Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an extremely good playwright, poet and dramatist who lived during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Shakespeare is considered to be the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. His plays have been translated into every major language and are performed more than plays by any other playwright. He is often called the national poet of England and the “Bard of Avon”. His surviving works, including some collaborations with other writers, consist of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon in England. His exact birth date is unknown, but from church records we know that he was baptised the 26th of April, 1564. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children. Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer and part owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men. This playing company was later known as the King's Men.
Shakespeare appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, where he died three years later.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime, but in 1623, two of his former theatrical colleagues published a collected edition of his dramatic works that included all but two of the plays that are now recognised as Shakespeare's. This collection is known as the First Folio.
William Shakespeare was a genius when it came to the literary arts. He perfected the form of the
English sonnet. Later it became known as the Shakespearean sonnet, which is one of the greatest things Shakespeare is known for. He had an ability to create exceptional sonnets with his mastery of the literary elements. Examining two of his sonnets, Sonnet 18 and Sonnet 130, will show the differences and