Death, or Rather, Shakespeare's Love of It

As with any form of literature, plays are written for a purpose. The author often chooses this form of writing specifically for the way it conveys that purpose to the audience. People call this purpose "intent," and it usually includes teaching a lesson or portraying a certain view on a subject. In some cases the playwright's only intent may be to sell tickets, their goal: to create a play people would pay to see; it may be a comedy, or possibly a tragedy, but the objective for writing that specific play is simply to create the most revenue. With this in mind we turn to the topic of Shakespeare.

Portrait of Shakespeare 1622

William Shakespeare wrote plays at a time when playhouses were considered unholy by some and the public came in the greatest numbers to watch tragedies. It is also key to know that the masses were illiterate at this time, so what they saw they understood only in the simplest form. Knowing that people enjoyed watching tragedies aids in the understanding of why so many of Shakespeare's plays included at least one death, but at times it seems he just can't get enough mourning. Even some of his comedies included mourning such as Measure for Measure and Twelfth Night, in both someone dies before the play begins. As should be expected, Shakespearean tragedies include numerous deaths using numerous methods; while doing research I found a website which lists many of the deaths categorized by type which you can follow here. Some of the deaths listed include main characters such as Romeo and Juliet, Desmonda, Julius Cesar, and Hamlet, but not all of the people Shakespeare killed were main characters, or even directly related to the plot.

The biggest question that has arisen from researching the deaths in Shakespearean plays is: What makes him want to write about death? My best theory is that his son's passing at an early age triggered its start. Shakespeare was only 18 when he married Anne Hathaway, not the modern actress, and "Together they raised two daughters: Susanna, ... and Judith (whose twin brother died in boyhood)" (William Shakespeare.) Not only was he young when Anne had the children, but he was only in his early 20's when the boy passed. By that time he had begun acting and writing, mainly poetry in to begin with, so it isn't unlikely that some of his grief found its way into his literature.

Whether Shakespeare looked at death as a way to sell tickets or to publicly mourn his son's passing, it is undeniable that death aided in the popularity of his plays. Without it we would never have learned the lesson that love conquers all with Romeo and Juliet, or experience the tale of Cleopatra and Antony. And I for one am glad that Shakespeare was willing to write about a subject many shy away from, not only in literature but in life as well.

Works Cited

"William Shakespeare." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2014.

Bibliography

"English Online." Theatre in the Age of Shakespeare. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2014.

Mabillard, Amanda. "Violence in Shakespeare: Suicide, Murder, and Combat in Shakespeare's Plays." Violence in Shakespeare: Suicide, Murder, and Combat in Shakespeare's Plays. Shakespeare Online, 19 Aug. 2008. Web. 01 Feb. 2014.

If the topic of Shakespeare interests you and you'd like to learn more this video would be a good place to start, also you can continue to check into this blog as I will be continuously posting about Romeo and Juliet as we read.