Politics and William Shakespeare - Research Paper Example

Introduction William Shakespeare (April 26th 1564- 23 April 1616) who is mostly known for his poetry and playwright skills, was one of the most celebrated English language writer and dramatist of all time. His literature; which were in the form of comedies and tragedies, mostly covered the themes of love, romance and were also satirical in nature hence are able to be performed and interpreted in diverse cultures and political situations in the world over.DiscussionWilliam Shakespeare lived in the Elizabethan era which was an era under the ruler ship of the great queen Elizabeth I.

The Elizabethan era was politically oppressive in that, it prohibited the practice of Catholic as a religion which had been newly introduced in England and any other form of freedom of expression (Lace, 2006).Shakespeare having a strong moral belief due to his faith as a catholic, he believed in political morality in that, the law of the land had to favor the righteous and punish the wrong or immoral. This is evidenced in several of his works like in The Merchants of Venice; where shylock, though viewed as a villain, he is right to demand his dues owed to him by Antonio as agreed upon and signed.

Shylock however is portrayed as the villain by Shakespeare due to his lack of morality and little regard to human life. Shakespeare hence believed that the laws made, were to serve the interest of the people, and protect human life however strictly they may be. (Shakespeare, 1964)Shakespeare also believed that the current political regime of the class system that existed during his time was not favorable to the citizens. This hence prompted him to create plots that were sad and satirical in nature.

This, he illustrates in the play Romeo and Juliet, where the two protagonists commit suicide because of their inability to be together due to restrictions by the class system. The class political structure dictated that one could only marry and associate with people from the same class. Shakespeare was against this belief and it can be assumed that he believed in equality of all mankind regardless of their class. (Bloom, 1964)ConclusionThough Shakespeare could not openly dismiss the politics of his country, he found refuge in his literary works by using satire, which helped him to express his political beliefs that were almost always against the current regime in terms of the practice of law and the oppression of religious practices.

Works CitedAlexander, Catherine M. S.. Shakespeare and politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Print.Bloom, Allan David, and Harry V. Jaffa. Shakespeares politics,. New York: Basic Books, 1964. Print.Lace, William W.. Elizabethan England. Farmington Hills, MI: Lucent Books, 2006. Print.Shakespeare, William, and Horace Howard Furness. The merchant of Venice. New York: Dover, 1964. Print