United by English: Literature

William Shakespeare

The most influential writer in all of English literature, William Shakespeare was born in 1564 to a successful middle-class glove-maker in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Shakespeare attended grammar school, but his formal education proceeded no further. In 1582 he married an older woman, Anne Hathaway, and had three children with her. Around 1590 he left his family behind and traveled to London to work as an actor and playwright. Public and critical success quickly followed, and Shakespeare eventually became the most popular playwright in England and part-owner of the Globe Theater. His career bridged the reigns of Elizabeth I (ruled 1558–1603) and James I (ruled 1603–1625), and he was a favorite of both monarchs. Indeed, James granted Shakespeare’s company the greatest possible compliment by bestowing upon its members the title of King’s Men. Wealthy and renowned, Shakespeare retired to Stratford and died in 1616 at the age of fifty-two. At the time of Shakespeare’s death, literary luminaries such as Ben Jonson hailed his works as timeless.

Shakespeare’s works were collected and printed in various editions in the century following his death, and by the early eighteenth century his reputation as the greatest poet ever to write in English was well established. http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/hamlet/

Shakespeare: The Bard

William Shakespeare is called The Bard and also The Bard of Avon, because he is considered to be the greatest poet that ever lived.

The word "bard" means poet. Bards were traveling poets in medieval times, who made a living performing and telling stories.

Shakespeare's plays can be grouped into three categories:

Comedies - Well known comedies include: A Midsummer Nights Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, and As You Like It.
Tragedies - Some popular tragedies are: Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Macbeth, and Hamlet.
Histories - Some of his best histories would be Richard III, Henry IV, Henry V, and Henry VI.

One thing that set him apart from other playwrights was the way he would combine parts of all three categories, so his tragedies would have comic relief and comedies would have some serious parts. This was something that had not been done before that time.

Shakespeare's Influence

Part of the genius that is Shakespeare was the fact that his work appealed to everyone, from kings to peasants. More than 400 years have passed since his birth, and his plays are still being read and performed all over the world.
There are some common themes in movies and television shows that were first used by Shakespeare, such as:

Romeo and Juliet - two young people fall in love, but are from feuding clans
The Taming of the Shrew - giving a person a taste of their own medicine
A Comedy of Errors - mistaken identity
Hamlet - being torn between loyalty and revenge

Shakespeare had influence in shaping the English language more than anyone has ever done. Over 2000 new words and phrases were created by him, including: football, schoolboy, mimic, upstairs, downstairs, shooting star, and partner.
There are many famous quotes of Shakespeare that have lasted through time that most educated people know. These show how he is still influencing our lives today:

"O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" (Romeo and Juliet)
"To be, or not to be, that is the question." (Hamlet)
"Out, damn'd spot! out, I say!" (Macbeth)
"Lord, what fools these mortals be!" (A Midsummer Night's Dream)
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" (Sonnet 18)
"All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players." (As You Like It)

Shakespeare's Sonnets

Most of Shakespeare's sonnets are constructed of three quatrains, or four-line stanzas, and end with a couplet (two lines). This makes up the 14-line sonnet.
The rhythm of each line is iambic pentameter. In English, to have a certain rhythm in a poem, you use a combination of stressed and unstressed syllables. Iambic is two syllables; the first is not stressed, but the second is accented. Each set of two syllables is called a foot, and five feet make up a pentameter. So each line of a Shakespearean sonnet has ten syllables.

Globe Theater

Besides being an actor and playwright, Shakespeare was also part-owner of a theatre company called Lord Chamberlain's Men. When the company's landlord, from whom they were leasing the land, wanted to tear down the theatre, they purchased land elsewhere and constructed the Globe Theatre. The Globe's first performance was in staged in 1599; with one of the first plays performed was Julius Caesar.
http://biography.yourdictionary.com/articles/why-is-shakespeare-called-the-bard.html

Hamlet.We are in Denmark, and Hamlet's father, the king, is now dead. Hamlet's uncle has married Hamlet’s mother, and become the new king. A ghost appears, saying he is the dead king, and tells Hamlet he must take revenge

Romeo and Juliet. In the Italian city of Verona, two families hate each other. Romeo is from the Montague family and Juliet is a Capulet, but they fall in love at first sight. This is their tragic love story