How Shakespeare Used Music in His Plays and Works

Introduction

William Shakespeare (1564–1616), English playwright and poet, is recognized worldwide as the greatest dramatist of all time. His plays have been performed more times than those of any other dramatist and have been translated into almost every major language (Kastan). While many aspects of Shakespeare's plays have been discussed and analyzed, it is perhaps not so widely known that music also played an important role in many of his works. This paper reviews the historical background of music in the Shakespearean era and discusses how and why music was used in Shakespeare's works. The types of music employed by the playwright, as well as examples from specific plays, are also described.

Historical Background of Music in the Shakespearean Era

The sixteenth century in which Shakespeare was born was a period when England was emerging as a strong Protestant nation. The arts and literature were flourishing, and Queen Elizabeth was a great patron of music in particular. Street musicians playing the bass viol or tabor and pipe, or performing ballads and traditional folk songs, were a common sight in the busy markets of the time ("Music of the Streets & Fairs"). Sophisticated madrigals and instrumental music were played at court and in the houses of the educated. Shakespeare must have been exposed to both types of music, which he later incorporated into his plays ("Shakespeare and Music").

It was customary in Tudor and Stuart drama to include at least one song in every play. Only in the most profound tragedies was no music used, except for the sounds of trumpets and drums. In his later tragedies, Shakespeare defied even this practice, using songs to moving effect in Othello, King Lear, and Hamlet (Springfels).

There were different ways in which music was incorporated into the plays of the period. A special musicians' gallery above the stage was common; sometimes music was played directly on the stage, and occasionally even from beneath it to achieve special effects ("Shakespeare and Music"). In general, dramas produced at court were much more lavish than those staged by professional companies in public theaters, and the music of each differed accordingly. While large instrumental ensembles provided incidental music accompanying songs in plays staged at court, productions in public theaters had to make do with much-reduced musical resources. In such plays, it was common for one boy-actor to sing and play an instrument, or sometimes for adult actors — especially those specializing in clown roles — to sing as well (Springfels).

Vocal Songs

Shakespeare recognized the ability of both instrumental and vocal music to adapt to the stage. Although he sometimes used new compositions by writing his own lyrics, most of the songs in his dramatic works were previously written pieces — often popular music such as ballads already familiar to his audience — adapted to fit the work (Lackey).

Shakespeare adopted the prevalent practice of assigning mainly boy-actors to sing the vocal songs in his plays. The characters assigned to sing are usually servants, clowns, fools, rogues, and minor personalities; major characters are rarely made to sing. Examples of boy-musicians singing include the drinking song "Come, thou monarch of the vine" in Antony and Cleopatra and "Sigh no more, ladies" in Much Ado About Nothing.

Shakespeare often used vocal music to evoke a particular mood, as in "Come, thou monarch." He also used songs to provide ironic commentary on plot or character. The incantatory, magical, and ritual uses of song are particularly central to the themes of plays such as A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest, and Macbeth. Shakespeare additionally used songs to establish the character or mental state of the singer. In King Lear, for example, Edgar feigns madness by singing snatches of folk song, while Ophelia's singing of folk songs in Hamlet demonstrates the regressive breakdown of her personality (Springfels).

Conclusion

Shakespeare used music in most of his plays as a dramatic device to effectively evoke certain moods and, at times, to reflect the mental states of his characters. In doing so, he relied primarily on traditional and popular English music of the time that was readily understood by his audience, rather than on sophisticated art music. Music was thus not merely ornamental in Shakespeare's works but served as an integral element of his dramatic craft.