Writings produced during the early period of Greek literature were almost exclusively in verse. This too is rampant in Shakespeare’s writing as far as his plays are concerned. Verse constitutes a large portion of them though a slight compromise of prose occurs from time to time in order to reflect the varying status of various characters. Mythical and heroic events that are not celebrated in the Homeric works or that are mentioned without being fully narrated became the subject matter of a number of subsequent epics, some fragments of which are extant.
The Theogony, usually attributed to Hesiod, is a vivid account of the establishment of order from chaos. This work was accomplished far before the emergence of Shakespeare, yet a few of Shakespeare’s plays do share this resemblance. For example, in Macbeth, pandemonium was a ‘fit o’th season’ under Macbeth’s diabolism but from the chaos and the suffering a stronger, more united order of good.
Archilochus is said to have invented iambic verse and he used it extensively in biting satires. A characteristic of Shakespeare’s verse is that it is too iambic. Take for example, ‘If you can look into the seeds of time and say which seed will grow and which will not’, five stresses are present.
As it represents the rhythms of ancient Greek speech more faithfully than does any other meter, iambic verse came to be used also for the dialogue in tragedies, in the form of the iambic trimeter. Though this is unlike that of Shakespeare’s who utilizes iambic pentameter, there are still acute similarities to be observed from the language. Another uncanny similarity is that it is his exquisite verse that has made Shakespeare’s tragedies world renown.
The lyric was originally a song to be sung to the accompaniment of the lyre. In A Midsummer’s Night Dream which interweaves several plots involving two pairs of lovers, a group of bumbling and unconsciously comic townspeople and members of the fairy realm. The play is performed with musical accompaniment with instruments including the lyre, which is somewhat similar to the harp.
Tragic drama as we know it today is said to have been originated in the 6th century BC by Attic poet Thespis, who is credited with introducing spoken passages for an actor to complement the lyric utterances of the chorus.
Euripides works are considered more realistic than those of his predecessors, especially in the psychological insight of his characterizations. Shakespeare shares similar attributes giving vivid emotional insights and psychological progression. Revealing how the human mind is vulnerable to external influences and himself.
Due to this, some critics consider him the most modern of the Greek tragedy writers. His major works include Medea, about the revenge taken by the enchantress Medea on her husband, Jason. Evidently, revenge is a major theme characterized by most of the thought provoking performances written by Shakespeare’s predecessors and Shakespeare himself. The tale of hamlet, Macbeth, Othello and more manifest the presence of this potent emotional drive that impels people then and now to act and react impulsively.
In New Comedy, satire is almost entirely replaced by social comedy involving family types, plot and character development and the themes of romantic love. Being moulded by the direction of fellow European playwrights Shakespeare’s comedies deviate to a similar path. It is clear that Shakespeare places great emphasis on character progression. How certain characters, representations of certain people are changed through the progression of time and the circumstances.