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The Similarities Between Shakespeare's Plays

In his lifetime, the playwright and poet William Shakespeare composed a compass of work that remains unmatched in the whole of literary history. He wrote distinctive plays, ranging in genre from the unrelenting tragedy of "Othello" to the uproarious comedy of "Comedy of Errors." Despite Shakespeare's successful efforts to make each of his creations unique, there are similarities that connect his works.

  1. Mistaken Identity

    • Mistaken identity is the critical driving force for conflict in many Shakespeare plays, particularly the comedies. Mistaken identity comes in two forms. It can either be an innocent misunderstanding or a well-meaning plot that ends up causing conflict within the play. It can also be a malicious tactic, employed by a villain, to mislead or distress the protagonist. An example of the former type is the Viola/Cesario dichotomy in "Twelfth Night." The latter could be exemplified by Don John's manipulation of Claudio through mistaken identity in "Much Ado About Nothing."

    Tragic Hero

    • Read a Shakespearean tragedy and you will encounter a tragic hero. Aristotle first explored the characteristics of the tragic hero. The tragic hero is a person of high-standing or nobility, but they must have a pronounced flaw that makes them relateable to the audience and ensures their ultimate demise. This is important, as it strengthens the emotional impact on the audience of the unfortunate events that will befall the tragic hero by the end of the play. Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear and Julius Caesar all typify the tragic hero.

    Soliloquies

    • Some of Shakespeare's most notable (and oft-quoted) lines are from soliloquies given by characters. A soliloquy is a speech made by a character to himself; he may also direct the speech to his audience. The soliloquy is the principle device used by Shakespeare to get characters to reveal thoughts and motives to the audience that they wouldn't reveal to another character onstage. It is through soliloquies, for instance, that the audience fully sees the evil driving Iago's sabotage of Othello. This device is used throughout Shakespeare's entire body of work.

    Iambic Pentameter

    • Scholars make a fuss about the "poetic" and "musical" language of Shakespeare. This poetry and musicality was not simply the by-product of a genius playwright. It's intentional. Shakespeare's plays are bound by their generous use of iambic pentameter, a metrical line containing 10 syllables and following a rhythm of da-DUM-da-DUM-da-DUM-da-DUM-da-DUM. Apply that rhythm to the following passage from Henry V's famous "St. Crispin's Day Speech."

      "And gentlemen in England now-a-bed

      Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,

      And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

      That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day."

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