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GrandPoobah -> RE: Why do you think Shakespear was so spot on with everything? (2/13/2012 11:53:04 PM)
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Shakespeare's success was based largely upon his ability to study and observe humankind. He was, first and foremost, a canny observer of people. He recognized human foibles, and made use of them.
Two examples tell the tale.
First, if you look at the beginning of Julius Caesar, you'll find the first bit is a whole series of puns that come across as silly. They seem to have nothing to do with the story. However, Shakespeare understood that he was writing for two audiences. The first, better educated and "higher class" sat in the box seats. They were smart enough to wait for a plot to develop. The second was the "common folks" who stood in the well during the whole production. He knew that "high-brow" thinking would go right past these folks, so he started the play by appealing to them, getting them hooked before turning to more serious things.
Second, look at A Midsummer Night's Dream. It's about fairies, and very few believed in them. So...what does he do? He begins the play with a serious theme...the pending marriage of two nobles. Then, he moves on, to a group of bumpkins preparing (in their own way) to produce a play of some sort. Now, after you've accepted those two plots as reasonable...only after that...does he introduce the fairies. Again, he understood his audience. The way he presents the fairies also makes them plausible enough that we accept the idea.
In short, his words and his plotting all reflect his ability to observe and comment on human nature, and that's what makes him so compelling. A lot of his plots were stolen from the Greeks, but he made them better by taking out the Deux et Machina of the Gods and putting regular human failing in their place.
As for your quote.? Heck yes. You never forget somebody who touched you, for better or worse. The people you forget are the people who left no impression whatsoever. Personally, I loved. She left. I'll never forget her, and there is still a place in my heart. Such is life!
GP
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