William Shakespeare is often regarded as the greatest playwright in the English language. His works, which include iconic plays such as Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, have had a profound and enduring impact on literature and the arts. Shakespeare’s ability to capture the complexities of human nature and his mastery of language are just a few reasons why his works have stood the test of time. However, Shakespeare’s brilliance did not exist in a vacuum. Like all great artists, he was influenced by those who came before him.
While Shakespeare’s genius is evident in his original contributions to drama and poetry, he was shaped by a range of literary, philosophical, and historical influences. These influences come from a wide variety of sources—classical works, contemporary playwrights, and historical figures—each of whom helped to mold Shakespeare’s distinctive style, themes, and dramatic techniques. This article will explore five of the most important figures who influenced Shakespeare: Ovid, Christopher Marlowe, Plutarch, Seneca, and Edmund Spenser. Each of these figures played a significant role in shaping Shakespeare’s writing, and their contributions to literature are integral to understanding the depth and complexity of Shakespeare’s work.
Introduction: Shakespeare and His Context
William Shakespeare lived during the English Renaissance, a period marked by a revival of classical learning and an expanding interest in the human condition. The intellectual climate of the time, shaped by the influence of the classical world and the rise of humanism, fostered a climate that was particularly conducive to the flourishing of literature, theater, and the arts.
Shakespeare’s education, his exposure to classical texts, and his involvement in the vibrant theater scene of London all played a role in shaping his literary output. The Elizabethan and Jacobean periods saw the rise of an English theater that was more professional and sophisticated than ever before, and Shakespeare quickly became one of its most prominent figures. However, despite his enormous talent and originality, Shakespeare was deeply influenced by the works of others. His writing is full of references to classical mythology, historical events, and the plays of his contemporaries. Understanding these influences provides valuable insights into the mind of the playwright and into the ways in which his works reflect and respond to the literary and cultural trends of his time.
This article will examine the five figures who influenced Shakespeare the most, considering both their direct impact on his work and the broader intellectual currents that shaped Shakespeare’s writing.
1. Ovid: The Poet of Transformation and Myth
Ovid, a Roman poet who lived from 43 BCE to 17/18 CE, was one of the most influential classical figures on Shakespeare. His Metamorphoses is a narrative poem composed of over 250 myths, many of which deal with the theme of transformation—both physical and emotional. In these myths, gods and mortals alike undergo dramatic changes, often as a result of love, vengeance, or fate. Ovid’s work, filled with stories of gods, heroes, and lovers, became a key source for Shakespeare’s exploration of myth and human nature.
Thematic Influence: Transformation, Love, and Fate
Shakespeare’s plays often feature characters who undergo transformations, either physical or psychological, in response to love, ambition, or other intense emotions. The themes of love and transformation that run through Metamorphoses are particularly evident in Shakespeare’s romantic comedies, such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night. The magical transformations in these plays—where characters fall in and out of love, take on different identities, and even undergo physical changes—mirror the kinds of metamorphoses Ovid describes.
For instance, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the fairy Puck transforms Bottom’s head into that of a donkey, a motif that evokes the many transformations Ovid describes in Metamorphoses. Similarly, the shifting loves and identities of the characters in Twelfth Night reflect Ovid’s exploration of the fluidity of love and identity. Shakespeare also uses Ovidian themes of punishment and revenge in his tragedies. For example, the fate of characters in Titus Andronicus and Hamlet echoes Ovid’s narratives of vengeance and the devastating consequences that follow.
Moreover, Ovid’s influence can be seen in Shakespeare’s treatment of the power of love. In Romeo and Juliet, love is a force that brings about both joy and tragedy, similar to how Ovid presents love as both a creative and destructive force in his myths. Shakespeare’s exploration of fate in Romeo and Juliet, where the lovers’ destinies seem sealed from the moment they meet, also resonates with Ovid’s exploration of destiny and the inevitability of change.
2. Christopher Marlowe: The Tragic Playwright
Christopher Marlowe was a contemporary of Shakespeare and a key influence on his development as a playwright. Marlowe, who lived from 1564 to 1593, is best known for his tragedies, particularly Doctor Faustus, Tamburlaine the Great, and The Jew of Malta. Marlowe was one of the first playwrights to bring a sense of grandeur and complexity to the English stage, and his works were an important model for Shakespeare’s tragedies.
Thematic Influence: Ambition, Power, and the Human Condition
Marlowe’s plays, which often feature larger-than-life protagonists driven by ambition and a thirst for power, had a profound impact on Shakespeare’s portrayal of complex characters. In particular, Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus explores themes of ambition, knowledge, and the consequences of seeking power beyond human limits. This work, with its focus on a man who bargains with the devil in exchange for knowledge and power, shares thematic similarities with Shakespeare’s own plays, such as Macbeth and Julius Caesar, which explore the dangerous consequences of unchecked ambition.
The figure of the tragic hero in Marlowe’s plays—a man who is both grandiose and flawed—also influenced Shakespeare’s creation of tragic figures like Hamlet, Othello, and Macbeth. Shakespeare borrowed Marlowe’s exploration of internal conflict and moral ambiguity, presenting characters who are torn between their desires and their conscience.
Marlowe’s dramatic style, characterized by the use of blank verse and powerful soliloquies, also influenced Shakespeare’s own writing. Marlowe’s use of language was both eloquent and forceful, and Shakespeare adopted similar techniques in his own plays to give voice to the inner struggles of his characters.
3. Plutarch: The Historian of Rome
Plutarch, a Greek historian and biographer who lived from 46 to 120 CE, was another major influence on Shakespeare’s writing. His Parallel Lives, a series of biographical sketches of famous Greek and Roman figures, provided Shakespeare with the material for several of his historical plays, including Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, and Coriolanus.
Thematic Influence: History, Morality, and Leadership
Plutarch’s works explore themes of leadership, honor, and moral integrity, and Shakespeare drew heavily on these themes in his treatment of historical figures. In Julius Caesar, for example, Shakespeare uses Plutarch’s account of Caesar’s assassination to explore the moral dilemmas surrounding power, ambition, and the consequences of political violence. Shakespeare’s portrayal of Brutus as a conflicted and morally conscientious figure draws directly from Plutarch’s depiction of him as a man torn between his loyalty to Caesar and his belief in the greater good.
Similarly, in Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare borrows from Plutarch’s account of the ill-fated love affair between the Roman general Mark Antony and the Egyptian queen Cleopatra. Plutarch’s exploration of the tension between personal desire and political responsibility serves as the foundation for Shakespeare’s treatment of the tragic relationship between the two characters.
Plutarch’s influence can also be seen in Shakespeare’s portrayal of the conflict between personal honor and political expediency. In Coriolanus, for example, Shakespeare uses Plutarch’s biography of the Roman general Caius Marcius Coriolanus to examine the tensions between personal pride and the demands of public life.
4. Seneca: The Stoic Philosopher
Seneca, a Roman philosopher and playwright who lived from 4 BCE to 65 CE, was one of the most prominent Stoic philosophers of the ancient world. His works, which include both philosophical treatises and tragedies, had a significant impact on Shakespeare’s writing. Seneca’s tragedies, which are characterized by intense emotion, moral lessons, and the exploration of human suffering, helped shape the dramatic structure and themes of Shakespeare’s tragedies.
Thematic Influence: Revenge, Passion, and the Supernatural
Seneca’s tragedies, which include works like Phaedra, Medea, and Thyestes, focus on themes of revenge, moral corruption, and human suffering. These themes are also central to Shakespeare’s tragedies, such as Hamlet, Titus Andronicus, and Macbeth. The idea of revenge as a driving force behind a character’s actions, as well as the psychological torment that results from the pursuit of vengeance, is explored in both Seneca’s works and Shakespeare’s plays.
Shakespeare also adopted Seneca’s emphasis on intense emotional conflict and the portrayal of morally ambiguous characters. The characters in Seneca’s tragedies often face inner turmoil as they struggle with their desires for power, revenge, and justice. Similarly, Shakespeare’s tragic heroes, such as Hamlet and Macbeth, are torn by their conflicting emotions and moral dilemmas.
Furthermore, Seneca’s influence is evident in Shakespeare’s use of supernatural elements. In plays like Macbeth, Hamlet, and Julius Caesar, Shakespeare incorporates apparitions, ghosts, and omens, drawing on the conventions of Seneca’s tragic works, which often feature gods, spirits, and prophetic visions.
5. Edmund Spenser: The English Poet
Edmund Spenser, an English poet who lived from 1552 to 1599, was a key figure in the development of English poetry during the Renaissance. His epic poem The Faerie Queene is a work of great imagination, combining elements of romance, allegory, and chivalric ideals. Spenser’s poetry had a significant influence on Shakespeare, particularly in the areas of language, meter, and thematic exploration.
Thematic Influence: Allegory, Heroism, and the Nature of Virtue
Spenser’s influence on Shakespeare can be seen in the use of allegorical elements in his plays. In The Faerie Queene, Spenser explores virtues such as holiness, chastity, and justice through the adventures of knights and ladies. Similarly, Shakespeare frequently uses allegory and symbolic characters to explore moral and ethical themes, such as the virtue of mercy in The Merchant of Venice or the exploration of honor in King Henry IV.
Spenser’s use of language and meter also influenced Shakespeare’s poetic style. Spenser’s preference for the Spensarian stanza, a nine-line verse form, inspired Shakespeare’s development of blank verse and the use of unrhymed iambic pentameter in his plays.
Conclusion: The Legacy of Shakespeare’s Influences
Shakespeare’s work is a testament to his ability to absorb and transform the ideas and styles of those who came before him. Ovid, Christopher Marlowe, Plutarch, Seneca, and Edmund Spenser all left a lasting imprint on Shakespeare’s writing, shaping his exploration of human nature, power, ambition, love, and morality. These figures provided Shakespeare with the raw material from which he crafted some of the most profound and enduring works in the history of literature.
By understanding the influences on Shakespeare, we gain a deeper appreciation for the complexity of his writing and the ways in which he drew on a wide range of literary, historical, and philosophical traditions. Through his engagement with these sources, Shakespeare was able to create works that continue to resonate with audiences around the world today.
