Shakespeare
By Drew Howells
Elizabethan Culture
Queen Elizabeth came into power in 1558 six years before shakespeare was born. When the spanish was defeated in 1558, Britian became the most powerful country. Elizabeth loved the idea of theater. Under her decision, theaters were built all across England.
The Globe theater
The Globe Theater was the most famous theater Queen Elizabeth built. Many people today call it the Shakespearean Globe. The theater could hold more than a thousand people. The theater was not only for plays but rater a brothel and a gambling house. The Globe Theater was a huge success and made much money.
Background Life in London
Shakespeare was not born into a wealthy family. He did not finish school at a university or marry into a wealthy family. Shakespeare is thought to be born on April 23, 1564. Shakespeare was born in a town 100 miles north of London. At age 18 he married Anne Hathaway and had three kids by 1585. In 1594, Shakespeare become apart of the Lord Chamberlin's Men. This was one of the most prestige acting groups in London. He was a member for the rest of his career. In 1616, Shakespeare health began to get worse and worse.
Other Playwrights of his time
During Shakespeare's time there were many amazing playwrights. Most of them were at the Globe Theater. Queen Elizabeth loved going to the theater to watch all of their plays. These men were apart of the famous Elizabethan playwrights Christopher Marlow, Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher, Thomas Middleton, and many more. All these many were incredible talented play righters.
Shakespeares Popular Plays
Much of Shakespeare work is studied in schools across the globe. Famous plays of Shakespeare that would most likely be studied in high school and college include Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and MacBeth and King Lear. King Lear is thought to be the best of them all because of its show of the kindness of man.
His lasting influence of his language on modern English.
In his plays, Shakespeare used over 29,000 unique words. Most people today use 7,000 to 10,000 of those words. He introduced over 3,000 new words to the English
dictionary. Shakespeare was a big part of setting the standards of modern English. Shakespeare's new words made his plays more interesting and sound better.
Bibliography
- "The Elizabethan Age." The Elizabethan Age. Shakespeare in American Communities, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
- Alchin, Linda. "The Old Globe Theater History." The OLD GLOBE THEATER History. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
- "The Life of William Shakespeare (1564–1616)." The Life of William Shakespeare (1564–1616). Shakespeare in American Communities, n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.
- "Shakespeare's Most Popular Works from ShakespeareMag.com."Shakespeare's Most Popular Works from ShakespeareMag.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.
- Kurlak, John, and Greg Ference. "William Shakespeare and His Influence on Modern Language." William Shakespeare and His Influence on Modern Language. N.p., n.d.Web. 09 Mar. 2015.
- Alchin, Linda. "Elizabethan Playwrights and Authors." Elizabethan Playwrights and
Authors. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.