Shakespeare As A Highly Skilled Master Of Rhetoric

Some ancient Greek and Roman classics lost for nearly one thousand years regained wide attention since the 12th century, leading to the rise of humanism, then further giving rise to a huge ideological and cultural movement-the Renaissance. It was during the golden age of the Renaissance that England ushered in the reign of Elizabeth I, a period of economic prosperity, social flourish, and literary especially theatrical brilliance. The theater thrived in significant part because it received the patronage and support from the versatile Queen herself.William Shakespeare (1564-1616) grew up, lived and worked in such an era. Most of his life was under the reign of Elizabeth I, and he won the Queen’s favor and appreciation. The playwright and poet in the period of English Renaissance is one of the most influential writers in world literature, and among the most commented writers. Shakespeare’s works profoundly reflect his era. The different speeches and rhetorical skills in Shakespeare’s Roman plays, including Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus, which this paper undertakes to analyze, are traceable to his inheritance and usage of classical rhetorical theory, such as the three artistic proofs, figures of speech, and sprezzatura. Shakespeare shows his rhetorical talents in the above-mentioned plays, vividly representing the ancient history of Rome with his excellent dramatic and narrative skills. What emerges from our analyses is not just an outstanding Renaissance playwright, but a rhetorical master as well.