William Shakespeare: The eternal voice of the life of human beings.

Tanvir Mostafa

Lecturer
Department of English, 

Bangladesh Air Force Shaheen College Kurmitola
Dhaka Cantonment, Dhaka 1206, Bangladesh
Contact: romen18142@gmail.com

William Shakespeare is one of the most significant authors of the world literature. Even now, more than four centuries after his lifetime, his plays and poems still address the modern reader, because they deal with the utmost truths of human nature. In his works, love, jealousy, ambition, betrayal, power, family conflict, friendship and death have all been central themes in his works. It is these themes that make Shakespeare not only a writer of his age but also a writer of all ages.

Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England in 1564. He authored works in the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras in which English drama was quickly evolving. His works consist of tragedies, comedies, histories and sonnets. Some of his most known plays are: Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice and A Midsummer Nights Dream. All these pieces reflect human nature in an both strong and vivid manner.

The fact that Shakespeare understood human psychology well has been one of the reasons as to why Shakespeare remains important. In Hamlet, he introduces a young prince who is confused with grief, uncertainty, revenge and moral duty. The famous question of Hamlet, To be or not to be, reflects the sufferings of existence and the hardship to make a choice in this troubled world. Shakespeare depicted in Macbeth how unchecked ambition could ruin the mind, family and future of a person. Although Macbeth starts as a courageous soldier, he is driven by power lust that drives him to murder, fear, guilt and demise.

Love and conflict are other beautiful pieces of writing that Shakespeare did. It is common knowledge that Romeo and Juliet is a romantic tragedy, yet it is also a lesson against family and community hatred. The fact that Romeo and Juliet die demonstrates the devastating effects of social conflict on the lives of innocent people. This makes not just the works of Shakespeare literary works; they also convey lessons when it comes to society.

The use of language is another salient aspect of the writing of Shakespeare. There was a rare talent in him to create the expression of complex emotions in the simple but powerful lines. His works have given rise to many phrases that have become common in the everyday English. His words might appear hard to grasp initially, yet the emotional intent is also easy to understand since his characters are real. They pain, love, hope, do wrong and face the consequences like other ordinary people.

Shakespeare has also made his works worthwhile by making the reader intellectually stimulated. He does not necessarily provide easy answers. In many of his plays, it has been revealed that human beings are complex. A villain might have suffering within himself, a hero may have a weakness, and a wise man may still be mistaken. Such realistic perception of life allows people to see those with whom they are more patient and in depth.

Today, in various countries Shakespeare is still taught, acted, translated, and adapted. The stories he writes are shown in movies, theatre, novels and classrooms. The answer is very simple the world has changed, however, there is a slight change in human emotions. People are still caught up in love, ambition, jealousy, injustice, family pressure, and moral choices. It is the genius of Shakespeare that he had the capacity of transforming these universal experiences into memorable literature.

In conclusion , William Shakespeare is not a historical literary character only; he is an everlasting spokesman of human experience. He has inspired and impacted many generations and cultures through his works. We have not only learned about the English literature reading Shakespeare; we also learned about ourselves, society and about the secret motions of the human heart.