The Power of Words, the Power of Silence with Shakespeare

Abstract

The following paper attempts to highlight the paramount importance that each uttered or unuttered word had in Shakespeare’s works, the force with which words were endowed, and the power they conferred to their user. Two attitudes are clearly marked as to the power of words as used by Shakespeare’s characters: on the one hand, there is the belief in the infinite ability of words to bring forth action, and on the other hand, the lack of trust in the capacity of words to achieve anything.