What influenced Shakespeare to write his works?
Shakespeare was largely influenced by many authors, writers and even historians in his time. The two writers that were the most influential to Shakespeare were Geoffrey Chaucer, a poet who wrote in Middle English, Plutarch, a Greek who was an important biographer, author of essays usually on religion, politics as well as ethics. He did a lot of historical writing and also was a philosopher.
Shakespeare used and based many of his plots of his plays and work on other people's work. Well, back then, copying was not that shocking. In fact, there was no copyright at the time, meaning they were allowed to use other works as a basis for their own. Shakespeare borrowed the idea of two lovers fighting over one girl they love in A Midsummer Night's Dream from Chaucer's "The Knight's Tale" where two lovers also fight over one girl. This play was also influenced by Plutarch as Shakespeare used the characters Theseus and Hippolyta from the "Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romanes" by Plutarch in his play Midsummer Night's Dream.
Another big influence was the Bible. Shakespeare himself was a protestant, as many were at the time. Many of his characters quoted from the Bible. In the play "As You Like It", the younger brother becomes the model who follows Christ's rules on forgiveness as even though his older brother tried to kill him, he forgives him for all the wrongs he did against him.
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Shakespeare used and based many of his plots of his plays and work on other people's work. Well, back then, copying was not that shocking. In fact, there was no copyright at the time, meaning they were allowed to use other works as a basis for their own. Shakespeare borrowed the idea of two lovers fighting over one girl they love in A Midsummer Night's Dream from Chaucer's "The Knight's Tale" where two lovers also fight over one girl. This play was also influenced by Plutarch as Shakespeare used the characters Theseus and Hippolyta from the "Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romanes" by Plutarch in his play Midsummer Night's Dream.
Another big influence was the Bible. Shakespeare himself was a protestant, as many were at the time. Many of his characters quoted from the Bible. In the play "As You Like It", the younger brother becomes the model who follows Christ's rules on forgiveness as even though his older brother tried to kill him, he forgives him for all the wrongs he did against him.
Flashcards are available for use here:
http://www.flashcardmachine.com/3233132/s8s2