Students of Shakespeare have spent a very great deal of time debating the meanings of "Othello", "King Lear", and "Macbeth". The wealth of criticism of any one of his plays can be overwhelming to the casual student. I cite my own experience as a high school student struggling to write credible criticism of "King Lear" whilst juggling History, German, and General Studies reading and assignments. Students benefit from guidance concerning what it is best; at the very least to make best use of the time they have, opting perhaps to read the very best sources only.
Now language, spoke or written, is entirely a reflection of individual experience. We speak and write words we have picked up, first from whom ever taught use to speak; later from those we talk to and from those books which we have read. Consciously or unconsciously, directly or indirectly, we also use language to speak and write about our experiences.
Fiction writers use language, no way in exception to this rule. However many planes they may have crossed using their imagination and knowledge, their fiction will be the product of their experiences. It is important then, for students of literature to learn about a writer's experiences - how they lived, and what they read being the two points of focus in any such study of a writer. Secondary to reading the text apart from knowledge of the writer to consider language in the abstract, it is necessary for students, searching for meaning, to consider texts with knowledge of their writers.
Considering fiction writers' sources is a practice never more crucial than when studying Shakespeare's plays. Firstly, it is a relatively easy exercise (and therefore good practice), as none of Shakespeare's plays are entirely original. Secondly, it is important for most students studying Shakespeare to express their own opinions about the texts. Examiners, certainly of A-Levels, (so I am told), are interested in the thoughts of the candidate, and therefore do not look favorably on regurgitated criticism from leading Shakespeare scholars. Thirdly, knowing something of Shakespeare likely sources is immensely useful at opening paths to substantiated judgments on meaning; it can lead to a whole new level of understanding, from which it is even easier to appreciate bard's genius.
The discourse to follow on Shakespeare's sources for three of his best known tragedies is, I admit, a regurgitation of my last three years of studying English. I decided that treading familiar ground was most prudent at this stage in the life of "Arguendo". I hope to build my own confidence as a writer, as I build your confidence as a reader. Not withstanding that these three tragedies are amongst Shakespeare's most thought provoking plays, I hope that this essay will indeed provided knowledge to add to you enjoyment of them.
One of the problems or, depending on your perspective, one of the advantages of studying Shakespeare, is that relatively little is known about his life. In particular, scholars are uncertain when he wrote the majority of his plays and sonnets, which leaves, potentially, a substantial gap between Shakespeare's intended meaning and our own understanding of his work.
The best estimates for the dates that he wrote span several years. He must have written "Macbeth" sometime between 1603, the ascension of James I, and the first known performance of the play in 1611; "King Lear" within three years of the first court performance on December 1, 1606; according to a note in the First Quarto edition of 1608. "Othello" was written about two years before it was performed, apparently for the first time, by the King's Men in the Banqueting house at Whitehall on November 1, 1604.
The approximate dates for the production of Shakespeare's plays, scholars have largely derived from the apparent contextual details in the plays themselves. It is possible, then to consider and to use these dates in arguments about Shakespeare's meaning. Context is an important source for many writers.
Shakespeare's Context
"?this place is too cold for hell." --(Mac.2.3.13-14)
"What can you say to draw a third more opulent than your sisters?" --(Lr.1.1.80-81)
"My blood begins my safer guides to rule, And passion having my best judgment collied, Assays to lead the way." --(Oth.2.3.186-188)
These three quotations have meaning set in the context of Shakespeare's time. This higher level of meaning it is important to know something of the ideas and beliefs of Shakespeare's England; not surprisingly, it is most important to be awa
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