Who was Shakespeare?

William Shakespeare is a historic figure known, if only by name, by almost every English speaker in the world. He is known as a genius playwright and poet, coming from a middle-class family in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. His father was John Shakespeare, who was a glove-maker, landowner, and held an office equivalent to the mayor in today’s society. It is believed that Shakespeare attended a local grammar school taught by teachers with degrees from Oxford. William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a farmer, at the age of eighteen and had three children. Shakespeare moved his family to London, where he was a successful actor and writer. He became an established poet and playwright, and a charter member of Lord Chamberlain’s Men theatrical company. He then became a partner, with James Burbage, in the Globe Theatre. He wrote plays that were performed for Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. After his creative output diminished in 1608, Shakespeare moved back to Stratford with his family and became an important member of the community until he died in 1616.

            All of this is accepted as fact about Shakespeare, but there is still a lot that is unknown about him. It is unknown exactly when he was born and what he looked like. People also question whether it was actually him who wrote such masterpieces as “Romeo and Juliet” and “Hamlet”. It is also unknown just how Shakespeare is connected to his works and how he had knowledge of court life, royalty, politics, and foreign countries when he had only lived in Stratford and London.

            Even with all of the exciting controversy over Shakespeare’s identity, students dread reading his works. They see it as a foreign language, nearly impossible to interpret and understand. Over the years, however, I have learned to appreciate the genius in his stories. Although, for the most part, I cannot understand half of what he is saying, the complexity of the characters and the plots is something that is truly amazing.  I have developed more understanding, it seems, of iambic pentameter, as well as the old English. However, sometimes it takes a few times and some discussion to completely understand what he is trying to get across.

            Even though there is controversy over whether the middle class son of an illiterate glove maker was truly the author of multiple genius poems and plays, there is no doubt that these works are a cornerstone of English literature. No matter how much high school students dread reading Shakespeare, it will ultimately give them an appreciation for English literature. Without Shakespeare’s works, who knows what novels, stories, plays, and movies would be like today?