Clever story hints from Shakespeare

Story hints

“The point of view, or narrative mode, Shakespeare uses in his plays, like most plays, is the third person objective view point. We know that plays are narrated in third person because we do not see the play through one character’s perspective; we do not frequently see the word I appear in the play.” Tamara K.H. on Notes.com

A limited third person point of view

In a limited third person point of view, an author does not have access to his characters’ thoughts. This strengthens the illusion that the acting on stage is similar to our lives. A well-done limited 3rd person play persuades and enthralls with its lifelike believability. The characters try to keep their secrets and pretend to go along with mischief or the follies of friends.

Shakespeare, a limited third POV?

From a storyteller’s point of view, Shakespeare pretends to have a limited third person point of view, thus drawing in his audience. This approach allows audiences to imagine that they witness a world that stands alone. Yet this master playwright, who holds himself outside of his creations heads, tips characters into disclosing intimate details, foibles, morals and thoughts through cleverness. He causes his characters to lie. Then he makes others find out a lie and force out a confession. Shakespeare’s characters, a points of stress, have an aloud chat with him or herself. An well-known example occurs in Hamlet when Prince Hamlet gives his famous “to be or not to be” soliloquy.

What can I do? I’m not Shakespeare.

I say that depends on what genre you write in. What type of story you want to tell? 

• comedy = happy endings, people get married, renew love and hope
• tragedy= a death, a war, a huge loss, etc.
• history = fact based story
• myth & fantasy = a mixed bag of hopeful beginnings & terrible hurts

William Shakespeare wrote poetry and plays. He wrote plays in the history, tragedy and comedy categories. He also added bits of fantasy as in the dream scene in Midsummer Nights’ Dream. Of considered a writer’s writer or the best of all English playwrights, Shakespeare’s genius has been lately questioned. Some scholars challenge the idea of one man writing the massive volume of works attributed to William Shakespeare. Other scholars, of course, argue that a single man, named Shakespeare, wrote plays for a theatre troupe he knew well. The plays tend to use character types and one playwright would unite the plays by the talents and strengths of specific actors. Thus  a single playwright wrote all the plays attributed to Shakespeare.

What do you think? Was Shakespeare a rare genius or a name put to poetry and plays written by more than one man?

Poems of William Shakespeare #free downloads

10 Shakespeare Quotes that you can use in Modern English

November 2, 2015