William Shakespeare's Life

William Shakespeare

Discussing William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson once said, “He was not of an age, but for all time!” D.H Lawrence once said, “When I read Shakespeare I am struck with wonder, that such trivial people should muse and thunder, in such lovely language.” Dame Ellen Terry also once said, “Wonderful women! Have you ever thought how much we all, and women especially, owe to Shakespeare for his vindication of women in these fearless, high-spirited, resolute and intelligent heroines?” There are innumerable of legendary authors who love and were inspired by Shakespeare’s works. Nevertheless, what influenced this glorious prodigy? What made this man want to write in a way, which can make a female’s heart flutter and influence her poise greater? Shakespeare’s emotions, family and friends, and country influenced many of William Shakespeare’s works. Shakespeare was a man who allowed his emotions to run without restrictions. His works are more acquainted with the feeling of love. His famous work, Romeo and Juliet, was one of his earliest pieces of writing. In Romeo and Juliet, there are two families, the Montague family, and the Capulet family. The two families despise each other. Romeo is in the Montague family, and Juliet was in the Capulet family. The two lovers had an illicit affection since the families hated each other. Nonetheless, Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other was stagnant. William Shakespeare was a “hopeless romantic”. He “wore his heart on his sleeve”, as he mentions in Othello.
Shakespeare’s family and friends also influenced many of his works. The unfortunate event of the death of Shakespeare’s son, “Hamnet”, aided William Shakespeare in the writing of the legendary tragedy, Hamlet. Shakespeare’s family and friends influenced Hamlet and many other plays such as a Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Taming of the Shrew. Shakespeare’s works are most famous today because of the deep connection between them and the real world he presented in all his plays and poems. This act and many other literary achievements made William Shakespeare the most noteworthy contemporary author in the record of the English language.
William Shakespeare wrote in the Victorian age. The Victorian era was an age in where Victoria became queen. It was a broad period of tranquility and success. However, during the reign of Queen Victoria, England became a protestant country, forcing William’s father, John Shakespeare, to resign his occupation as mayor, because he was not a protestant. John had no choice but to remove William from school in order to help with the finances. Although the Victorian era was rough on the Shakespeare family, one benefit came from it: it influenced William Shakespeare’s writing. His country was the spark that started the literary flame in young William Shakespeare’s life. In the reign of Queen Victoria, Shakespeare began writing about heroines such as Beatrice in Much Ado about Nothing, and Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, women with strong characters and fascinating personalities. During the time, that Shakespeare initiated his writing; women had very little authority and did not have much to do, other than housework.
Finally, William Shakespeare is England’s utmost playwright and poet. There is yet to be another author that will accomplish and amuse as much as Shakespeare did. Shakespeare’s writing leaves one in astonishment at how an adolescent that was removed from school at the age of fourteen, had such a marvelous mind and was able to write so beautifully. His emotions, his family, and his most importantly, his country, influenced William Shakespeare’s writing and mind; making him the most admired writer of all time.