How Shakespeare Changed the English Language
How William Shakespeare changed the English language
William Shakespeare was born/baptized on April 26th 1564 and died on April 23rd 1616. He was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world 's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England 's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His surviving works consist of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. He managed to capture every facet of the human experience: its darkest perversions, its most glorious triumphs, and all the laughs, tears, and dirty jokes in between. Thomas Carlyle, a critic that today would be the least favored of Shakespeare said, “If called to define Shakespeare’s faculty, I should say superiority of Intellect, and think I had included all under that. There are great poets of shocking conceptual originality, like Blake and Emily Dickenson. But no Western writer, or any Eastern author I am able to read, is equal to Shakespeare as an intellect.” (Bloom) Shakespeare’s influence on the English language extends from theatre and literature to even being used today whether we are studying, performing, or making movies of his works. Shakespeare transformed European theatre by expanding expectations about what could be accomplished through characterization, plot, language, and genre. Shakespeare 's writings influenced language during the Elizabethan time and have also influenced a large number of novelists and poets over the years. He was the first to use over 2,000 new words, created and used blank verse, and introduced new poetry structure. There are even studies that reading and studying Shakespeare can actually increase intelligence. Shakespeare is the most quoted writer in the history of the English-speaking world and many of his quotations and vocabulary
William Shakespeare was born/baptized on April 26th 1564 and died on April 23rd 1616. He was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world 's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England 's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His surviving works consist of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. He managed to capture every facet of the human experience: its darkest perversions, its most glorious triumphs, and all the laughs, tears, and dirty jokes in between. Thomas Carlyle, a critic that today would be the least favored of Shakespeare said, “If called to define Shakespeare’s faculty, I should say superiority of Intellect, and think I had included all under that. There are great poets of shocking conceptual originality, like Blake and Emily Dickenson. But no Western writer, or any Eastern author I am able to read, is equal to Shakespeare as an intellect.” (Bloom) Shakespeare’s influence on the English language extends from theatre and literature to even being used today whether we are studying, performing, or making movies of his works. Shakespeare transformed European theatre by expanding expectations about what could be accomplished through characterization, plot, language, and genre. Shakespeare 's writings influenced language during the Elizabethan time and have also influenced a large number of novelists and poets over the years. He was the first to use over 2,000 new words, created and used blank verse, and introduced new poetry structure. There are even studies that reading and studying Shakespeare can actually increase intelligence. Shakespeare is the most quoted writer in the history of the English-speaking world and many of his quotations and vocabulary
Cited: Richardson, William, 1743-1814. Daniel Honan on August 23, 2011 http://bigthink.com/how-to-think-like-shakespeare/this-is-your-brain-on-shakespeare