Term Paper: Who is Shakespeare?

Submitted By Smiracle2015
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Sawyer1

Miracle Sawyer
Ms.Wing
3rd Period
January 9, 2015 Who is Shakespeare? “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them”(goodreads). William Shakespeare is said to be one of the most popular idolized English authors. He has created some of the most relevant plays and poems which are still important today. Many of the things he portrayed in his writings were thought to be from his life experience. Shakespeare has lead the way for modern authors, but he is most famous for his dramatic and romantic tragedy plays. William Shakespeare wasn’t only the definition of great but he also portrayed that trait in his work. William Shakespeare’s early life is pretty much determined from documents. It was said that Shakespeare was baptized in 1564, in England. So it is believed he was born near April 23, 1564. He was the third child of John Shakespeare who was a leather merchant and Mary Arden, he had two sisters and three brothers. Researchers and Scholars determined he attended the King's New School, a free school chartered in 1553, about a quarter­mile from his home. He was taught reading, writing, and etc. Grammar schools varied in quality during the Elizabethan era, but grammar school curricula were similar, the basic Latin text was regulated by royal decree, and the school would have provided a complete education in grammar based upon Latin classical authors. On November 28, 1582 it is said Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway at age 18, she was 26. They had 3 kids a daughter and a set of twins. It is said that after the birth of their twins there are no records for 7 years of Shakespeare's life, which they call the "lost years". Although there are suspicions on what happened during that period, there are many possibilities. It is not known exactly when Shakespeare began writing, but contemporary allusions and records of performances show that several of his plays were on the London stage by 1592.There is evidence that shows in 1592 William Shakespeare earned a living as an actor and playwright

Sawyer2

in London and produced several plays. In the 1590's documents says Shakespeare was a managing partner of an acting company in London, and it was said to be very popular. Records show he had works published and sold as popular literature, although theater culture wasn't admired by people of class. Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. From 1594, Shakespeare's plays were performed by only the Lord Chamberlain's Men, a company owned by a group of players, including Shakespeare, that soon became the leading playing company in London. After the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1603, the company was awarded a royal patent by the new king, James I, and changed its name to the King's Men.William dedicated his first and second published poems Venus and Adonis and
The Rape of
Lucrece
to Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton whom he caught the eye of. 15 of 37 of William Shakespeare's plays were published by 1597. Records show after that he bought the second biggest house for his family, but spent all his time in the city writing and acting and went home once a year when theaters were closed. They also show that William and his partners built their own theater in 1599. He also bought lots of land which made him an entrepreneur and more money. All the investments he made gave him the time to write his plays without being interrupted. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive, and there has been considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, sexuality, religious beliefs, and whether the works attributed to him were written by others. By 1598, William had become a selling point and began to appear on the title pages. Shakespeare's first plays were mostly histories except for Romeo and Juliet , the famous romantic tragedy of sexually
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