 Hello dear learners, welcome to today's program. I am Dr. Pallavi Kugoy of Padmanath Gohai Bharat School of Humanities, Krishna Kandahandic State European University. Today I shall take up Unit 9 of the course, Title Journal English, Semester 1, Block 2. The unit is titled William Shakespeare Macbeth, where we shall discuss his works. That is the works of William Shakespeare. So let us quickly begin. Starting with a table of contents where we shall discuss learning objectives followed by introduction, the works of William Shakespeare, a few questions to check your progress followed by the references. First let me come to learning objectives. After going through this video, the learner will be able to receive a better idea of the literary works of William Shakespeare and also appreciate the wide range of works by William Shakespeare. To introduce you to this video, William Shakespeare is credited to have composed a large volume of works during his lifetime. Edward Albert states in the history of English literature that quote-unquote, if Shakespeare had not been our greatest dramatist, he would still be numbered among our greatest lyrical poets. Coming to the works of William Shakespeare, let us first discuss poetry and sonnet writing. The earliest among his writings, that is the writings of William Shakespeare, were the two long poems titled Venus and Adonis 1593 and the rape of Lucris 1594. The sonnets of Shakespeare was printed in the year 1609 by Thomas Thorpe. The sonnets were dedicated to a mysterious Mr. W. H. whose identity aroused the curiosity of one and all. The first group comprises sonnets written on themes of friendship and a passionately addressed to a fair youth. These sonnets reflect the poet's personal relationship with a young man, probably belonging to a high rank. The second group comprises sonnets addressed to a dark lady who's regarded as the mistress of the poet. The sonnets are a celebration of the victory of love, beauty and friendship over time and death. Even when human life is subjected to the hurdles and obstacles made by destiny. Coming to the comedies, it was seven years after the death of Shakespeare that the first folio comprising 36 plays came out. As such, the plays of Shakespeare have been divided into different types in terms of their subject. The early plays written by Shakespeare are called the early comedies. This included the plays namely the Two Gentlemen of Verona, the Comedy of Errors, the Taming of the Shrew and Love's Slave are Lost. These plays were filled with wit and wordplay but they lacked the finis in characterization seen in his later-day plays. The comedies that were composed in his later life were more mature in terms of their subject matter and characterization. The group of mature comedies includes much do about nothing, 12th night, the Merchant of Venice and as you like it. In these plays it is also seen that Shakespeare had given special focus to the women characters representing them as strong-willed and independent women who have ideas of their own regarding the world. Whether it is the witty Beatrice or the wise and practical Porschea, Shakespeare's plays are filled with such unforgettable and ferocious women characters. Coming to the historical plays, dramatic pieces such as Richard II, Henry IV, Part I, Henry IV, Part II and Henry V reflect the development in the dramatic techniques of William Shakespeare. The playwright's intermingling of real historical figures belonging to the court alongside commoners and their interaction was a remarkable innovation in his writings. He represented the kings and the princes as more mature and responsible figures conscious of the needs of their subjects. Shakespeare had also composed a few plays based on the Roman histories. This includes Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra and Coriolinas. The Roman historical characters were written keeping into mind the subject of political intrigues and governance. Coming to the tragedies, the four great tragedies of the Bard namely Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth and King Lear. Yes, you heard right. Once again Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth and King Lear. These are the four great tragedies of the Bard. Shakespeare was at the height of his art of career when he composed these tragedies. No other dramatic composition has influenced the world of theatre so much than these four masterpieces. The emotional depth and passion reflected in his protagonists has been the subject of study since ages. Now coming to your problem plays, plays such as Measure for Measure, All's Well that Enswell, Trialist and Crusader are called the problem plays. Although the protagonists in this plays do not die, yet these plays essentially reflect disillusionment towards life. Some of his last plays were The Winter Stale, Symboline and The Tempest. The playwright had composed these plays in a rich, lucid style, varied in their subject matter, but similar in approach. Now we shall quickly come to your questions to check your progress, starting with question number one. Which works of William Shakespeare are considered the earliest? Question number two, who were the first two figures to whom William Shakespeare had supposedly dedicated his first and second set of sonnets, respectively? Question number three, name the earliest comedies written by William Shakespeare. Question number four, how were the early comedies different from that of later mature plays of William Shakespeare? Question number five, name the plays by William Shakespeare, which are considered the greatest tragedies? Question number six, which were the problem plays of William Shakespeare? With this, we come to the end of this video. Here are the references. I hope you'll go through the BA English Graduate Self-Learning Material, SLM, that is, of Join English Block 2 Unit 9, Semester 1. Thank you, dear learners.