William Shakespeare Essay Example

William Shakespeare Essay: Introduction

By all means, Shakespeare is an important playwriter for modern theatre. As far as we know, he wrote plays for specific actors to perform. Also, during Shakespeare's time, women could not perform in public theatres in England until 1660, but some countries allowed them to perform in the plays (“Fact Sheet” para. 3). Thus, boys and men played female roles in his plays. This paper focuses on an actor who will play five roles in five different plays of Shakespeare. Primarily, the purpose of this paper is to reflect why this actor is chosen for these specific roles. After all, our actor is a male, and he will perform five male roles in Shakespeare's plays. The chosen plays are Hamlet, Otello, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and lastly, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

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First of all, our actor will perform the leading role Hamlet. In this play, audience will see his existential crises and bloodthirstiness for revenge. As a nobleman, Hamlet is expected to behave respectfully to his uncle. However, he is a wise man who knows the truth about his father's murderer. Then, he becomes blindfolded with revenge and rejects Ophelia, which leads her to depression and suicide. After all, Hamlet has a dark side, and he does not hesitate to kill his uncle even though he loses his life too.

Secondly, when we experience our actor's bloodthirstiness for revenge. He will be a great choice to Iago in Otello. More specifically, Iago is a man who is capable of twisting people’s minds against people; he does these things because of jealousy. He envies others' relationships. Therefore, he manipulates Otello, and he twists his mind against Desdemona. He is the mastermind behind her murder.

Thirdly, our actor will play Macduff in Macbeth because he is too young to perform Lord Macbeth. Thus, as Macduff, audience will see him again with bloodthirstiness for revenge. Also, in Macbeth, the witches' prophecy comes true with Macduff's entrance. More specifically, witches say that no one a woman has given birth to the one who can harm him, and he would not be defeated until Birnam Wood moves (“Macbeth” para. 7). Only Macduff can harm him because he was born by cesarean section. After all, he defeats Macbeth and takes revenge for his family's murder.

Fourthly, our actor will perform Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet. Mercutio is a close friend of Romeo, and he is a relative of the Prince. Also, Mercutio's death is the trigger point that leads young lovers to their fate. More specifically, our actor will perform Mercutio because he has a temper, and sometimes, he acts without thinking first. When Tybalt insults Romeo, he could not stand his words and attacks Tybalt. He dies in his fight, and then Romeo kills Tybalt. Romeo exiles from the country, and the lovers' doomed fate becomes true.

Lastly, our actor will play Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Demetrius is not a bad character altogether; he just a man who falls in love with the wrong girl because Helena is madly in love with him. When Puck lays a love potion to his eyes, he falls in love with Helena. Then, Puck undoes Lysander’s potion, but he leaves Demetrius the same. Therefore, he is punished for his actions. After all, our actor will be a great choice for Demetrius because he is described as a villain when he is not, and he finds love with Helena.

William Shakespeare Essay: Conclusion

Consequently, this paper focuses on an actor who plays five different roles in five of Shakespeare's plays. During Shakespeare's time, boys and men were performing female roles in the plays. However, since we are living in the 21st century, our actor is chosen for male roles only. The chosen plays are Hamlet, Otello, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and lastly, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. After all, our actor will perform Hamlet, Iago, Macduff, Mercutio, and lastly, Demetrius.

References

“Fact Sheet: Actors.” Teach Shakespeare, 27 Sept. 2016, teach.shakespearesglobe.com/fact-sheet-actors.

“Macbeth Plot Summary: Shakespeare Learning Zone.” Royal Shakespeare Company, www.rsc.org.uk/shakespeare-learning-zone/macbeth/story/plot.