Shakespeare arguably had the best plays, actors, and writings of his time.

Plays

"Shakespeare’s plays have attracted large audiences in big, sophisticated cities and in small, rural towns." (Lander) Shakespeare's plays were so well written that he was able to perform in refined cities. Shakespeare's plays were able to appeal to a wide array of people. His plays always attract large audiences no matter the geographic location.

Shakespeare wrote Richard II, A Midsummer Night's Dream, King John, The Merchant of Venice, Parts I and II of Henry IV, Much Ado about Nothing, Henry V, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night. (Columbia Encyclopedia) Shakespeare's plays were so popular that he was able to write a variety of plays about recent activities of his time. Some of these plays were so famous that they still popular to this day.

The strength of Shakespeare's plays lies in the absorbing stories they tell, in their wealth of complex characters, and in the eloquent speech (Columbia Encyclopedia). Shakespeare was able to hook people right away with his stories and made everyone want to come back for more. Shakespeare also hooked people with his great development of characters throughout the story and the eloquent language he used.

Actors

A remarkable group of vivid characters populate his plays. They include rogues and aristocrats, housewives and stuffy teachers, soldiers and generals, shepherds and philosophers. (Lander) Shakespeare had unique actors for all of these roles. People liked all his unique characters and so, as a result, they liked the actors behind the roles.

Hamlet fascinates audiences with his ambivalence about revenge and the uncertainty over how much of his madness is feigned and how much genuine. (Columbia Encyclopedia) The actor Hamlet compelled audiences with mixed feelings on revenge and that he isn't sure if the madness is fake or real. Hamlet, like many of the characters he created, was flawed and inconsistent which made him memorable to the audiences.

Shakespeare wrote most of the plays for the company, averaging two plays per year. Many of these were produced during his lifetime. (Anderson) Shakespeare wouldn't be as popular or well known as he is today if it weren't for the actors. The actors brought Shakespeare's works to life. It is impossible to think of one of Shakespeare's characters without picturing it in your mind the way Shakespearean actor's portrayed them.

Writings

His ideas on subjects such as romantic love, heroism, comedy, and tragedy have shaped the attitudes of millions of people.(Harris) Millions of people look up to Shakespeare when writing. Shakespeare inspires ideas for people. People to this day still love Shakespeare's writings.

Shakespeare had written thirty seven plays, including such masterpieces as Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth.(Anderson) The popularity of his plays inspired him to write more plays. Shakespeare had fan favorites like Julius Caesar and Romeo and Juliet which people came back to see again and again.

Shakespeare's theater influenced how he wrote his plays.(Anderson) The theater design made it so Shakespeare could write a variety of different works from romance to tragedies. He had a trapdoor on his stage so he could write about demons and ghosts and a balcony where he could have romantic kissing scenes. The way the theater was designed also made it possible to write about different locations or settings.

Work Cited

Anderson, Robert. “Shakespeare and His Theater: A Perfect Match.” Holt Literature & Language Arts: Mastering the California Standards: Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking, by G. Kylene Beers et al., Austin, Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 2003, pp. 778-80.

---. “William Shakespeare’s Life: A Genius from Stratford.” Holt Literature & Language Arts: Mastering the California Standards: Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking, by G. Kylene Beers et al., Austin, Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 2003, pp. 776-77.

Lander, Jesse M. “Shakespeare, William.” World Book Advanced. World Book, 2016. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.

Melissa A. Harris“Shakespeare, William.” In Sauer, Michelle M. The Facts On File Companion to British Poetry before 1600. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008.

Works Cited“William Shakespeare.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2016): 1-4. History Reference Center. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.