Shakespearean Plays: Genres, Characteristics, and Famous Works

Study Notes

Shakespearean Plays

38 plays attributed to William Shakespeare
Divided into three genres: Tragedies, Comedies, and Histories
Famous plays:
- Tragedies: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear
- Comedies: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night, As You Like It
- Histories: Henry V, Richard III, Henry VIII
Characteristics:
- Use of iambic pentameter and blank verse
- Exploration of themes such as love, power, and mortality
- Complex characters and plot structures

Victorian Novels

Written during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901)
Characterized by:
- Realism and social commentary
- Focus on the lives of the middle and upper classes
- Exploration of themes such as industrialization, morality, and social reform
Famous authors:
- Charles Dickens (Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Great Expectations)
- Emily Brontë (Wuthering Heights)
- Charlotte Brontë (Jane Eyre)
- Thomas Hardy (Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure)

Romantic Poetry

Emerged in the late 18th century as a response to the Enlightenment
Characterized by:
- Emphasis on emotion, imagination, and the individual
- Focus on nature, beauty, and the sublime
- Use of rich, sensual language and symbolism
Famous poets:
- William Wordsworth (I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud)
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge (The Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
- Lord Byron (She Walks in Beauty)
- Percy Bysshe Shelley (Ozymandias)
- John Keats (Ode to a Nightingale)

Modernist Movement

Emerged in the early 20th century as a response to traditional literary forms
Characterized by:
- Experimentation with form, language, and narrative structure
- Rejection of realism and traditional notions of beauty
- Focus on the inner lives and psychological complexity of characters
Famous authors:
- James Joyce (Ulysses, Dubliners)
- Virginia Woolf (Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse)
- T.S. Eliot (The Waste Land)
- E.M. Forster (Howards End, A Passage to India)
- D.H. Lawrence (Sons and Lovers, Lady Chatterley's Lover)

Literary Movements and Works

Shakespearean Plays

38 plays are attributed to William Shakespeare
Plays are divided into three genres: Tragedies, Comedies, and Histories
Famous tragedies include Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, and King Lear
Famous comedies include A Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night, and As You Like It
Famous histories include Henry V, Richard III, and Henry VIII
Iambic pentameter and blank verse are characteristic of Shakespeare's plays
Themes explored in Shakespeare's plays include love, power, and mortality
Complex characters and plot structures are hallmarks of Shakespeare's plays

Victorian Novels

Written during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901)
Characterized by realism and social commentary
Focus on the lives of the middle and upper classes
Themes explored in Victorian novels include industrialization, morality, and social reform
Famous authors of Victorian novels include Charles Dickens, Emily Brontë, Charlotte Brontë, and Thomas Hardy
Charles Dickens wrote Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, and Great Expectations
Emily Brontë wrote Wuthering Heights
Charlotte Brontë wrote Jane Eyre
Thomas Hardy wrote Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure

Romantic Poetry

Emerged in the late 18th century as a response to the Enlightenment
Characterized by an emphasis on emotion, imagination, and the individual
Focus on nature, beauty, and the sublime
Use of rich, sensual language and symbolism is characteristic of Romantic poetry
Famous poets of the Romantic era include William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats
William Wordsworth wrote I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Lord Byron wrote She Walks in Beauty
Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote Ozymandias
John Keats wrote Ode to a Nightingale

Modernist Movement

Emerged in the early 20th century as a response to traditional literary forms
Characterized by experimentation with form, language, and narrative structure
Rejection of realism and traditional notions of beauty
Focus on the inner lives and psychological complexity of characters
Famous authors of the Modernist movement include James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, T.S.Eliot, E.M.Forster, and D.H.Lawrence
James Joyce wrote Ulysses and Dubliners
Virginia Woolf wrote Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse
T.S.Eliot wrote The Waste Land
E.M.Forster wrote Howards End and A Passage to India
D.H.Lawrence wrote Sons and Lovers and Lady Chatterley's Lover

Description

Explore the world of William Shakespeare's 38 plays, divided into Tragedies, Comedies, and Histories, and discover their characteristics and famous works. Learn about the use of iambic pentameter, exploration of themes, and complex characters.