William Shakespeare was an educated famous poet and playwright from four hundred years ago who, among a somewhat issued personal life, has influenced our modern English and our culture through his career.

Personal Issues

Shakespeare's life span lasted from 1564 to 1616, and he is seen as the greatest writer the world had ever seen."Shakespeare, William (1564-1616), was an English playwright, poet, and actor. Many people regard him as the world’s greatest dramatist and the finest poet England has ever produced." . People look up to him because he created some of the most influential plays and poems of all time. Shakespeare grew up around many other siblings northwest of London after being born in April (most likely) in 1564. "...William was born the third of eight children around April 23, 1564, in Stratford... one hundred miles northwest of London." Nobody alive knows exactly when he was born, but baptism records point to April 23rd. Shakespeare's first child, Susanna, was born five months after Shakespeare and Hathaway wed in 1583. "1583: Susanna, the first child of William and Anne Shakespeare, is born. Susanna's birth occurs five months after Shakespeare and Hathaway wed. Susanna died in 1649." . Susanna lived to be 66 years old. How did she die? In the year 1585, Shakespeare had two more children, Hamnet and Judith. "1585: Twins Hamnet and Judith Shakespeare are born. Hamnet dies in 1596. Judith died in 1662." Hamnet died at an early age of 11 while Judith lived a long life until 1662. How did Hamnet die, was it disease, if it was which disease did he die from? How did Judith die? Not much is known about Shakespeare because he didn't leave much information behind."What we know about William Shakespeare's personal life comes from mostly from church and legal documents--a baptismal registration, a marriage license, and records of real estate transactions." Shakespeare hadn’t left a journal or diary of any sort, most likely because he didn’t think he needed to. When he was of age William Shakespeare married a twenty-six year old woman named Anne Hathaway, and she moved in with him."When he was eighteen, Will married Anne Hathaway, who was eight years older. Anne joined the Shakespeare household too." Was it traditional for a woman to move in with the man, even if he had less money? Throughout Shakespeare’s life he influenced our modern language to this day.

Influences on Modern English

Shakespeare introduced many words and phrases into the English language throughout his writings."Many words and phrases that first appeared in his plays and poems have become part of our everyday speech. Examples include such common words as assassination, bump, eventful, go-between, gloomy, and lonely, as well as such familiar phrases as fair play, a forgone conclusion, and salad days." Did anyone wonder what these words meant when they first heard or read them? These words were created in his plays and poems that he wrote during his flourishing career.

His career

In his lifetime, William Shakespeare wrote at least 38 different plays, a couple of narrative poems, a few sonnets, and several short poems."Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays, two major narrative poems, a sequence of sonnets, and several short poems." Most of his plays were memorable masterpieces with well known titles."By 1612, when he returned to Stratford to live the life of a retired gentleman, Shakespeare had written thirty-seven plays, including such masterpieces as Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth."Over the course of his career he had written a large number of plays, which included many well known masterpieces. He may have attempted to move back in with his family, but since abandoning them earlier in life he was probably declined. The original Globe Theater burnt down in 1613 after a cannon was fired during a performance of Henry VIII when the thatch roof set on fire." The Globe burned down in 1613, after material from a cannon that was shot off during a performance of Henry VIII set fire to the gallery roof, which was made of thatch (thick straw). " The person who shot off the canon remains nameless and a newer version of Shakespeare’s theater stands today.

Works Cited

Aliki. William Shakespeare & the Globe. New York, HarperCollins Publishers, 1999.

Anderson, Robert. “William Shakespeare’s Life: A Genius from Stratford.” Holt Literature & Language Arts: Mastering the California Standards: Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking, by G. Kylene Beers et al., Austin, Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 2003, pp. 776-77.

“Chronology of Shakespeare’s Life and Works.” Shakespeare for Students: Critical Interpretations of Shakespeare’s Plays and Poetry, edited by Anne Marie Hacht, 2nd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2007, pp. xiii-xv. Gale Virtual Reference Library, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=tmulvusd&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CCX2896100008&asid=d438f7682cdfa168ba878658f8938ccd. Accessed 4 Dec. 2016.

Lander, Jesse M. “Shakespeare, William.” World Book Advanced. World Book, 2016. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.

“Shakespeare, William.” Elizabethan World Reference Library, edited by Sonia G. Benson and Jennifer York Stock, vol. 2: Biographies, UXL, 2007, pp. 197-207. Gale Virtual Reference Library, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=tmulvusd&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CCX2587000052&asid=f84b848efcbdec6df492f23db4e7b735. Accessed 4 Dec. 2016.