William Shakespeare Research Paper

“Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.” William Shakespeare is a man of many mysteries. There is only minimum, we know of his personal life, that being through his work and official documents pulled from church and court records. Shakespeare is known for being an English poet, actor and the greatest writer and dramatist in the English language.

In 1592, William Shakespeare earned his living through acting and playwriting in London. However, this time is known as the “lost years” due to little we know about it. Apparently he was a managing partner in Lord Chamberlain’s Men acting company. Records show that Shakespeare had his work published and sold. By 1597, 15 out of 37 of the plays were published. A couple years later Shakespeare and his partners built their own theater “Globe”, which was located on the bank of the Thames River. But before purchasing “Globe” they performed at well- established theatres such as the Curtain, the Swan, and the Theatre.

His surviving work consists of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems and several other poems. Shakespeare work has been translated into every major language and is the most performed than any other playwright. Early in his career, shakespeare dedicated his first -and second published poem: “ Venus and Adonis” and “The Rape of Lucrece” to Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton. Both poems became popular during shakespeare’s lifetime. His sonnets were the last of his non-dramatic work to be printed. The sonnets were written for his own private readership. Even though two of the sonnets were published without shakespeare’s