William Shakespeare Research Paper

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William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright who is considered one of the greatest writers to ever use the English language. He is also the most famous playwright in the world, with his plays being translated in over 50 languages and performed across the globe for audiences of all ages. Known colloquially as "The Bard" or "The Bard of Avon," Shakespeare was also an actor and the creator of the Globe Theatre, a historical theatre, and company that is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. His works span tragedy, comedy, and historical works, both in poetry and prose. Although he is the most-recognized playwright in the world, very little of his life is actually known. There are no known autobiographical letters or …show more content…

He was, however, well known enough to be attacked by critics in newspapers, and thus was considered to be already an established playwright. After the year 1594, Shakespeare's plays were solely performed by a company owned by a group of actors known as the Lord Chamberlain's Men, which became London's leading company. After Queen Elizabeth's death in 1603, the company was given a royal patent that renamed it the King's Men, named so after King James I. Shakespeare, along with a group of players that acted in his play, created his own theatre on the River Thames in 1599 and named it the Globe Theatre. After that, a record of property purchases and investments made by Shakespeare showed the playwright had become a very wealthy …show more content…

The earliest play that is directly attributed to Shakespeare is the trilogy of "King Henry VI," with "Richard III" also being written around the same time, between 1589 and 1591. The last play was collaboration, assumed to be with John Fletcher, known as "The Two Noble Kinsmen." Shakespeare often wrote play in a genre that was in vogue at the time, with his plays beginning with the histories, including the above-mentioned works as well as "Pericles," "King John," the dual volumes of both "Henry IV" and "Henry V," which were written at later dates.

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