Kimberly Bruce Mrs. McPherson English 9 April 13, 2017 William Shakespeare William Shakespeare lived more than 450 years ago. Even though he is famous throughout the world, little is known about much of his life. There are many reasons why this is, which includes the lack of records dating as far back as the 1500’s. What certainly remains is a legacy of poems and plays that have transcended lifetimes and believed to be authored by him. These literary works and public records are all that are left to enable the world to know William Shakespeare. Is the Shakespeare on record in fact the same author of such intellectual blank verse and poetic iambic pentameter? There are no birth records that exist for Shakespeare though scholars acknowledge his birthday as April 23, 1564. There is a church record of his baptism documented on April 26, 1564 at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. William was the oldest son of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. He was believed to have …show more content…
The acting guild and playhouse that he invested in as well as surrounding parcels of land seem to be what drove that success of wealth. In just 5 short years, 15 of the total 37 plays written by William Shakespeare were published including Romeo and Juliet. The first works of Shakespeare were a mix of histories and several comedies. The early histories played on corruption of rulers that mimicked this era including Richard II and Henry VI. It was after 1600 that a genre of tragedies would come to print. For example, the well known play Hamlet that exploits failures in moral traits that drive the story to destruction of the hero and those he holds dear. In Shakespeare’s final writings we find several tragicomedies that are comedies written in a darker tone but with an ending of reconciliation or forgiveness, like The Winter’s