Early Life

Quote 1: "At the age of eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, who was eight years older than than he was. Sometime after the birth of their second and third children ( twins ), Shakespeare moved to London, apparently leaving his family in Stratford. "

Commentary: After he has lived in his home town for a large portion of his life he moves to London. He has a good life in Stratford and suddenly up roots it once his twin children are born. Shakespeare left Stratford and several years later he had already become an actor. Why did he move to London, would he writing plays and acting if he hadn't moved?

Quote 2: "Beginning at about the age of 7, William probably attended the Stratford grammar school with other boys of his social class. The students chiefly studied Latin, the language of ancient Rome. In addition, the ability to read Latin was considered a sign of an educated person".

Commentary: What I understand is that Shakespeare was lucky enough to be raised in a middle class family. And had the privilege to attend a school that taught how to read Latin, being able to read showed the sign of an educated person during his life time. I wonder how different Shakespeare's life would be if he could not read and write. I don;t think he would have even started writing plays.

Quote 3: "In addition, play writing was not a highly regarded occupation, and so people saw little point in recording the lives of mere dramatists" (Lander.)

Commentary: Play writing was not a highly regarded occupation at the time. People found other things more entertaining than play writing. Why did they not think that play writing is important. Also what they were doing for entertainment if they did not believe in play writing.

Quote 4: "In 1599 he became a partner in the ownership of the Globe theatre, and in 1608 he was part owner of the Blackfriars theatre. Shakespeare retired and returned to Stratford c.1613. He undoubtedly enjoyed a comfortable living throughout his career and in retirement, although he was never a wealthy man"(William).

Commentary: Shakespeare became a partner in the ownership of the Globe Theater. And soon retired in 1613 and returned back to his homeland Stratford. I wonder how much money it would cost for someone to own a theater back then. Retirement must have been a really large luxury.

Middle Life

Quote 1: "William Shakespeare is considered the greatest English poet and the world’s greatest playwright. His main body of work consists of 37 plays that are divided into comedies, tragedies, and histories. In addition, he wrote a number of poems, including 154 sonnets"(Forster).

Commentary: All of Shakespeare's art is well known around the world. All of the well known plays are mainly histories, tragedies, and comedies but also wrote a total of 154 sonnets. What inspired him to make such a large number of sonnets and plays? Was it his love for play writing or for the fame?

Quote 2: "The Lord Chamberlain’s Men were one of the most popular companies in London. In large part because of Shakespeare’s talents, they would go on to become the dominant company in England during the late 1500’s and early 1600’s"(Lander).

Commentary: When Shakespeare first began his career he was a part of one of the most popular companies in London, The Lord Chamberlain's Men due to his exceptional talent. In the 1500's The Lord Chamberlain´s Men became the most dominate company in England. What made The Lord Chamberlain's Men a better company than the others. Also, did the top companies have more of a wealthier audience?

Quote 3: "By 1594, he was a charter member of the theatrical company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, which was later to become the King's Men. Shakespeare work with this company for the rest of his writing life."

Commentary: When Shakespeare moved to London he began working for King James's theater. And produced play after play, every year for the rest of his writing career. I knew that Shakespeare became famous once he died but I did not know that he was recognized before he died. I wonder what made him better than the other writers to be "sponsored" by King James himself.

Late Life

Quote 1: "Seven years after Shakespeare's death, in 1623, a huge memorial volume appeared, produced by several of his former theatrical associates, which contained nearly all of his plays (many printed in full for the first time)"(Rubinstein).

Commentary: Shakespeare was loved so deeply that his friends printed out every single one of his plays. And had a memorial volume that included every sonnet he created. What made his play writing so special? Was having a printed copy of something back then a luxury, show of importance?

Quote 2: "Shakespeare worked with this company for the rest of his writing life. Year after year he provided it with plays, almost on demand. Shakespeare was the ultimate professional writer. He had a theater that needed plays, actors who needed parts, and a family that needed to be fed"(Anderson 777).

Commentary: Shakespeare was so dedicated to play writing that he spend his entire writing life with one company. And made countless amazing plays. I wonder what made every play he wrote so magnificent. And what it actually took him to create every single one of the plays.

Quote 3: "Seven years after Shakespeare's death, in 1623, a huge memorial volume appeared, produced by several of his former theatrical associates, which contained nearly all of his plays (many printed in full for the first time)"(Rubinstein).

Commentary: Shakespeare became famous after death as well as when he was alive. 7 years later a memorial volume appeared from his fellow theatrical associates with all of his plays printed in full for the first time. How could Shakespeare be so influential on everyone that he worked with and had a close relation to? If Shakespeare was so famous why hadn't he ever printed out his plays before.

Works Cited

Anderson, Robert. "Shakespeare And His Theater: A Perfect Match." Holt Literature Language Arts, Chicago, Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Originally published in Third Course, .

---. "William Shakespeare's Life: A Genius From Statford." 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.

Forster, Matt. "William Shakespeare." William Shakespeare (2005): 1-3. History Reference Center. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.

Lander, Jesse M. "Shakespeare, William." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2016. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

"William Shakespeare." Encyclopedia of World Biography. . Encyclopedia.com. 11 Dec. 2016