Famous quote by Charlton Heston

"Shakespeare is the outstanding example of how that can be done. In all of Shakespeare's plays, no matter what tragic events occur, no matter what rises and falls, we return to stability in the end"

About this Quote

Charlton Heston's quote about Shakespeare highlights the playwright's unparalleled capability to weave intricate stories that, regardless of traversing the highs and lows of human experience, eventually restore order. Heston appreciates Shakespeare's genius in storytelling, suggesting that his works function as exemplary designs for how stories can stabilize mayhem with ultimate calm.

Shakespeare's plays typically explore the depths of human emotion and experience, recording the extremes of pleasure and despair, love and betrayal, ambition and failure. Characters such as Hamlet, Macbeth, and Lear browse through profound chaos, challenging both themselves and their worlds. However, as Heston explains, regardless of these extreme psychological and narrative arcs, Shakespeare consistently connects his plays back to a state of stability. This isn't to suggest that his conclusions are always favorable or traditionally "delighted", as much of his tragedies end in death and heartache. Rather, it is about the remediation of order and balance, a return to a state of normalcy or approval, where the turmoils of the narrative find their resolution.

This narrative strategy mirrors life itself, where mayhem and stability exist side-by-side cyclically. Shakespeare's genius depends on his ability to represent the inevitability of this cycle, highlighting that despite moments of extreme condition, stability is constantly possible. Heston highlights this as a key lesson from Shakespeare-- regardless of the severity of life's disturbances, there lies an ultimate go back to balance.

In a wider sense, Heston implies that Shakespeare acts as an artistic guide, highlighting the capacity for stories (and maybe real-life experiences) to challenge and fix up with turmoil. Thus, Shakespeare's works remain timeless, advising audiences that in the middle of chaos, a semblance of stability can invariably be brought back, affirming the resilience of the human spirit.

About the Author

This quote is written / told by Charlton Heston between October 4, 1923 and April 5, 2008. He was a famous Actor from USA. The author also have 15 other quotes.
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Andrew Coyle Bradley, Judge

"A Shakespearean tragedy as so far considered may be called a story of exceptional calamity leading to the death of a man in high estate. But it is clearly much more than this, and we have now to regard it from another side"

Andrew Coyle Bradley, Judge

"Shakespeare's idea of the tragic fact is larger than this idea and goes beyond it; but it includes it, and it is worth while to observe the identity of the two in a certain point which is often ignored"

Andrew Coyle Bradley, Judge

"Shakespeare very rarely makes the least attempt to surprise by his catastrophes. They are felt to be inevitable, though the precise way in which they will be brought about is not, of course, foreseen"

Andrew Coyle Bradley, Judge

"Most people, even among those who know Shakespeare well and come into real contact with his mind, are inclined to isolate and exaggerate some one aspect of the tragic fact"

Andrew Coyle Bradley, Judge

"What then is tragedy? In the Elizabethan period it was assumed that a play ending in death was a tragedy, but in recent years we have come to understand that to live on is sometimes far more tragic than death"

George P. Baker