William Shakespeare Research Paper

William Shakespeare is considered to be one of most greatest play writes of

Elizabethan dramatist and of all time. He is known as one of the worlds greatest play

writes because of his unique and intricate style of writing. His work were used as a

form of entertainment for the rich and poor. His plays appealed to the masses and

survived the hands of time, but little is known about man who wrote so beautifully.

So his life remains a mystery to us.

Shakespeare was born in the year of 1564 and died in 1616. He was born in town

of Stratford upon Avon to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. The Shakespeare's were

well respected prominent people. When William Shakespeare was about seven years

old, he probably began attending the Stratford Grammar

It also held several

large fairs during the year. Stratford was a exciting place to live. Stratford also had

fields and woods surrounding it giving William the opportunity to hunt and trap small

game. The River Avon which ran through the town allowed him to fish also.

Shakespeare's' poems and plays show his love of nature and rural life which reflects his

childhood. His education consisted mostly of Latin Studies-learning to read, write, and

speak the language fairly well and study some of the classical historians and poets.At

the age of 18 on November 28, 1582, he married Anne Hathaway, who was seven years

his senior and three months pregnant. One year later, a daughter named Susanna was

born on May 26, 1583. On February 2, 1585 twins were born Hamlet and Judith. Shakespeare's only son died eleven years later.(Groiler 1991). The next eight years,

until his name begins to appear in London Theater records, are a mystery to all

Shakespearean historians. There is some speculation of him stealing dear and getting

into trouble with a local magistrate, of earning a living as a school master in the

country, of going to London and gaining entry into the world of theater, but

The

company was called the King's Men after the acession of King James I in 1603. This

company had the best actor of the time, Richard Burbage; they had the best theater, the

Globe; and the best dramatist, Shakespeare. The Globe Theater was built in 1599 and

was made primarily of wood. The theater had no roof, seats only for the upper class, a

hexagonal shape, and it was three stories high. The price of admission was only a penny

and was appreciated by the peasants. On June 29, 1613 the Globe Theater was

destroyed by a fire. It was then immediately rebuilt by a group of noblemen. At the age

of twenty, Richard Burbage was at the peak of his acting career. He played major roles

such as Othello ,Hamlet, Lear, and Richard III, which is considered to be Shakespeare's

greatest play. These are the main reasons why the company prospered so much.

Shakespeare at this point became a full time professional writer and business man of his

own theater. He shared in the cooperative enterprise and also shared in the financial

successes of the plays he wrote.(Groiler 1991)

To understand Shakespeare better, we must look at the time set he was living