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A Brief Introduction to William Shakespeare

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A Brief Introduction to William Shakespeare "Yet he was more original than his originals. He breathed upon dead bodies and brought them into life." Ralph Waldo Emerson William Shakespeare is the most famous writer of all time, he is the greatest poet England has ever seen, he gave the English a new sense of identity and a new language, and gave the world characters they have loved ever since. Shakespeare's success as a playwright depended in part upon royal patronage, he performed his plays in front of the Queen Elizabeth I, in 1594 Shakespeare became a shareholder in the Lord Chamberlain's Men, one of the most popular acting companies in London, Shakespeare entered one of his most prolific periods around 1595, writing Richard II, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Merchant of Venice. Years later, he joined others from the Lord Chamberlain's Men in establishing their own theatre, The Globe. After the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1603, the new king, James I, asked Shakespeare's company to be his official theatre company, known as the King's Men, during this time period, Shakespeare wrote many of his most accomplished plays about courtly power, including King Lear, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra. Shakespeare wrote 38 plays, hundreds of long poems, and 154 love sonnets, He sweepingly wrote with honesty and intimacy; for he is now considered the most performed and read playwright in the world. Birth "The name 'Gulielmus Filius Johannes Shakespeare' is

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