ASSOCIATE OF SPEECH NEW ZEALAND

IN SPEECH & DRAMA TEACHING

CREDIT THREE

Shakespearean Drama

QUESTION:

The theatre is described “as a mirror of real life, able to reflect what our society and our lives are like, but it is also able to change the way we live by changing the way we see ourselves and our world” (Bruce Barton; Living Drama published 2001 Pearson Education Australia Pty. Ltd.)

To what extent do you consider the plays of Shakespeare have changed your outlook on the way you see yourself and the world?

Refer to three of his named plays to support your answer.

You may use quotations if you wish.

ANSWER:

I believe the plays of Shakespeare have changed my outlook on the way I see myself and the world in a great way, as I have grown with Shakespeare and gained a deeper understanding of his works.  Throughout this essay I will discuss the ways in which the Shakespearean plays, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, amongst others have changed the way I see myself as well as the way I see the world.

Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice changed my outlook on life through its themes of justice, mercy and prejudice.

The insight Shakespeare gives us into the views of people during the Elizabethan time period is so valuable when we look at the views of people during our own contemporary time.  We can look in particular to the way the Venetians held great prejudice against Shylock, the Jewish moneylender.  During the court scene the lack of mercy held by both sides is especially apparent.  Yet, Shakespeare gives the character of Shylock a chance to show his side as Shylock says “I am a Jew.  Hath a Jew not eyes?  When you prick us do we not bleed?....” This depicts the humanity of the character and brings it to life for us, rather than Shakespeare simply showing Shylock as a villain with no feeling.  This theme of prejudice is relevant today, and so the play can still affect us today.

The Merchant of Venice changed my outlook on myself, as it made me think twice about holding grudges or being prejudiced.  It also highlighted the value of mercy to me, something I had not really considered until I understood this play.  The Merchant of Venice changed my outlook on the world as it especially highlights the anti-Semitism of the Elizabethan period, a view which I hadn’t realised was so prominent in this time period until I understood the play.  It showed me just how far back these prejudices go, and therefore how entrenched they can become in our society if we don’t learn to show understanding and celebrate differences.

The play Romeo and Juliet changed my outlook on both myself and the world as it taught me the value of love.  As naïve as Romeo and Juliet’s love was, it attempted to overcome difficulties and old family grudges.  The passion of these two characters emphasised the need to hold onto those we hold dear and love, for we do not know what we have until it’s gone.  These are ideas which are still relevant today as we can see in so many contemporary films, television pieces and plays, love is a common bond held between people all over the world.

Romeo and Juliet changed the way I saw myself as it made me realise how lucky I am to be surrounded by such wonderful people and it taught me never to take for granted the love I have.  This play made me see the world in a different way as, like The Merchant of Venice, it highlighted how people in every society throughout time have differences that love, like mercy, can overcome.  I think the fact that Romeo and Juliet ended in such tragedy for the “star-crossed lovers” shows a true reflection of the fickleness of life, and therefore draws back to the idea that we must be thankful for what we have.

The play by Shakespeare, Hamlet, gives us great insight into the human condition, especially within Hamlet’s great soliloquy.  Throughout the play we see the dangers of ambition, another theme which is still relevant today.  The downfall of Hamlet is relevant today, as society has seen the downfall of many ambitious leaders who have often turned quite terrible in their quest to become great.  If we look at Hitler, we can see he was terribly ambitious, which ultimately lead to his downfall because of the terrible deeds he did or had done to reach his goal.  This idea was shown in Hamlet as his ambition lead him to do terrible things in order to reach his goal.  Shakespeare also shows Hamlet’s guilt and remorse which really highlights a reflection of the humanity in this character.

This play changed the way I saw myself as it made me realise the true worth of life, and whether my own ambitions would lead me to great things or my own downfall.  It also changed my outlook on the worlds as it appeared so true to real life, in the way each character acted and felt.  The fact we can see characters like this in today’s time taught me how terrible ambition can be.

Shakespeare’s plays, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet have each changed my outlook on myself and the world through the way the themes and characters reflect today’s life as well as the Elizabethan period.  This shows how relevant Shakespeare’s plays are still 400 years from his death, and how we can look to change these faults in the human condition through observing them in these plays.  The deeper we look into these plays the more we can learn.