William+Shakespeare

Introduction "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."

Personal Background Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 (Shakespeare viii). He was baptized on April 26, 1564 (Shakespeare). Shakespeare died in the year 1616 (Bloom 191). The weird thing is that he died on the same day as his birthday. Many people may think it’s not true but it’s written on the parish registry of the church of the Holy Trinity Stratford-on-Avon records. It’s a tradition that he died on his birthday. Shakespeare was buried on April 25, 1616 (Shakespeare). Shakespeare was not only one of the greatest poets in English literature; he was also an actor, playwright, and a shareholder. He was also a property owner. Shakespeare was raised in the Old Faith. He grew up speaking Latin and learned how to speak some Greek. It is evident that Shakespeare enjoyed the sort of education he would have obtained at the Stratford grammar school. He studied at a “Free School” which consisted of a lot of grammar (Shakespeare). There are at least 50 literary references to him (Shakespeare viii). His first plays were played in London in 1588. Romeo and Juliet, one of his most famous tragedies, was published on 1595 (Bloom 191). Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece were popular poems and both contributed to his reputation as a poet. During 1593, Shakespeare began to write sonnets (Shakespeare). Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in late November in 1582. A year later his daughter Susanna was born (Shakespeare viii). He had twins on February 22, 1585 whom were named Hamlet and Judith (Shakespeare). His only son, Hamlet, died on 1596. In the year 1601, Shakespeare’s father dies (Bloom 191).

Personality Traits

Obstacles

Historical Significance

Reference Bloom, Harold.//William Shakespeare The Tragedies//. New York: Chelsea House Pub. 1985. Print. **SE #6** Hogeboom, L, Willard."William Shakespeare Went West or at Least His Plays Did, and the Bard was a Hit on the Frontier." //Wild West.// 01 Apr. 2001: 60. //eLibrary//. Web. 17 Sep. 2014. **SE#1** Marvel, Laura//People Who made history William Shakespeare//. Missouri: Greenhaven. 22 Aug. 2003. Print. **SE#3** Riggs, David."The Life of William Shakespeare a Critical Biography." //Shakespeare quarterly.// 3(2013): 378. //eLibrary//. Web. 20 Jan. 2015. **SE#2** Shakespeare, William.. //King John//. New York: Signet Classics, 1966. Print. **SE#5** Shakespeare, William. "Tragedies of William Shakespeare and Sonnets Shakespeares life." //Macmillan General Reference.// 1963. //eLibrary//. Web. 02 Oct. 2014. **SE#4**