William Shakespeare Research Paper

William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, actor, and entrepreneur. He is widely regarded as the greatest dramatist of all time and is the greatest writer in the English language. During his career, he worked on 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and few other verses, some of which the authorship is unknown. In a book written by Marchette Chute called Shakespeare of London, Chute describes how Shakespeare inspired those around him and how much those people admired him. She says “It was done in all love and respect, for no group of men ever honored Shakespeare more vehemently than the scholars of the nineteenth century”. Not only was Shakespeare very gifted, he was also influential to the people around him. But, to learn

Since Shakespeare’s birth records do not exist, Shakespeare is believed to be born on or near April 23, 1564 since in the past, children were usually baptized three days after their birth, and this is the date scholars acknowledge as William Shakespeare’s birthday. Shakespeare is the third child of John and Mary Shakespeare. Little is known about Shakespeare’s childhood, although it is generally assumed that he attended the local grammar school, the King's New School. The school was staffed by Oxford-educated faculty who taught the students mathematics, natural sciences, logic, Christian ethics, and classical languages and literature. Shakespeare did not attend university, which was not unusual for the time. University education was reserved for wealthy sons of the elite, and even then, mostly just those who wanted to become clergymen. The many classical and literary references in Shakespeare’s plays are a testament, however, to the excellent education he received in grammar school, and speaks to his ability as an autodidact. His early plays in particular draw on the works of Seneca and Plautus. Even more impressive than Shakespeare's formal education is how much knowledge he showed in his work. His vocabulary surpassed that of any other English writer of his time by a wide margin. In 1582, William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway at the age of eighteen. Their first daughter, Susanna, was

But on the year 1593, William Shakespeare’s career took a major leap forward when he secured a prominent patron: The Earl of Southampton. In addition, Venus and Adonis was published; this is one of Shakespeare’s known works to be published and to become a huge success. After that, he wrote The Rape of Lucrece. By this time, Shakespeare had also made his mark as a poet, as most scholars agree that he wrote the majority of his sonnets in the 1590s. In 1594, William Shakespeare returned to the theatre life and became a charter member of the Lord Chamberlain's Men. The Lord Chamberlain’s Men were a theatrical playing company that later changed their name to the King’s Men when James I ascended the throne. By 1598, Shakespeare had been appointed the "principal comedian" for the troupe; by 1603, he was known as a "principal tragedian." Since Shakespeare joined the group, he has remained associated with them until his death. Although acting and playwriting was not considered good professions at the time, successful and prosperous actors were relatively well respected. Shakespeare’s success left him with a fair amount of money, which he invested in Stratford real estate. In 1597, he purchased the second largest house in Stratford - the New Place - for his parents. In 1596, Shakespeare applied for a coat of arms for his family, in effect