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Shakespeare's life and career
A brief biography of william shakespeare
Shakespeare's life and career
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An analysis of the famous playwright, William Shakespeare, reveals the struggles he overcame and activities he did during his childhood, as a playwright, his involvement with the Globe theatre after moving to England, and during the time of his death, along with some interesting and concerning facts about him.
William Shakespeare lived a normal childhood along with his parents and siblings. Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 23, 1564 as the third of eight Shakespeare children. Shakespeare and his siblings were born to their parents John Shakespeare and Mary Arden Shakespeare. As the son of a small-town occupationist, William became enrolled at the King’s New School in Stratford at the age of four or five and continued to study the alphabet, the book of common prayer, and basic Latin (Shmoop Editorial Team). Most schools today do not adhere to the rigorous pacing and educational practices that were in effect during Shakespeare’s time period, so it is well displayed that Shakespeare was a far call from being uneducated. Also, being a student in with a prominent grammatical background due to schooling, William began with works by major literary figures such as Caesar, Virgil, Ovid, Seneca, and more (Shmoop Editorial Team).
William Shakespeare’s family consisted of seven other siblings and his mother and father. William had four sisters (Joan [first born], Joan [second born] Anne, and Margaret) as well as three brothers (Edmund, Gilbert, and Richard) (Mabillard), but fate guided some of them on a twisted path. During the time of young William’s growth, wave after wave of plagues bombarded the countryside and many people suffered and died because of it, some of the victims including the Shakespeare family’s own J...
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Presseley, J.M.. "Shakespeare's "Lost Years"."www.bardweb.net. Shakespeare Resource Center, 1 1 2014. Web. 18 Mar 2014. .
Mabillard, Amanda. Shakespeare of Stratford: Shakespeare's Siblings. Shakespeare Online. 12 Sept. 2000. < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/shakespearesiblings.html
Shmoop Editorial Team. "William Shakespeare: Anne Hathaway." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
“10 Things You Didn’t Know About Shakespeare”. History.com. A E Networks. Web. 18 Mar 2014. .
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford on Avon, England, in April of 1564 to Mary and John Shakespeare. He was the third child and the eldest son. His father was a tanner, glove-maker, and trader in wool and other precious commodities. William attended the Stratford Grammar school where he studied and received substantial training in Latin. He was married on November 27, 1582, to a woman named Anne Hathaway, who was eight years older than he was. In May of 1583, the couple's first daughter, Susanna was born. The couple had twins in February of 1585, Hamnet and Judith. Throughout his life, Shakespeare wrote thirty-seven plays, and several poems and sonnets. He was also an actor for a short while. Several of Shakespears plays were performed at the famous Globe Theater in England. On April 23, 1616 Shakespeare died, he was buried at the church of Stratford on April 25, 1616.
Clark, W.G. and Aldis Wright, eds. Introduction. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. New York: Nelson Doubleday, Inc., n. d.
Wadsworth, Frank W. "Shakespeare, William." World Book Online American Edition. Online Edition. Online. Netzero. 26 Mar 2002.
Shakespeare, William, Stephen Greenblatt, Walter Cohen, Jean E. Howard, Katharine Eisaman Maus, and Andrew Gurr. The Norton Shakespeare. Second ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1997. Print.
Clark, W.G., and W. Aldis Wirhgt, eds. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Vol 2. USA: Nd. 2 vols.
Thatcher, David. Begging to Differ: Modes of Discrepancy in Shakespeare. New York: Peter Lang, 1999.
Dutton, R., & Howard, J.E. (2003). A Companion to Shakespeare’s Works.(p. 9) Maiden, MA: Blackwell Pub.
Mehl, Dieter. Shakespeare's Tragedies: An Introduction. Cambridge, New York, New Rochelle, Melbourne, Sydney: Cambridge U, 1986.
Although William Shakespeare is considered to be one of the most revered and well-renowned authors of all time, controversy surrounds the belief that he actually produced his own literary works. Some rumors even go so far as to question the reality of such a one, William Shakespeare, brought on by paralleling the quality of his pieces with his personal background and education. With such farfetched allegations, it persuaded others to peek into the person we all are taught to learn as “Shakespeare”, but who is actually the person behind these genius works of literary promise and enlightenment? To some, Shakespeare is as much accredited to his works as frequently as you see his name placed. To others, Shakespeare is a complex enigma into which we the people are supposed to unravel; the true author behind a falsely-given pseudonym. The debate pertaining to the true authorship of William Shakespeare’s works are still questioned in today’s society.
Cohen, Walter, J.E. Howard, K. Eisaman Maus. The Norton Shakespeare. Vol. 2 Stephen Greenblatt, General Editor. New York, London. 2008. ISBN 978-0-393-92991-1
“William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was and English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s preeminent dramatist” (vodppl.upm.edu 2). He was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK, he also passed away in his hometown. “When Shakespeare died in 1616 the event was barely noticed” (Epstein 7). “Shakespeare’s family was initially prosperous but began having financial difficulties in the 1570’s” (Allen 325). “Shakespeare gained his education by attending the local grammar school, King’s New School, where the curriculum stressed a classic education of Greek mythology and roman comedy”(shakespeareinamericancomunites.org 1). He never carried his educational career to a higher level as in a university. “William Shakespeare was not recognized as an actor, poet, and playwright until 1592” (Allen 346).
Shakespeare has created stories that are so powerful, emotional, comedic, tragic and romantic that they are still continuously remembered and studied in the modern era. Though the essence of his talents does not lie in the simple themes behind his plays, but more so in
Shakespeare Studies 11 (1978): 53-76. MLA International Bibliography. Web. The Web. The Web.
Throughout the United States and the entire world people are aware of Shakespeare; however, many people wonder why society wants their citizens to continue to read William Shakespeare’s plays and poems. Shakespeare continues to influence today’s environment and brings people together by speaking of a common author that most people know. All across the world, students must read at least one of Shakespeare’s works; which often develop those children who read his works into better writers. During the Elizabethan Era, William Shakespeare experienced an uneventful childhood and had a basic education; however, his life still seems to be shrouded with mystery and raises the argument that he was not only the most successful, but also the most mysterious playwright, actor, and poet from that time period.
William Shakespeare’s life has brought much curiosity to many. This is natural as he is considered to be the greatest figure of English Literature. William Shakespeare, in terms of his life and work, is the most written-about author in the history of Western civilization. His works include 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 epic narrative poems, the First of which was published after his death in 1623 by two of Shakespeare's acting companions, John Heminges and Henry Condell. Since then, the works of Shakespeare have been studied, analyzed, and enjoyed as some of the finest work of art in the English language.