William Shakespeare Research Paper

Shakespeare is most widely known for his collection of work only because of what they are. For a man of his social status and education to have written such linguistically and culturally advanced plays in his lifetime is what contributes most to his fame. However, the influence that his work had on the English language, both during and after his time, is not as well known. Shakespeare contributed hundreds of words and phrases to the English language that are still used today. In addition, he is also credited with mastering the use of blank verse, causing it to become the standard for future poetic works. Had Shakespeare not have become the example of modern language, English may still be fragmented and much harder to learn, if standardized

The facts of William Shakespeare’s life are disproportionate to the infamy of his work; so little in fact that there is conspiracy as to whether he was a real man, or a group of aristocrats under a pen name. The largest mystery behind the man is his education and upbringing. Shakespeare exhibited a vast colloquial knowledge extending far beyond those of his social class. At 30,000 words, he had the largest vocabulary of any English writer to date; and is known for creating common words and phrases found today in modern English (McCrum, et. al, 101). At the time, English was constantly changing , with countless regional dialects and borrowed words from other languages. Shakespeare wrote plays for all people, thus requiring him to account for varying levels of education and comprehension within his audience. An

An incredibly well-versed man, his work contains over 40% of English words available during the sixteenth century, and is credited with the first use of nearly 2,000 words in the modern Oxford dictionary (Richler). The majority of new words were formed either from Latin roots or through the combining of other words and morphemes. Well-known examples include “lackluster” and “barefaced”, and the suffix -er, such as in “wrestler” or “baker”. It is argued that Shakespeare created words at his own discretion and necessity in order to fit his prose and poetic tendencies: “...if English lacked a word that could enhance his writing, Shakespeare invented the word,...N.F. Blake, in Shakespeare's Language, points out that ‘Latinate words being polysyllabic are often rhythmic and mellifluous and Shakespeare used them and created them for this purpose’” (Richler). The majority of idioms used in the English language have originated within Shakespeare’s work as well. While some are the result of paraphrase over time, others are verbatim to the script - such as “to wear your heart on your sleeve”, or “to be in a pickle”. The price of practicality is familiar cliche, however, as some lines are so embedded into English that they transcend the originally intended meaning. Hamlet’s iconic monologue on death has been reduced to simply “to be or not to be”; a phrase no longer