Effect of Shakespeares Life on his Tragedies
Religion, politics, the current government, the social and economic problems, one’s personal life and feelings; all are issues that play a role in the themes that are presented in the works of art put forth by any era. ... In the Shakespearean tragedies Macbeth, King Lear, Othello, and Hamlet, there may be some connection to the issues presented above. ... For example, in our time not only may television claim to be ‘like’ life, but it can also be the means of causing life to become disturbingly like itself” (3). ... “Shakespeare’s eye is upon our earthly life, and upon such experiences as may be recognized in every generation” (Fergusson 236). ... Religion probably played the most powerful role in the life of any human being living in England in that particular time period. The church not only controlled the religious aspect of a person’s life but they also controlled the governmental side as well. ... They decided what was right and what was wrong and Shakespeare’s tragedies “depend upon medieval concepts of damnation” (Fergusson 168). ... They are still using the old pagan symbols like the Maypole for spring festivals, and a leafy green tree as a symbol of renewal of life. ... We don’t know if Shakespeare actually believed in ghosts and witches but we do know that Elizabethans as a whole were more accepting than we are but these “unseen powers of evil” (Fergusson, 243) were what greatly helped to create the mood for some of Shakespeare’s tragedies. ... As Alfred Harbage puts it, “From awareness of morality comes the conception of immorality; and from life-death antimony come ultimately all religious and moral codes, including Shakespeare’s eclectic codes of affirmation. What is on the side of life is good. ... Obviously in the case of Macbeth as well as his wife they are against life because they was willing to kill their own king in order to gain power. ... Lastly the most important thing that influences a writer in any of his or her creative endeavors is their personal life. ... Shakespeare was one of the greatest writers of all time but he may not have been had it not been for the many influences on his life.