen and...bears! But Shakespeare wasn't just a wordsmith—his plays contain a great deal of action, comedy and romance too. His work is so good that you don't even need to read Shakespeare to enjoy his works; you can watch them performed on stage instead. Many Hollywood blockbusters were adapted from his stories—and audiences know it because they line up to see his plays performed by professional actors every year. It seems Shakespeare's work has stood (mostly) solid over time and withstood criticism, which means there must be something special about what he did right compared to other writers.
4) Shakespeare was an excellent observer of life
Critics argue that Shakespeare’s works, because they show an understanding of humanity, give us something to connect with and relate to. In Shakespeare’s day, theater was a popular form of entertainment but it was also a place where people who would never mix in real life came together. Despite his class status, Shakespeare drew people into his plays by creating relatable situations—we all know what it feels like to love someone we can’t have and how painful that can be. To critics, Shakespeare’s plays draw you in because he showed his audience how ordinary people feel extraordinary emotions.
5) Shakespeare is popular in theatres around the world
Why is that? What does Shakespeare have that no other playwright has? The answer is simple: Shakespeare was a genius. Here’s why.
6) Shakespeare has less violence than other writers
One of Shakespeare’s most defining qualities is his lack of violence in his plays. There is rarely any sort of physical fight, and there is certainly no death that happens on stage. This shows how unique Shakespeare was for his time because other writers were creating works with a lot more blood and battle scenes that were much gorier than anything Shakespeare could write about. What does violence add to a story? It often makes it more intense or emotional for both reader and actor, but Shakespeare never went down that route.
7) Everyone likes watching a tragedy by Shakespeare
Shakespeare was a playwright in Elizabethan times, and he is known for writing tragedies. His plays were so good that even today we still read his plays, watch them and re-enact them. A lot of people don't agree with me but I think that Shakespeare is better than any other writer from any time period. Here are ten reasons why Shakespeare is better than other writers:...
8) The characters in Shakespeare’s stories were strong.
The characters in Shakespeare’s stories were strong, independent people. We all know about Romeo and Juliet, but there were many other examples in Shakespeare’s plays of male and female leads who didn’t require a prince or princess to complete them. In Othello, Desdemona is murdered at the end because she makes her own choices and stands up for herself. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hermia refuses to marry Demetrius when she thinks he has chosen her against her will—and then runs off with Lysander. Even some of Shakespeare’s weaker female characters like Cordelia in King Lear hold their own in conversation against their male counterparts, which really isn’t typical for his time period.
9) The plots were unique
Most drama of Shakespeare’s time were similar. For example, they would follow a hero and always have a happy ending. Shakespeare’s plots weren’t so cut and dry; most of his plays had plot twists in them or were ultimately tragic. His plots seemed to be more meaningful than others of his time as he expressed life through his characters by giving each individual their own story within his plot. Because of these differences between him and other playwrights of his time, he is considered to be one of if not the best playwright that ever lived.
10) These reasons are not exhaustive
For centuries, fans of William Shakespeare have loved his plays. But have you ever stopped to think why we love his works? Maybe it’s time to consider a more important question: why do they resonate with us so much that they can compete with almost any other play out there? Here are ten reasons why Shakespeare’s works trump those of his contemporaries. ...read more at The Daily Muse: 10 Reasons Why Shakespeare's Plays Are Better Than Other Plays
To sum up
Shakespeare's works are better than other plays because of their strong construction and subject matter. In Shakespeare's stories, you will find several elements that make up a good play: a great plot, interesting characters, suspense, conflict, humor and some lessons to be learned. When people talk about plays in general or about Shakespeare specifically, they tend to cite his plays as some of their favorites or as some of the best ever written. Those who have seen Shakespeare know exactly what I am talking about.
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