William Shakespeare Influence On Romeo And Juliet

William Shakespeare is one of the most well-known authors from the Elizabethan times. More than 500 years later people are still reading, analyzing, and discussing his works such as, Macbeth, Hamlet and his hundreds of Sonnets. He is known for having very depressing and morbid works including, his very famous story, Romeo and Juliet. The works being depressing and morbid is one of the many reasons William Shakespeare is so loved and why others aren't fond of his works. William Shakespeare was born at Stratford-on-Anon, Warwickshire. The date of his birth is uncertain, but he was definitely baptized on April 26, 1564. He is the oldest son of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. (Gaines 18) John Shakespeare gave up the lift of a farmer, moved to
In his grammar school he studied Latin grammar, literature, rhetoric and logic for about eight to ten hours a day six days a week. Many different authors influenced Shakespeare’s writings, including, Cicero, Plautus, Terence, Vergil and Ovid. (Willson 1) Shakespeare’s created tragedies which are very similar to the definition of tragedy given by Aristotle. “Aristotle observed that every human heart has emotions of pity and fear in different degrees. These emotions when excited, through the medium of art, give aesthetic joy. In Shakespearean tragedies, we pity others, where under similar circumstances, we should fear for ourselves.” (Anand 71) Many of Shakespeare’s characters live with a very big awareness of the inevitability of death. (Cahn 237) In the beginning of the seventeenth century tragicomedy was created by writers Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. Shakespeare tried tragicomedy in 1608, it may be that he was following the works of Beaumont and Fletcher. (Gaines 5) In the play Romeo and Juliet, the characters Mercutio, Romeo’s friend, and Juliet’s nurse, bring comedic relief into the play. Mercutio makes sarcastic and witty remarks and the nurse makes humorous observations to bring light to the depressing play. (Willson 1) All of Shakespeare’s plays from the years after 1594 were all exclusively written from Richard
Most people died in their homes instead of hospitals. Every night, church bells would chime to announce the deaths of that day. Children were most vulnerable to diseases, there are records that say twenty-five percent of children didn’t make it to their tenth birthday. Funerals were an important part of Elizabethan lifestyle. A large funeral procession signified the importance of the deceased. Impressive funeral processions would usually include musicians and people chanting psalms to the music being played. Poor people usually hired people to come to their funeral processions to make themselves look more impressive. Coffins were only for the wealthy, the poor were usually wrapped in veils when it came time for the burial. Wealthy Elizabethans often hired artists to make beautiful gravestones and monuments to honor the deceased. (Andrews