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William Shakespeare's life and career
William Shakespeare's life and career
William Shakespeare's life and career
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What is so great about Shakespeare anyways? William Shakespeare is the most admired writer of all time. Shakespeare was born in 1564 and died on the day of is birth April 23 1616. Having lived 398 years ago and is still one of the world’s most prominent writers; making him eminent. Shakespeare was also a playwright; his plays include “Romeo and Juliet”, “Hamlet”, and “MacBeth”. Shakespeare was born in England. At the age of 18 Shakespeare was wed to Anne Hathaway; they conceived three children, Susanna and twins (Hamlet and Judith). The writer wrote most of his most famous work during the Elizabethan era. (bbc.co.uk)
The Elizabethan era is historically depicted as the golden age of English history. During this time people diverted from tradition and entered a new way of life, through theater, poetry, literature, and other everyday practices. Some major modifications that occurred during the Elizabethan era was urbanization; many people moved from the countryside into towns in search of work. Exciting discoveries were found during this period as the ‘new world’, present-day America, was found. Resulting in new foods such as tomatoes and turkey as well as new spices to be brought back to Europe. Education was also improved as the development in printing made cheaper books available to all social classes; moreover school and collages started to prosper. (elizabethan-era.org.uk)
The Evolution of Drama; drama is type of genre dealing with an emotional unexpected turn of events. The Origin of the word drama comes from the Greek word ‘dran’ meaning ‘action’.Early drama started in ancient Greece; the athens produced three types of dramas, tragedies, comedies and satyr play (tragic comedies). Drama then moved to the Roman Empire whe...
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..." Wild Goose Chase. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
"All Corners of the World." All Corners of the World. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
"Poetry Forum - Word of the Day: Swagger." Poetry Forum - Word of the Day: Swagger. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
"William Shakespeare Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
Pfister, Manfred. The theory and analysis of drama. Cambridge New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991. Print.
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Woodbury, NY: Barron's, 1985. Print.
"Midsummer Night's Dream: Entire Play." Midsummer Night's Dream: Entire Play. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
"Cymbeline: Entire Play." Cymbeline: Entire Play. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
Shakespeare, William. King John. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1990. Print.
"Charlotte Mason Help." Charlotte Mason Help. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
The Elizabethan Era was a Golden Age for the English people during the late 1500s and early 1600s. This time period is referred to as the English Renaissance because new ideas were introduced to Elizabethan daily life. People enjoyed learning; they enjoyed art, culture, music, and food. The people also enjoyed celebrating many customs and festivals. These celebrations became a major part of daily life, and there were many customs to celebrate.
Alfred Bates, The Drama: Its History, Literature and Influence on Civilization, vol. 1 New York: Historical Publishing Company, 1906, pp. 123-126
Galens, David, ed. Drama for Students "resenting Analysis, Cntext and Critism on Commonly Studied Drama" . Vol. Volume 1. Detroit : Gale Research , 1998 .
William Shakespeare’s intellectual use of the English language is what brought him prosperity throughout his lifetime, and what brings us to tears and laughter in the modern world. The life of Shakespeare is of great importance to English literature because of his many contributions including poetry, stories, and plays. However, many people do not know that he also owned a business. “William Shakespeare was a professional actor, a businessman, and a playwright. Today, nearly four hundred years after his death his plays are still performed” (Greenhill and Wignall 4).
Bates, Alfred, ed. Excerpt. The Drama: Its History, Literature and Influence on Civilization. London: Historical, 1906.
“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).
(2012, 12). Outline and Discuss Erving Goffman's Theory of Dramaturgy.. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 12, 2012, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Outline-And-Discuss-Erving-Goffman%27s-Theory-1280254.html
Wheeler, Kip. "Literary Terms and Definitions M." Literary Terms and Definitions "M" Carson-Newman University, n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.
So to conclude, we can safely agree with most academics that William Shakespeare did exist and that he did indeed write the 37 plays and 154 sonnets credited to him.
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream. Comp. Folger Shakespeare Library. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2009. Print.
Some of the earliest traces of tragedy and comedy date back to Greek festivals honoring their gods. Among all the gods, Dionysus was honored with a festival called City Dionysia. This festival took place in Athens which was a preeminent core of theatrical performances at the time. The dithyramb, an ancient Greek hymn, was sung in honor of this god. In fact, tragedy and comedy almost originated as one. John Morreall of State University of New York wrote, “the great dramatists wrote both tragedies and comedies”(Morreall 3). While this statement is quite valid, there is far more to the origins of comedy and tragedy than what meets the eye. Comedy and tragedy, though once quite the same, eventually began to grow apart as the differences between them strengthened. As this culture developed and went through the Shakespearean Era, tragedy and comedy have evolved into what they are today.
Drama according to the Wikipedia free encyclopedia is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance, which comes from a Greek word (drao) meaning action. A dramatic production depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes, it put the characters in conflict with themselves, others, society and even natural phenomena. According to Learning Stream, “drama is a literary composition involving conflict, action crisis and atmosphere designed to be acted by characters on a stage before an audience.”
William Shakespeare was a very talented man known for his various works of literature. His works include poems, plays, and sonnets. His works are then broken down into tragedies, comedies, and histories. Shakespeare left this world centuries ago, but his writings continue to live throughout the world today. He has greatly impacted the world of literature and his existence will forever be remembered.
England's most talented and well know poet and dramatist was born on April 23, 1564, at Stratford-upon-Avon, located in the cetre of England. His father, John, was a glove-maker and wool dealer involved with money lending. His mother Mary Arden was the daughter of a Farmer. William was the third out of eight children whom all died young. His father became Mayor in 1568, after serving on the town council for many years.
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.