Was Shakespeare Really in Love?

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Was Shakespeare Really in Love?

William Shakespeare is arguably one of the best playwrights of all time, and he is

certainly one of the most well-known writers in the history of literature. Shakespeare is a classic example of how art and literature can touch so many people’s lives and hearts.

His work has been enjoyed by millions of people for four hundred years, and today, his

plays are still being performed daily all over the world. He wrote a total of thirty-seven plays and 154 sonnets in his lifetime. Plays like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Macbeth are recognized by most people, and they, coupled with his beautiful sonnets, are clear evidence that Shakespeare was a romantic man.

Over four hundred years ago, Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, about 100 miles northwest of London, in April of 1564. Shakespeare was the first son and the third child born to his parents, John and Mary Shakespeare. His father was a “glover,” a maker, worker and seller of leather goods, such as gloves, purses, and belts.

Most scholars agree that Shakespeare attended the Stratford grammar school, where he learned the English alphabet, as well as reading and writing in Latin. In grammar school, Shakespeare would have been exposed to Latin authors such as Cicero, Virgil, Seneca, and Ovid. It was in grammar school that Shakespeare fell in love with literature, yet when Shakespeare was around thirteen years old, his father was forced to take him out of grammar school to help him with the business at home. Most scholars believe Shakespeare continued enjoying Latin and English literature throughout his entire lifetime. Clearly, he was familiar with such literature, and a life-long student, because many of his plays are modeled after pr...

... middle of paper ...

...Shakespeare. New York: Addison-Wesley

Educational Publishers Inc., 2002.

Mabillard, Amanda. “Shakespeare of Stratford.”Shakespeare Online. 2000.

http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/default.asp. (11/20/2002).

Kinney, Sarah. “Shakespeare’s Marriage – Is it Reflected in His Plays?”

http://www.calvin.edu/academic/engl/346/proj/skinney.htm. (11/27/2002).

Almasy, Rudolph. Daniel, Rebecca. Gerlach, Jeanne. “Revisiting Shakespeare and

Gender.”Digital Library & Archives.

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/WILLA/fall96/gerlach.html

Gray, Terry. “1564 Birth & Early Years.”“1582 Marriage.”“1608 Romance &

Reconciliation.”A Shakespeare Timeline. 1998.

http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/timeline/timeline.htm

Ward, Ian. “Shakespeare and the Politics of Community.”

Early Modern Literary

Studies. 1999. http://www.shu.ac.uk/emls/04-3/wardshak.html

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