Literature and the content of dramas as a potent source of heritage- A case study

Abstract

This paper is based on a case study that was done as a small scale investigation. This study aimed to examine the impact of dramas and literature as a source of heritage. Two dramas of William Shakespeare; Othello and Macbeth were used as the sample of the study. Secondary data was used to collect data for this study. The immense contribution given by Shakespeare to Literature and the contemporary context as a source of heritage can be explicitly identified through this case study. Nothing is known about how Shakespeare became involved in the theatre and became a writer, but he apparently was becoming known as an actor and playwright by 1592, judging by a comment from a rival then about an "upstart crow" His first published works, however, were the long poems Venus and Adonis (1593) and The Rape of Lucrece (1594). His famous sonnets were also likely begun in the early 1590s, though they were not collected and published together until 1609. The tragedies, Othello and Macbeth are considered as two masterpieces in English Literature. Furthermore, the themes elaborated in such tragedies are strongly relatable to the past and contemporary contexts. The themes such as jealousy, race, gender, sex, marriage, manipulation and hatred are strongly discussed in the tragedy Othello. Moreover, the drama Macbeth which is centered around the tragic hero Macbeth demonstrates the themes like, dichotomy and equivocation, prophecy, death, war, etc. This study further elaborates on the significance of the above mentioned tragedies as a source of heritage and their impacts on contemporary society.