Glog of Shakespeare
by Sydney Sharafi
Shakespeare's Background
Shakespeare..... poet, writer, considered greatest dramatist of all time. William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1594 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, people think that, that is when he was born because it was April 26, 1594 that he was baptized, and usually the baptizing is three days after the birth. He was the third born child of the 6 children of John Shakespeare, a leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a local landed heiress. William had two older sisters, Joan and Judith, and three younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard and Edmund. He attended the King's New School, in Stratford, which taught reading, writing and the classics. William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway on November 28, 1582, in Worcester, in Canterbury Province. They had a bit of a age difference, William was 18 and Anne was 26, and Anne was pregnant already. Their first child, girl named Susanna, was born on May 26, 1583. A few years later on February 2, 1585, twins Hamnet and Judith were born.
The Elizabethan Age
The Elizabethan Age was the reign of Queen Elizabeth the first, she saw England emerge as the leading naval and commercial power of the Western world. England strengthened its position with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, and Elizabeth firmly established the Church of England which was begun by her father, King Henry VIII. European wars brought an influx of continental refugees into England, exposing the Englishman to new cultures. In trade, might, and art, England established an envious preeminence. At this time, London was the heart of England, reflecting all the vibrant qualities of the Elizabethan Age. This atmosphere made London a leading center of culture as well as commerce. Its dramatists and poets were among the leading literary artists of the day. In this age of tranquility, William Shakespeare wrote most of the work people have known for 400 years.
Globe Theater
The most famous Elizabethan playhouse was the Globe Theatre built by the company in which Shakespeare showed his plays to thousands of people. Shakespeare's globe could hold 1500 people, people were less likely to squash up but still, there were a lot of people and so disease spread a lot and people fainted from the warmth of everyone close together. The London Globe Theater specialized in original productions of Shakespeare. It was known for its original practices and always used authentic costumes, music, instruments and movements around the stage. The first Globe Theater burned down in 1613 during a performance of Henry VII but, thankfully it was reopened in 1994 and stands to this day.
Shaskespears Influence on Modern English
Shakespeare's influence extends from theatre and literature to present-day movies and the English language itself. By the end of the 16th century, the English language had changed significantly from Middle English, and was in many respects very close to what we speak today however, some differences were still noticeable, like thou was used by superiors, whilst you had to be used by inferiors. In modern day English we all speak the same, there is no different speech for the superior and inferior. He invented over 1700 of our common words by changing nouns into verbs, changing verbs into adjectives, connecting words never before used together, adding prefixes and suffixes, and devising words different from the original.
Shakespears Writings
William Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, his comedies were: All's Well That Ends Well, As You Like It, Cymbeline, The Comedy of Errors, Love's Labour's Lost, Measure for Measure, The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Pericles, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, Troilus and Cressida, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Twelfth Night, The Winter's Tale. His Tragedies were: Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello, Timon of Athens, Titus Andronicus, one a lot of people know is Romeo and Juliet. His plays about histories were: 1,2, and 3 Henry VI, 1 and 2 Henry IV, King John, Henry V, Henry VIII, Richard II, Richard III. He also wrote 154 sonnets, and two narrative poems in his lifetime.