Shakespeare
Shakespeare wrote tragedies, comedies and histories that still thrill audiences.
About this topic
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) wrote about 37 plays and 154 sonnets, and is regarded as the greatest English writer. Categories: tragedies (Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear), comedies (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night) and histories (Henry V, Richard III). He wrote in blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter) and prose, and the plays were performed at the Globe Theatre.
Themes: love, power, ambition, jealousy, fate and appearance versus reality. He invented or popularised many words and phrases still used ("break the ice", "heart of gold", "wild goose chase", "bedroom", "lonely"). Productions reinterpret his works worldwide, from film versions to modern-dress stagings and translations in dozens of languages.
Worked example: in Macbeth, ambition drives the hero to murder King Duncan after the witches' prophecy. Guilt pursues him in images of blood, as in "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?" He speaks in verse, while lower-status characters often speak in prose, a clue to rank and mood. Soliloquies let the audience hear private thoughts.
Common mistakes are thinking the language is impossible, when it is mostly everyday meaning in older word order, and treating the plays only as text, when they were written for performance. Read speeches aloud, use a glossary for archaic words such as thou and hath, watch a performance, and summarise each scene in modern words before analysing language and context.
Key ideas
- Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet
- Iambic pentameter
- Soliloquies reveal thoughts
Quick check
Use cases: where Shakespeare helps
- Homework: review the key idea behind Shakespeare before you start a problem set.
- Exam revision: use the quick check to test whether you can recall Shakespeare without notes.
- Visual learning: play with the interactive lab to see how Shakespeare changes when you adjust its inputs.
- Teaching a friend: explain Shakespeare in your own words, then compare your version with the key ideas.
Strong reading and writing are needed in every subject, job and exam.
Frequently asked questions
What is Shakespeare?
Shakespeare wrote tragedies, comedies and histories that still thrill audiences.
What will I learn in Shakespeare?
Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet. Iambic pentameter. Soliloquies reveal thoughts.
Is Shakespeare part of English?
Yes. It is one of 60 English topics on LearnViz HighSchoolEdu, with 3 key ideas, a live animation and a quick check.
Does the Shakespeare lab work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. The animation resizes to fit your screen and supports touch, so you can drag, tap and slide with your finger.
How should I study Shakespeare?
Read the summary and key ideas first, play with the interactive lab to see the idea in motion, then answer the quick check. If you get a question wrong, go back to the key idea it tests.
Do I need an account, and is my progress saved?
No account is needed. Marking a topic as learned is saved in your own browser, so it stays on that device and is not sent to a server.