William Shakespeare Research Paper

Suchitra Narayanan
Mrs. Gialdini
English 11AP
January 16, 2015
William Shakespeare His works are read in English class and brought to life through various musical and artistic renditions, his coined words are used in the quotidian lives of people everywhere, sometimes unwittingly, and his name itself is the title of many large theatrical companies. He is none other than William Shakespeare. Undoubtedly a man who has left a significant mark on America and its culture, Shakespeare has not only influenced this country through his works but also through his lasting impressions upon others. In William Shakespeare: The Man Behind the Genius, Anthony Holden explores the life of Shakespeare from his humble beginnings to his remarkable fame, carefully …show more content…
Financially unstable and struggling to make ends meet, Shakespeare’s family dynamics was nothing short of volatile (Holden). But as a child, with a longing to learn and a passion for language early on, Shakespeare persuaded his father to allow him to go to school and reluctantly, John Shakespeare enrolled his son in Stratford upon Avon’s grammar school, King’s New School (Holden). Here, Shakespeare was finally allowed to explore a world completely different from his usual routine as he immersed himself into the language that he would later transform significantly. His education was “the gateway to Virgil, Horace, and Ovid, all of whom won a lasting place in Shakespeare’s heart” (Holden 36). These classical figures, among others like Chaucer and Plutarch, depicted the world in a way that Shakespeare sought to parallel in his works; majority of Shakespeare’s works revolved around important themes and plots found in the works of these Latin and Greek writers (Stewart). Because these authors were so fundamental to the Greek and Latin languages that were strongly emphasized at the time, Shakespeare looked to them for inspiration and used their work as a basis for his own story-lines. Since he lacked the scholarly background, whatever exposure to schooling Shakespeare had in these early, developmental childhood ages is what triggered and …show more content…
Ng remarks, “Shakespeare . . . never seems to go out of vogue for movie directors eager to put their own spin on his classic texts,” when showing how just like Shakespeare loved to, so do other members of the present-day entertainment industry. With several other plays that hit the box office such as Much Ado About Nothing, and Hamlet, William Shakespeare continues to take over Hollywood, like a fad that seems to never go out of style. Five hundred years ago, no one would have expected a small town boy such as Shakespeare to make a name of himself, let alone influence the world. Now, Shakespeare is found in many aspects of life: language, school, and entertainment. His legacy lives on through these mediums and through each person who has been fortunate enough to learn about him, taking time to appreciate a man who was able to change the world with the might of a

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