Lecture 5.1.0 - Shakespeare’s Contributions to Literature and Halloween
Spend at least 7 mins on this activity
Go through the activity to the end
Receive a grade
Lecture Overview
Shakespeare, William (1564-1616). For nearly 400 years, William Shakespeare has been the world's most popular playwright. On the stage, in the movies, and on television, his plays are watched by vast audiences every day of the year somewhere in the world either in their original English, or in translation.
In the following lessons, Shakespeare's contributions to literature will be discussed and we will cover the first 4 scenes of Act 1 of Macbeth.
- People read his plays again and again for pleasure.
- Shakespeare's continued popularity is due to many things. His plays are filled with action, his characters are believable, and his language is thrilling to hear or read. Shakespeare’s plays demonstrate deep humanity. He was a profound student of people and he understood them. He had a great tolerance, sympathy, and love for all people, good or evil.
- As the age of Queen Elizabeth I was the golden time of literature, so it was a time of superstition (magic, devils, witches). King James I, who reigned after Elizabeth died, wrote a book titled Demonology in 1599. Shakespeare used it for his research.
In the following lessons, Shakespeare's contributions to literature will be discussed and we will cover the first 4 scenes of Act 1 of Macbeth.