Although still early to write a monthly post, did I want to take advantage of this particular time to pay homage to Shakespeare. The English language day happens to be on April 23rd. Be that as it may, I might encounter some unforeseen events at school. Owing to a new semester starting on Monday. Thus, the reason why I decided to write an early post about this behemoth of a writer.
Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England in 1564, William Shakespeare was a highly regarded writer, playwright and actor. His family was relatively prosperous. As a young child Shakespeare was sent to a prestigious grammar school where he was educated. What is more, there is no evidence to support he attended university. When he turned 18 he got married to Anne Hathaway. On account of her being pregnant. They had two children. Judith and Hammeth. The latter whom passed away at the age of 11. He established himself in London in 1585. It is believed he spent most of the time after his marriage there. He started writing and acting in his plays. Moreover, thanks to some well-timed investments early in his career, he was able to secure his financial background and that of his family. Hence, he found more freedom to do the aforesaid activities he loved the most.
Regarding Shakespeare's work, by the early XVII Century he had begun writing plays on the tragedy genre. Case in point, Hamlet, Othello and King Lear. Which became highly popular worldwide later on. Throughout his entire life, he wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets. Not to mention, that he immortalized phrases such as: "Love is blind"(The Merchant of Venice), "Seen better days" (As you like it), "Green Eyed Monster" (Othello), among others. Furthermore, his contributions to the English language were outstanding. He coined about 1700 words out of the 25000 word-long English vocabulary. In fact, some of the words and phrases we use today were first used by Shakespeare himself. Mostly on his published work. Latin was one of the languages that influenced the words he coined into English.
In summary, Shakespeare was a literary genius who inspired generations with his well-written plots and his highly developed characters. He enriched the English language and made it more unique than many others. Playwrights and writers even today take inspiration from him so as to produce better quality publications. For instance, 1994's Lion King was highly influenced by the masterpiece Hamlet (1599). The reasons of his death are not exactly known. It is assumed he met his end due to a "typhus" ( the new fever) outbreak in 1616 during a social gathering. (Aged 52).
Sources:
- Visual Knowledge YouTube Channel
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