all of shakespeare's works are masterpieces, but greatest are last in his mature years all wonder how he could have written them with a grammar school education very little evidence of his actual existence, little or no handwriting samples how? work evolves and develops over time mature plays show a progression in language and thought complexity plays become more complicated over time gave up on comedy early, did life grow less amusing as he aged? stops writing in his 50s, at height of career resolved to live out rest of life as a prosperous member of gentry may have died of syphilis or typhus, no one sure, died prematurely gives farewell speech in the tempest, possibly acted in his final play retired at top of his game, left like an athlete who retires while winning mature plays, mature issues roman plays deal with important issues of his time, like julius caesar, can you kill a ruler to save a country? henry V, kills prisoners, was he right? they had asked for safety antony and cleo - cleo suicides after her lover dies four great tragedies hamlet othello king lear macbeth profound gloom pervades these works. for example, before macbeth goes to his own prophesied death on battlefield.... king lear aged king divides kingdom between 3 daughters becomes roving beggar, sees world as meaningless, rich get different laws from poor right in seeing world as filled with moral decay and rot? hamlet paragon of humanist education sees man as quintessence of dust man fails to delight him is man touching angels or is he touching dust? is he just depressed? is this shakespear's view? othello man destroyed by love black/arab kills wife for cheating on him, fooled by iago love kills kills self regains master of self before dying great tragedies, why? loss of child? national depression of england? esp after elizabeth's death joy of youth gone in later plays final scenes of act 4 gloucester, edgar (as poor tom) wants to touch son again wants to be taken to a cliff in dover (the white cliffs?) better to be lowest than to have your ass kissed sad, because gloucester and lear a generally good men gods use us for target practice, like people with a flyswatter gloucester realized who edgar is in act 5 skipping to page 177... goneril gives oswald a token to give to edmund albany yells at goneril, can't stand her, she calls him a coward bottom of 185, top of 187, speech gentleman makes to kent describes cordelia as a ruler she keeps her emotions in check no one else does