Eve Of Saint John

11 Pages 2766 Words

William Shakespeare is himself a man of mystery. Many facts myths exists about him, as if to say he had many chapters in his life. A complete, authoritative account of Shakespeare’s life is lacking, and thus much supposition surrounds relatively few facts that are known. It is commonly accepted that he was born in 1564, and it is known that he was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. He is perhaps the best known English playwright and poet, recognized in much of the world as the greatest of all dramatists. Shakespeare’s plays communicate a profound knowledge of human behavior, revealed through portrayals of a wide variety of characters. His use of poetic and dramatic means to create a unified aesthetic effect out of an array of multiple vocal expressions and actions is recognized as a singular achievement. “Poetic lyrics within his plays express the deepest levels of human motivation in individual, social, and universal situations. This considered one of the greatest accomplishments in literary history”(Volume S, 324)#. To understand Shakespeare’s point of view you have to understand his background. The third of eight children, he was probably educated at the local grammar school. As the eldest son, Shakespeare ordinarily would have been apprenticed to his father’s shop so that he could learn and eventually take over the business, but according to one account he was apprenticed to a butcher because of declines in his father’s financial situation. According to another account, he became a schoolmaster#. In 1582 Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a farmer. He is supposed to have left Stratford after he was caught poaching in the deer park of Sir Thomas Lucy, a local justice of the peace. Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway had a daughter in 1583 and twins, a boy and a girl, in 1585. The boy did not survive. Shakespeare apparently arrived in London about 1588 and by 1592 had attained success as an actor an...