A few lines of Shakespeare...

Abstract

Shakespeare has said so much, his achievement in a succession of plays and poems is so vast, that one is tempted to believe he found it easy to write with such flowing and consummate artistry. Effortlessly, it seems, his imaginative insight swept over all aspects of human life, probing and illuminating and creating a body of work which seems beyond the scope of just one man. It is the work of one man, nevertheless, and the serious student of Shakespeare must be prepared to look closely at Shakespeare's craftsmanship. His achievement can be analysed as well as dazzle us, and his mastery of detail confirmed. Two examples must suffice and their analysis be confined to dramatic significance - that is to say, the ways in which the lines fit into the larger pattern of each play - and to the quality of poetic expression, which involves some consideration of matters such as diction and imagery and the way the verse moves and should be spoken. The first extract is from Othello, a play which deals with sexual jealousy and its tragic consequences. The second extract, taken from the last act of Antony and Cleopatra.