WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (1564–1616)

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (1564–1616)

Complete Study Notes for UGC NET / JRF / Ph.D. English Literature

These notes cover Shakespeare from his birth, family, education, literary career, important dates, all major works, characters, themes, contemporaries, sources, literary contributions, publication history and important NET/JRF facts.

I will explain everything in simple English but include the important academic terminology required for Ph.D. entrance and UGC NET/JRF.

1. Introduction: Who Was William Shakespeare?

• Full name: William Shakespeare
• Born: Traditionally celebrated on 23 April 1564.
• Baptised: 26 April 1564.
• Birthplace: Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England.
• Died: 23 April 1616.
• Age at death: 52 years.
• Profession: Playwright, poet and actor.
• Literary age: Elizabethan Age and Jacobean Age.
• Literary period: English Renaissance.
• Known as:
• The Bard of Avon.
• The Swan of Avon.
• England’s National Poet.
• The Bard.

Father: John Shakespeare – a successful businessman and glove maker.

Mother: Mary Arden – belonged to a prosperous family.

Wife: Anne Hathaway.

Children:

1. Susanna (1583).
2. Hamnet (1585).
3. Judith (1585).

Hamnet, Shakespeare’s only son, died in 1596 at the age of 11.

Important NET fact

Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon but developed his professional theatrical career in London.

The exact date of his birth is not documented. April 23 is the traditionally accepted date.

Source: Folger Shakespeare Library.  

2. Education of Shakespeare

Shakespeare probably attended the King’s New School, Stratford-upon-Avon.

His education likely included:

1. Latin grammar.
2. Classical literature.
3. Roman history.
4. Greek and Roman mythology.
5. Rhetoric.
6. Latin plays.
7. Poetry and translation.

He was particularly influenced by classical writers.

Important classical writers who influenced Shakespeare

Writer	Important work/influence
Ovid	Metamorphoses
Plutarch	Parallel Lives
Virgil	Aeneid
Seneca	Roman tragedy
Plautus	Roman comedy
Terence	Roman comedy
Holinshed	English history
Chaucer	Medieval English literature

NET fact: Shakespeare’s education is not documented through surviving school records. His attendance at Stratford’s grammar school is generally accepted as highly probable, rather than proven.

3. Shakespeare’s Literary Career

Shakespeare worked in three major capacities:

1. Playwright.
2. Actor.
3. Shareholder/business partner in a theatrical company.

His career is associated with two major periods:

• Elizabethan Period (under Queen Elizabeth I).
• Jacobean Period (under King James I).

Important stages of his career

Year	Event
1582	Married Anne Hathaway
1583	Birth of daughter Susanna
1585	Birth of twins Hamnet and Judith
1585–1592	Lost Years
1592	First definite contemporary reference to Shakespeare as a London playwright
1593	Published Venus and Adonis
1594	Published The Rape of Lucrece
1594	Associated with Lord Chamberlain’s Men
1596	Death of his son Hamnet
1597	Purchased New Place in Stratford
1599	Globe Theatre opened
1603	Lord Chamberlain’s Men became the King’s Men
1609	Shakespeare’s Sonnets published
1613	Globe Theatre destroyed by fire
1616	Shakespeare died
1623	First Folio published

4. The Lost Years (Very Important for NET)

Lost Years = 1585–1592 approximately.

This is the period in Shakespeare’s life for which there is very little reliable documentary information.

After the baptism of his twins in 1585, Shakespeare disappears from surviving records until 1592.

We do not know:

• When he moved to London.
• How he entered the theatre.
• What occupation he followed during these years.
• How he became a professional dramatist.

Important NET question

Q. What are the Lost Years in Shakespeare’s life?

Answer: Approximately 1585–1592.

5. Shakespeare and Acting Companies

This is an important area for competitive examinations.

A. Lord Chamberlain’s Men (1594)

Shakespeare became associated with the Lord Chamberlain’s Men in 1594.

It was a famous acting company.

Important members included:

• William Shakespeare.
• Richard Burbage.
• John Heminges.
• Henry Condell.
• Augustine Phillips.

Richard Burbage was one of the leading actors.

B. King’s Men (1603)

When James I became king in 1603, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men received royal patronage and became known as:

The King’s Men.

Shakespeare continued working with this company.

Remember this sequence

Lord Chamberlain’s Men → King’s Men.

NET question: Which acting company was associated with Shakespeare?

Answer: Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later renamed the King’s Men.

6. Shakespeare and Theatres

Important theatres associated with Shakespeare

1. The Theatre (1576)

• Built by James Burbage.
• One of the earliest permanent purpose-built public theatres in England.
• Associated with early Elizabethan drama.

2. The Curtain Theatre (1577)

• Another important Elizabethan public theatre.
• Shakespeare’s plays were performed there.

3. The Globe Theatre (1599)

• Associated with Shakespeare and the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
• Located on the south bank of the River Thames in London.
• An important venue for Shakespeare’s plays.
• Destroyed by fire in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII.
• Rebuilt in 1614.

4. Blackfriars Theatre

• An indoor theatre.
• Used by the King’s Men.
• Particularly important for Shakespeare’s later plays.

NET fact: The Globe Theatre was destroyed in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII.

7. Classification of Shakespeare’s Works

Shakespeare’s works are generally divided into:

1. Tragedies.
2. Comedies.
3. Histories.
4. Romances or late plays.
5. Poems.
6. Sonnets.

The conventional Shakespeare canon contains approximately 38 plays, although the total varies according to scholarly decisions about collaborations and disputed authorship.

A. Shakespeare’s Tragedies

Tragedy generally presents the downfall, suffering or death of an important character.

Important tragedies

No.	Play	Approximate date
1	Titus Andronicus	1590–1592
2	Romeo and Juliet	1594–1596
3	Julius Caesar	1599
4	Hamlet	1600–1601
5	Othello	1603–1604
6	King Lear	1605–1606
7	Macbeth	1606
8	Antony and Cleopatra	1606–1607
9	Coriolanus	1608
10	Timon of Athens	1605–1608

Five most important tragedies for NET/JRF

1. Hamlet (1600–1601)

Full title: The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.

Main characters:

• Hamlet.
• Claudius.
• Gertrude.
• Ophelia.
• Polonius.
• Laertes.
• Horatio.
• Ghost of King Hamlet.

Story: Hamlet’s father, the King of Denmark, dies. His uncle Claudius becomes king and marries Hamlet’s mother. The ghost of Hamlet’s father reveals that Claudius murdered him.

Hamlet plans revenge.

Important themes:

• Revenge.
• Madness.
• Death.
• Corruption.
• Moral uncertainty.
• Appearance versus reality.
• Action versus inaction.

Famous quotation: “To be, or not to be.”

Important NET point: Hamlet is a revenge tragedy.

2. Macbeth (1606)

Main characters:

• Macbeth.
• Lady Macbeth.
• Duncan.
• Banquo.
• Macduff.
• Malcolm.
• Three Witches.

Story: Three witches predict that Macbeth will become king. Encouraged by Lady Macbeth, he murders King Duncan and takes the throne.

He becomes increasingly violent and paranoid.

Themes:

• Ambition.
• Power.
• Guilt.
• Supernatural elements.
• Fate and free will.
• Political corruption.

Important NET point: Macbeth is Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy.

3. Othello (1603–1604)

Main characters:

• Othello.
• Desdemona.
• Iago.
• Cassio.
• Emilia.
• Roderigo.

Story: Iago manipulates Othello into believing that his wife Desdemona is unfaithful.

Othello becomes jealous and kills Desdemona.

Themes:

• Jealousy.
• Racism.
• Love.
• Betrayal.
• Manipulation.
• Trust.

Famous quotation: “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!”

NET point: Iago is one of Shakespeare’s most famous villains.

4. King Lear (1605–1606)

Main characters:

• King Lear.
• Cordelia.
• Goneril.
• Regan.
• Kent.
• Edgar.
• Edmund.
• Gloucester.

Story: King Lear divides his kingdom between his daughters based on how much they profess to love him.

His two elder daughters betray him, while Cordelia genuinely loves him.

Themes:

• Family relationships.
• Blindness.
• Betrayal.
• Power.
• Suffering.
• Justice.

Important point: The play presents physical blindness and moral blindness.

5. Romeo and Juliet (1594–1596)

Main characters:

• Romeo.
• Juliet.
• Mercutio.
• Tybalt.
• Friar Laurence.
• Nurse.

Story: Romeo and Juliet belong to two rival families, the Montagues and Capulets. They fall in love but die because of a tragic misunderstanding.

Themes:

• Love.
• Fate.
• Family conflict.
• Youth.
• Death.

Important NET point: The play is a tragedy of two young lovers.

B. Shakespeare’s Comedies

Comedy usually contains humour, mistaken identity, romantic complications and reconciliation.

Complete list of important comedies

No.	Play	Approximate date
1	The Comedy of Errors	1592–1594
2	The Taming of the Shrew	1590–1592
3	The Two Gentlemen of Verona	1590–1594
4	Love’s Labour’s Lost	1594–1595
5	A Midsummer Night’s Dream	1595–1596
6	The Merchant of Venice	1596–1597
7	Much Ado About Nothing	1598–1599
8	As You Like It	1599–1600
9	Twelfth Night	1601–1602
10	The Merry Wives of Windsor	1597–1601
11	All’s Well That Ends Well	1601–1605
12	Measure for Measure	1603–1604
13	Pericles, Prince of Tyre	1607–1608

Note: Pericles is usually classified among the romances or late plays in modern classifications, and its authorship is collaborative.

Most important comedies

1. A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Main characters:

• Theseus.
• Hippolyta.
• Oberon.
• Titania.
• Puck.
• Hermia.
• Lysander.
• Helena.
• Demetrius.

Themes:

• Love.
• Dreams.
• Magic.
• Imagination.
• Reality and illusion.

Important character: Puck, also called Robin Goodfellow.

2. The Merchant of Venice

Main characters:

• Antonio.
• Shylock.
• Portia.
• Bassanio.
• Jessica.
• Lorenzo.

Story: Antonio borrows money from Shylock and agrees to a dangerous bond involving a pound of his flesh.

Themes:

• Justice.
• Mercy.
• Revenge.
• Religion.
• Prejudice.
• Friendship.

Important quotation: “The quality of mercy is not strained.”

NET point: Shylock is a Jewish moneylender.

3. As You Like It

Main characters:

• Rosalind.
• Orlando.
• Celia.
• Touchstone.
• Jaques.
• Duke Senior.

Important setting: Forest of Arden.

Important quotation: “All the world’s a stage.”

NET point: The famous Seven Ages of Man speech appears in Act 2, Scene 7.

4. Twelfth Night

Main characters:

• Viola.
• Sebastian.
• Olivia.
• Orsino.
• Malvolio.
• Feste.

Themes:

• Disguise.
• Gender.
• Love.
• Identity.
• Mistaken identity.

Important point: Viola disguises herself as Cesario.

C. Shakespeare’s Historical Plays

Historical plays are mainly based on English kings and political history.

List of important history plays

No.	Play
1	King John
2	Richard II
3	Henry IV, Part 1
4	Henry IV, Part 2
5	Henry V
6	Henry VI, Part 1
7	Henry VI, Part 2
8	Henry VI, Part 3
9	Richard III
10	Henry VIII

Important historical characters

• King Richard II.
• King Henry IV.
• King Henry V.
• King Henry VI.
• King Richard III.
• King John.
• Falstaff.

Important information

1. Richard III

Famous character: Richard, Duke of Gloucester.

Famous quotation:

“Now is the winter of our discontent.”

2. Henry V

Main character: King Henry V.

Important historical event: Battle of Agincourt (1415).

3. Henry IV, Part 1

Important character: Sir John Falstaff.

Falstaff is one of Shakespeare’s most memorable comic characters.

4. Richard II

Important theme: The divine right of kings and political legitimacy.

D. Shakespeare’s Late Plays / Romances

These plays are also known as Shakespeare’s romances.

They combine tragedy, comedy, forgiveness, reconciliation and miraculous events.

No.	Play	Approximate date
1	Pericles, Prince of Tyre	1607–1608
2	Cymbeline	1609–1610
3	The Winter’s Tale	1610–1611
4	The Tempest	1611
5	The Two Noble Kinsmen	1613–1614

The Two Noble Kinsmen was written collaboratively with John Fletcher.

Important late plays

1. The Tempest (1611)

Main characters:

• Prospero.
• Miranda.
• Ariel.
• Caliban.
• Ferdinand.
• Alonso.
• Antonio.

Story: Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, lives on an island with his daughter Miranda. Through magic, he creates a storm that brings his enemies to the island.

Themes:

• Forgiveness.
• Power.
• Colonialism.
• Magic.
• Freedom.
• Revenge.
• Reconciliation.

Important NET fact: Prospero is a magician and former Duke of Milan.

2. The Winter’s Tale

Main characters:

• Leontes.
• Hermione.
• Perdita.
• Polixenes.
• Florizel.
• Paulina.

Important themes:

• Jealousy.
• Forgiveness.
• Time.
• Reconciliation.

3. Cymbeline

A romance based on mistaken identity, jealousy and reconciliation.

8. Shakespeare’s Poetry

Shakespeare was not only a dramatist but also a poet.

His important poetic works include:

A. Venus and Adonis (1593)

• Published in 1593.
• Dedicated to Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton.
• Based on classical mythology.
• Influenced by Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
• Narrates the love of Venus for Adonis.

NET fact: Venus and Adonis was Shakespeare’s first published long narrative poem.

B. The Rape of Lucrece (1594)

• Published in 1594.
• Dedicated to Henry Wriothesley.
• Based on the Roman story of Lucretia.
• Deals with sexual violence, honour, political power and morality.

C. The Phoenix and the Turtle (1601)

• A symbolic and allegorical poem.
• Published in Robert Chester’s Love’s Martyr (1601).
• Deals with ideal love and death.

D. A Lover’s Complaint (1609)

• Published alongside the 1609 Sonnets.
• A narrative poem.
• Deals with a woman’s sorrow over a failed romantic relationship.

E. The Passionate Pilgrim (1599)

• A collection of poems published under Shakespeare’s name.
• Not all the poems are genuinely written by Shakespeare.

NET point: The Passionate Pilgrim contains works by other poets, including poems associated with Christopher Marlowe and Sir Walter Raleigh.

9. Shakespeare’s Sonnets – Very Important for NET/JRF

Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets.

They were first published together in 1609.

Important facts

• Total sonnets: 154.
• Publication year: 1609.
• Publisher: Thomas Thorpe.
• Form: Shakespearean or English sonnet.
• Structure: 14 lines.
• Rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

Structure of Shakespearean Sonnet

Part	Lines
First quatrain	1–4
Second quatrain	5–8
Third quatrain	9–12
Final couplet	13–14

A Shakespearean sonnet contains three quatrains and one concluding rhyming couplet.

Main themes of Shakespeare’s Sonnets

1. Love.
2. Beauty.
3. Time.
4. Death.
5. Immortality.
6. Jealousy.
7. Friendship.
8. Betrayal.
9. Physical beauty.
10. Poetry as a means of preserving beauty.

Division of the Sonnets

Sonnets	Subject
1–126	Fair Youth
127–152	Dark Lady
153–154	Classical Cupid-related poems

Important sonnets for NET/JRF

Sonnet	First line / subject
18	Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
29	When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes
30	When to the sessions of sweet silent thought
55	Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
60	Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore
73	That time of year thou mayst in me behold
116	Let me not to the marriage of true minds
127	In the old age black was not counted fair
130	My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun
138	When my love swears that she is made of truth

Important explanations

Sonnet 18

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”

Theme: Beauty and immortality through poetry.

Sonnet 29

Theme: Depression, isolation and emotional recovery through love.

Sonnet 55

Theme: Poetry is more powerful than monuments because poetry preserves memory.

Sonnet 116

Theme: True love remains constant despite difficulties.

Sonnet 130

Theme: Realistic love. Shakespeare rejects exaggerated descriptions of female beauty.

NET question: Which sonnet begins with “Let me not to the marriage of true minds”?

Answer: Sonnet 116.

10. Shakespeare’s Complete Works: Important Publication History

This is one of the most important areas for UGC NET.

What is a Quarto?

A quarto is a book format in which a printed sheet is folded twice to create four leaves.

Many of Shakespeare’s plays were published in quarto editions during his lifetime.

What is the First Folio?

Full title:

Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies.

Important facts:

Question	Answer
Publication year	1623
Published after his death	7 years
Total plays	36
Publishers/printers	William and Isaac Jaggard
Compilers/editors	John Heminges and Henry Condell
Portrait artist	Martin Droeshout
Categories	Comedies, Histories, Tragedies

Who were John Heminges and Henry Condell?

They were Shakespeare’s fellow actors and colleagues in the King’s Men.

They helped collect and publish his plays after his death.

Why is the First Folio important?

• It preserved Shakespeare’s plays.
• It collected 36 plays in one volume.
• Eighteen plays had not previously appeared in print.
• Without the First Folio, several important plays might have been lost.

Important plays first printed in the First Folio

1. Macbeth.
2. Julius Caesar.
3. The Tempest.
4. As You Like It.
5. Twelfth Night.
6. Antony and Cleopatra.

NET fact: The First Folio was published in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare’s death.

11. Shakespeare’s Sources

Shakespeare borrowed plots, characters and stories from earlier literary and historical sources.

This is extremely important for matching questions in UGC NET.

Shakespeare’s work	Source / influence
Hamlet	Saxo Grammaticus; also influenced by earlier versions of the Hamlet story
Macbeth	Holinshed’s Chronicles
King Lear	Holinshed’s Chronicles and earlier King Leir traditions
Othello	Cinthio’s Hecatommithi
Romeo and Juliet	Arthur Brooke’s The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet
Julius Caesar	Plutarch’s Lives
Antony and Cleopatra	Plutarch’s Lives
Coriolanus	Plutarch’s Lives
A Midsummer Night’s Dream	Classical mythology and various literary traditions
The Comedy of Errors	Plautus’s Menaechmi
The Two Gentlemen of Verona	Spanish pastoral romance traditions; Montemayor’s Diana is an important influence
The Merchant of Venice	Italian narrative sources, including Il Pecorone
The Taming of the Shrew	Earlier popular taming traditions and narrative sources
The Tempest	Multiple sources and contemporary travel literature; no single direct source

Important writers and books

1. Plutarch – Parallel Lives

Important for:

• Julius Caesar.
• Antony and Cleopatra.
• Coriolanus.

2. Raphael Holinshed – Chronicles

Important for:

• Macbeth.
• King Lear.
• Richard III.
• Henry IV.
• Henry V.

3. Ovid – Metamorphoses

Important influence on:

• Venus and Adonis.
• Shakespeare’s mythological imagery.

4. Seneca

Influence on Elizabethan revenge tragedy and tragic conventions.

5. Plautus

Important influence on:

• The Comedy of Errors.

12. Shakespeare’s Important Characters

Character	Play
Hamlet	Hamlet
Ophelia	Hamlet
Iago	Othello
Desdemona	Othello
Shylock	The Merchant of Venice
Portia	The Merchant of Venice
Falstaff	Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2
Puck	A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Bottom	A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Rosalind	As You Like It
Viola	Twelfth Night
Malvolio	Twelfth Night
Prospero	The Tempest
Caliban	The Tempest
Ariel	The Tempest
Lady Macbeth	Macbeth
Banquo	Macbeth
Cordelia	King Lear
Edmund	King Lear
Richard III	Richard III
Romeo	Romeo and Juliet
Juliet	Romeo and Juliet
Beatrice	Much Ado About Nothing
Benedick	Much Ado About Nothing

13. Shakespeare’s Contemporary Writers

Writer	Important works
Christopher Marlowe	Doctor Faustus, Tamburlaine, The Jew of Malta
Ben Jonson	Volpone, Every Man in His Humour, The Alchemist
John Webster	The Duchess of Malfi, The White Devil
Thomas Kyd	The Spanish Tragedy
Thomas Middleton	The Changeling, Women Beware Women
John Fletcher	The Faithful Shepherdess
Francis Beaumont	The Knight of the Burning Pestle
Thomas Dekker	The Shoemaker’s Holiday
George Chapman	Bussy D’Ambois
Thomas Heywood	A Woman Killed with Kindness
John Ford	‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore
Philip Massinger	A New Way to Pay Old Debts

Important literary relationships

1. Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe

• Both were major Elizabethan dramatists.
• Marlowe influenced the development of blank verse in English drama.
• Both contributed to the development of English tragedy.

2. Shakespeare and Ben Jonson

Ben Jonson was Shakespeare’s contemporary and literary rival.

Jonson wrote the famous poem:

To the Memory of My Beloved, the Author, Mr. William Shakespeare.

It appeared in the First Folio of 1623.

3. Shakespeare and John Fletcher

They collaborated on The Two Noble Kinsmen and possibly Henry VIII.

14. Shakespeare’s Literary Techniques

1. Blank Verse

Blank verse means unrhymed iambic pentameter.

It is extensively used in Shakespeare’s plays.

2. Soliloquy

A speech in which a character speaks their thoughts aloud, usually while alone on stage.

Example: Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be.”

3. Aside

A short speech intended for the audience or another character but supposedly unheard by other characters on stage.

4. Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows something that a character does not know.

5. Comic Relief

A humorous scene or character introduced into a serious play to reduce tension.

6. Foil

A character who contrasts with another character and highlights their qualities.

Example: Horatio acts as a foil to Hamlet in certain respects.

7. Tragic Hero

An important character whose downfall forms the central action of a tragedy.

8. Hamartia

An error, mistake or flaw contributing to a tragic downfall.

9. Peripeteia

A sudden reversal of fortune.

10. Anagnorisis

Recognition or discovery of an important truth.

NET point: Hamartia, peripeteia and anagnorisis are Aristotelian critical concepts, not terms invented by Shakespeare.

15. Important Shakespeare Quotations

Quotation	Play
To be, or not to be	Hamlet
All the world’s a stage	As You Like It
The quality of mercy is not strained	The Merchant of Venice
Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them	Twelfth Night
What’s in a name?	Romeo and Juliet
Out, damned spot!	Macbeth
Fair is foul, and foul is fair	Macbeth
Brevity is the soul of wit	Hamlet
The course of true love never did run smooth	A Midsummer Night’s Dream
We are such stuff as dreams are made on	The Tempest
Now is the winter of our discontent	Richard III
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown	Henry IV, Part 2
The better part of valour is discretion	Henry IV, Part 1
Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none	All’s Well That Ends Well

16. Important Shakespeare Criticism and Critics

Critic	Important contribution
Samuel Johnson	Preface to Shakespeare (1765)
John Dryden	Essay of Dramatic Poesy (1668)
Alexander Pope	Edited Shakespeare’s works (1725)
Nicholas Rowe	First modern editor of Shakespeare’s plays (1709)
Samuel Taylor Coleridge	Shakespearean character criticism
William Hazlitt	Characters of Shakespeare’s Plays (1817)
A. C. Bradley	Shakespearean Tragedy (1904)
G. Wilson Knight	The Wheel of Fire (1930)
L. C. Knights	How Many Children Had Lady Macbeth? (1933)
Jan Kott	Shakespeare Our Contemporary (1964)
Harold Bloom	Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human (1998)

Particularly important books

1. Shakespearean Tragedy (1904) – A. C. Bradley

An influential critical study of Shakespeare’s tragedies.

Bradley focuses on tragic characters, their personalities and their downfall.

2. The Wheel of Fire (1930) – G. Wilson Knight

A major work of Shakespeare criticism.

3. Shakespeare Our Contemporary (1964) – Jan Kott

Interprets Shakespeare in relation to modern political and social experiences.

4. Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human (1998) – Harold Bloom

Discusses Shakespeare’s influence on the representation of human personality.

5. Preface to Shakespeare (1765) – Samuel Johnson

Important for Johnson’s discussion of Shakespeare’s dramatic achievement, characterization and universality.

17. Important Literary Terms Associated with Shakespeare

Term	Meaning
Shakespearean tragedy	A tragedy involving the downfall of a central character
Revenge tragedy	A tragedy centred on revenge
History play	A play based on historical kings and events
Romantic comedy	A comedy involving love and reconciliation
Problem play	A play that resists simple classification as comedy or tragedy
Tragicomedy	A dramatic form combining tragic and comic elements
Blank verse	Unrhymed iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter	A poetic line generally containing five iambic feet
Soliloquy	A character’s speech expressing private thoughts
Aside	A remark intended to be unheard by other characters
Comic relief	Humour introduced into a serious dramatic work
Dramatic irony	A gap between audience knowledge and character knowledge

18. Important Facts: Shakespeare’s Life and Literary Career

1. Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon.
2. He married Anne Hathaway.
3. His son was Hamnet.
4. His daughters were Susanna and Judith.
5. His father was John Shakespeare.
6. His mother was Mary Arden.
7. He was associated with Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
8. The company later became the King’s Men.
9. His theatre was the Globe.
10. The Globe was built in 1599.
11. The Globe was destroyed by fire in 1613.
12. Shakespeare died in 1616.
13. His First Folio was published in 1623.
14. His sonnets were published in 1609.
15. Venus and Adonis was published in 1593.
16. The Rape of Lucrece was published in 1594.
17. His son Hamnet died in 1596.
18. His famous tragic hero Hamlet belongs to Denmark.
19. Macbeth becomes King of Scotland.
20. Othello is a Moorish general.
21. Shylock is a Jewish moneylender.
22. Prospero is the former Duke of Milan.
23. Puck appears in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
24. Falstaff appears in Henry IV.
25. Rosalind appears in As You Like It.

19. Most Important Dates: Chronological Revision Table

Year	Event
1564	Birth of Shakespeare
1582	Marriage to Anne Hathaway
1583	Birth of Susanna
1585	Birth of twins
1585–1592	Lost Years
1592	First definite contemporary reference to Shakespeare as a playwright
1593	Venus and Adonis
1594	The Rape of Lucrece
1594	Associated with Lord Chamberlain’s Men
1596	Death of Hamnet
1597	Purchase of New Place
1599	Globe Theatre
1603	King’s Men
1609	Sonnets published
1613	Globe Theatre destroyed by fire
1616	Shakespeare’s death
1623	First Folio

20. UGC NET/JRF: 25 Important Practice Questions

Q1. When was Shakespeare born?

A. 1558
B. 1564
C. 1572
D. 1580

Q2. Shakespeare was born in which place?

A. London
B. Oxford
C. Stratford-upon-Avon
D. Cambridge

Q3. Who was Shakespeare’s wife?

A. Mary Arden
B. Anne Hathaway
C. Elizabeth Carey
D. Jane Grey

Q4. What is the period of Shakespeare’s Lost Years?

A. 1564–1570
B. 1570–1580
C. 1585–1592
D. 1600–1610

Q5. Shakespeare was associated with which acting company?

A. Admiral’s Men
B. Lord Chamberlain’s Men
C. Queen’s Men only
D. Paul’s Boys

Q6. Lord Chamberlain’s Men was renamed:

A. King’s Men
B. Queen’s Men
C. Admiral’s Men
D. Globe Players

Q7. When was the Globe Theatre built?

A. 1576
B. 1587
C. 1599
D. 1616

Q8. Which play contains the character Shylock?

A. Hamlet
B. Macbeth
C. The Merchant of Venice
D. Othello

Q9. Who is the villain in Othello?

A. Cassio
B. Iago
C. Hamlet
D. Edmund

Q10. Who says “To be, or not to be”?

A. Macbeth
B. Hamlet
C. Othello
D. Lear

Q11. How many sonnets did Shakespeare write?

A. 100
B. 120
C. 154
D. 160

Q12. When were Shakespeare’s Sonnets published?

A. 1593
B. 1599
C. 1609
D. 1623

Q13. Who published the First Folio?

A. John Milton
B. John Heminges and Henry Condell (compilers)
C. Ben Jonson
D. Christopher Marlowe

Q14. When was the First Folio published?

A. 1609
B. 1616
C. 1623
D. 1660

Q15. How many plays appeared in the First Folio?

A. 24
B. 30
C. 36
D. 40

Q16. Who painted the famous First Folio portrait of Shakespeare?

A. Holbein
B. Martin Droeshout
C. Van Dyck
D. Reynolds

Q17. Which play contains the character Prospero?

A. Macbeth
B. Hamlet
C. The Tempest
D. King Lear

Q18. Who wrote Shakespeare’s Tragedy (1904)?

A. Samuel Johnson
B. A. C. Bradley
C. John Dryden
D. Harold Bloom

Q19. Which play contains Puck?

A. Twelfth Night
B. The Tempest
C. A Midsummer Night’s Dream
D. As You Like It

Q20. Which poem was published in 1593?

A. The Rape of Lucrece
B. Venus and Adonis
C. Paradise Lost
D. The Faerie Queene

Q21. Which Shakespeare play is based on Cinthio’s narrative?

A. Hamlet
B. Othello
C. Macbeth
D. King Lear

Q22. Who wrote The Wheel of Fire?

A. A. C. Bradley
B. G. Wilson Knight
C. Jan Kott
D. William Hazlitt

Q23. Which character says “All the world’s a stage”?

A. Hamlet
B. Jaques
C. Prospero
D. Macbeth

Q24. Which play was written in collaboration with John Fletcher?

A. Hamlet
B. The Two Noble Kinsmen
C. Romeo and Juliet
D. Julius Caesar

Q25. When did Shakespeare die?

A. 1609
B. 1613
C. 1616
D. 1623

Answer Key

Question	Answer
1	B
2	C
3	B
4	C
5	B
6	A
7	C
8	C
9	B
10	B
11	C
12	C
13	B
14	C
15	C
16	B
17	C
18	B
19	C
20	B
21	B
22	B
23	B
24	B
25	C

B. Important books

Book	Author
Shakespearean Tragedy	A. C. Bradley
The Wheel of Fire	G. Wilson Knight
Characters of Shakespeare’s Plays	William Hazlitt
Preface to Shakespeare	Samuel Johnson
Shakespeare Our Contemporary	Jan Kott
Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human	Harold Bloom
Shakespeare: A Life	Park Honan
The Life of William Shakespeare	Lois Potter

C. Original texts you should read

1. Hamlet.
2. Macbeth.
3. Othello.
4. King Lear.
5. The Tempest.
6. The Merchant of Venice.
7. As You Like It.
8. A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
9. Twelfth Night.
10. Romeo and Juliet.
11. Sonnets 18, 29, 55, 73, 116 and 130.

22

Priority	Topic
1	Life and biography
2	Lost Years
3	Lord Chamberlain’s Men and King’s Men
4	Globe Theatre
5	Classification of plays
6	Characters and their respective plays
7	Sonnets and their themes
8	First Folio and quartos
9	Sources of Shakespeare’s plays
10	Contemporary writers
11	Important quotations
12	Shakespearean criticism
13	Literary techniques
14	Chronology of works

One important academic caution: Shakespeare’s play dates are generally approximate. Different scholars sometimes assign different dates. Also, some plays involve collaboration, so the total number of Shakespeare plays can differ between reference books. The First Folio contains 36 plays, not the entirety of the modern Shakespeare canon.

Shakespeare source, Shakespeare quiz