William Shakespeare - 1735 Words

â€Å"What’s in a name? Would not a rose by any other name smell as sweet?† William Shakespeare, a name we have all heard at some point, but who is he? William Shakespeare, the man who has influenced our culture through his various literary works. What is the truth behind the brilliant man whom penned the renowned words filling the pages of the ever significant Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, or The Tempest? William Shakespeare was born William Shakspere. Aside from contemporary and popular belief, it is a common misconception that his last name included the â€Å"e† after the â€Å"k† and the â€Å"a† after the â€Å"pe†. Spelling was incredibly disorganized during the Elizabethan time period (Whalen 31). Families could have the same last name, but†¦show more content†¦Attributable to the lack of records, there are portions of his life missing from historical accounts. No school attendance logs have ever been found. Without a doubt, researchers believe he went to school, due to his outstanding aptitude with the written word. Although that is all merely speculation due to the scarcity of surviving records from that time period (Whalen 9). At the exceptionally youthful age of eighteen, William Shakespeare met Anne Hathaway, who was twenty-six. In 1582, no doubt due to an already pregnant Anne, they had an abrupt wedding. A short six months later, their healthy daughter was born in 1583 and they named her Susanna. Less than two years later in 1585, the couple had a boy and a girl, twins. The boy was named Hamnet and the girl Judith. Hamnet lived only a short eleven years, but both Susanna and Judith lived long lives and even survived their father. Researchers speculate that Shakespeare most likely relocated to the metropolitan city of London to pursue the acting career shortly after the birth of his twins. In 1585, William Shakespeare’s name appeared on a record of payment for two performances in front of the queen through the acting company the Lord’s Chamberlain’s Men (Whalen 133). At the age of thirty-four, Love’s Labour Lost appeared containing Shakespeare’s name on the title page; this was the first of his works printed with his nameShow MoreRelatedThe Tempest By William Shakespeare1705 Words   |  7 PagesThe Tempest by William Shakespeare is the final play penned by the famous Bard. The play portrays the illusory struggle of power and conscience through the character of Prospero and his egocentric motives. Politically, the play can be seen as an analysis of important political issues relevant to that of oppression and imperialistic tendencies of the time. Artistically, The Tempest em phasizes the nature of art, more prominently, theatrical art. Being the final play that Shakespeare ever wrote, itRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare Essay1453 Words   |  6 PagesHamlet by William Shakespeare explores many aspects of mankind--death, betrayal, love, and mourning. Out of these, the most prominent theme in this play is death in the form of suicide. The main character, Hamlet, finds himself questioning the quality of life and the uncertainty of the afterlife once he discovers news of his father s death and the corruption in the kingdom that follows. Ophelia, Hamlet’s lover, is found dead later in the plot and is presumed to have committed suicide. In Hamlet’sRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare899 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare, author of Hamlet, was a well-known author in the 1500s and is still popular today. He was born on April 24, 1564 in London, England. Although there were no birth records at that time, it shows he was baptized one year prior to that, which leads us to believe his birthday was in 1564 because children were normally baptized a year after their birth. Shakespeare’s writing style was very different than others at that time. He used many metaphors and rhetorical phrases, and most ofRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Works Of Shakespeare1126 Words   |  5 Pagesback story of the author himself; William Shakespeare. Shakespeare was born April 26, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, which is located in the United Kingdom. Even though his goals were to become an actor, he fell into writing and become one of the most well-known writers in his life. There s a lot of contr oversy surrounding Shakespeare and there s many people who believe that he, himself did not write his famous plays, sonnets, and poems. In his lifetime, Shakespeare wrote thirty-seven plays, five longRead MoreEssay On William Shakespeare1127 Words   |  5 PagesThis is an informational essay about Poet, Actor, and Playwright,William Shakespeare. In this essay you can find much information ranging from fun facts to his death. This essay tells much about his life and includes some details of family members. The key purpose of this essay is to inform curious people about William Shakespeare. â€Å"I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a humanRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare996 Words   |  4 PagesHamlet, written by William Shakespeare, with out a doubt holds the most famous soliloquy in English history spoken by Hamlet in Act III, scene i, lines 57-90. This soliloquy holds much importance to the play as a whole because it ties together the reoccurring themes of suicide and Hamlet’s inaction portrayed by Shakespeare. Hamlet poses a problem, which is the driving force of the play: â€Å"To be or not to be?†(III.i.57). Shakespeare uses this logical question asked by Hamlet to drive out his underlyingRead More William Shakespeare Essay1045 Words   |  5 Pages William Shakespeare nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;On April 26, 1564, John Shakespeares son, William, was baptized at the Stratford Parish Church. No one knows for certain when his birthday was. (Brown 22) It was thought that young Shakespeare began attending school at the age 7, in Stratford. (Wadsworth 344) Before Shakespeare reached the age of 13, his family endured hardships. Shakespeares formal schooling ceased. At that time, William may have begun helping his father in the gloving businessRead MoreOthello, By William Shakespeare1178 Words   |  5 Pagesno ordinary villain but a Machiavellian fictional character. The deviation between the two would be Iago does anything needed to accomplish his goal. He supports Machiavelli s statement that â€Å"the end justifies the means† with his actions within Shakespeare s Othello. Iago accomplished his goal through a thought out plan in which he did anything necessary; even murder. I am using his article, to claim the motive for Iago comes from the character Othello giving a job to a man named Cassio. Iago believedRead MoreThe World Of William Shakespeare950 Words   |  4 Pagesworld of William Shakespeare was such a time. In the age of man’s revision of his culture and sense of humanity after the dark Middle Ages there was money and fame to be earned in the gossipy tales of mankind’s utter lack of culture and cruel inhumanity. In truth, it has never stopped, the same plot devices in service by the playwrights of the Renaissance are still drawing blood and audiences today. It is always intriguing to hear salacious stories of someone else’s wrong doing, and Shakespeare had aRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare1178 Words   |  5 Pages In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the protagonist suffers from struggles with major characters, especially with the women in his life. While reading the play Hamlet, Hamlet appears to be a disillusioned man. Throughout the play, Shakespeare has only casted two females: Gertrude and Ophelia. Gertrude is defined to be incestuous, naà ¯ve and cold-hearted. On the other side, Ophelia is characterized to be ignorant, innocent and fearful. After the quick marriage of his mother and evil uncle, Hamlet’s