Shakespeare's Influence On American Culture

William Shakespeare had a very different life than I thought. He was born on April 23rd, 1564 in Stratford-upon- Avon, England. His parents were Mary Arden and John Shakespeare, and he was one of eight children. Joan was the eldest and died at the age of two months, Margaret was alive for one year, William lived to be 52, Gilbert was 46 years old, Joan (number 2) lived to be 77 years of age, Anne died at 8, Richard died at 39, and the youngest, Edmund, lived to be 27. When William Shakespeare was just 13 he had to discontinue his education to help his father, who was a glove maker. They weren’t a very rich family and they did struggle at times. When he was going to college, he attended King Edward VI School and married Anne Hathaway in 1588 when he was 18 years old and she was 26. They had three children together, Susanna, Judith, and Hamnet. Susanna was the first born in 1583, and Judith and Hamnet are twins who were born in 1585. Throughout his life, he lived in Stratford-upon-Avon, England

Context – Due to Shakespeare having a big influence on literature, even today, many literary works are related to Shakespeare. Authors incorporate Shakespeare’s writing in some way and change things a bit to make their own story.

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 acclaim 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

The American Shakespeare Center (ASC) wants to give their audience the experience and pleasure of what it would have been like to be a playgoer in the Elizabethan era. In order to keep the plays feeling authentic, they consider many aspects such as costuming, music, and having small acting troupes. One of the most important things they do to remain true is they “do it with the lights on,” meaning they have universal lighting just as the Elizabethan theaters would have had. With universal lighting, the audience can see the actors and the actors can see the audience and play their roles to fit the behavior of the audience. In the ASC’s production of Henry V, they used this to their advantage by handing out props to the audience, using the audience as a prop and even having us be extras for their play. By constantly interacting with different members in the

There is a reason why Shakespearean scholar, Jonathan Bate, called Shakespeare the “central point in world literature” (Bate 221.) Throughout history, various countries have turned to the drama of Shakespeare’s plays to subtly oppose the government and society. Shakespeare’s high position exempted him from restrictions in government, and he became the source of liberty. “Throughout Eastern Europe the story is the same. In the former Soviet Union, in Poland, in former East Germany, in Romania . . .” and has influenced western civilization as well.

There are many reasons why scholars and historians alike refer to the Elizabethan era as the Golden Age of England. With Queen Elizabeth I at the helm, England defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588, establishing it as the uncontested global naval power of its time. This new maritime advantage consequently allowed the country to acquire colonies all over the world and expand lucrative trade with the Far East. Relative peace, along with the nation’s status as an economic juggernaut, enabled more money to be invested into the arts, thus giving birth to the English Renaissance. Some of the best literature, plays, and poetry were created during this period of creativity. One of which is Shakespeare’s most celebrated work, Hamlet,

Shakespeare has impacted the lives of people throughout the times. He is a writer known for focusing on love, tragedy, history, and comedy. Shakespeare is someone who has formed our society into the thing that it is today. He has shown us the hardships, battles of love, etc. all from his writing.

“To be, or to not be.” A famous quote from the play, “Hamlet”, written by William Shakespeare (poetryfoundation.org). A man who became one of the greatest playwright of the Elizabethan era and influenced the audience, actors, and individuals who continue to learn about his written work. The topic of Shakespeare being taught in schools has become controversial. In fact, 25,000 individuals from Alberta, Canada, reviewed the K-12 school curriculum and strongly believe Shakespeare shouldn’t be a required author (pressreader.com). However, the study of Shakespeare has become valuable to the literature programs in schools which shapes and challenges the students in influential ways. This can involve the literary techniques and language the readers are exposed to, the knowledge that comes with the studies, the culture it brings and the ability to connect with the stories. Shakespeare is still applicable in today's society and the lives of the students, which is why the teachings of his work is important in classrooms today.

Shakespeare is one of the most famous dramatist and poet in England. His literature works have been translated into more than 80 languages. He is the England's pride, and the world's treasure because he not only helped to shape the English we use today, introducing up to 300 words and dozens of well-known phrases but also wrote plays that are known around the world for their universal themes and insight into the human condition. However historians don’t know his date of birth, where he was educated or how he spent seven years of his life and even the playwright of his play is a mystery.

When discussing William Shakespeare and how his ideals are seen in the Elizabethan era, Shakespeare must be understood fully, and things that occurred during the Elizabethan era must be known. Before making comparisons and analyzing the two together, one must understand the two separately. So, who is William Shakespeare? Shakespeare was simply a poet and a playwright. What is so amazing about him is the works that he produced and how they portrayed ways of thinking that were prevalent during that time. The Elizabethan era is the name given to the time of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign. This time is referred to as the golden age of the English Renaissance. The ideals, or standards of perfection, of this time can be noticed in Shakespeare’s works.

Shakespeare's time compared to ours is different in quite a few ways. This will contain three of the differences, and these are what they are: The way the theater was built, the actors, and the audience. These topics may seem small, and they kind of are, but they still are good topics to use. Now, let's get to it!

In 1558 Elizabeth becomes the queen of England, just six years before William Shakespeare was born. Queen Elizabeth really liked the theater. A lot of the most famous playwrights were active when she was the queen of England like, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, William Shakespeare, and many others. England was set as a leading military and commercial power country on the western side of the world.

“By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes. Open, locks, Whoever knocks!” William Shakespeare was a poet, playwright and actor who began his career late 1500s and early 1600. Shakespeare who showed to be a strong writer even after his death he has shown to be a big influence in today's society and someone who expands vocabulary.

In-school writing perpetuates the pattern of privilege. The reason being is that the students who are supposed to be reading the documents cannot relate to it whenever they are from an area where privileged culture is not prevalent. Students from urban areas and inner-cities that are African American teenagers would probably be able to relate to articles by authors of African decent that have gone through and experienced things similar to that of the youths. They want stuff that they are interested in and that goes on in their communities. For example, a student from the inner-city would much rather write a poem about a social situation that they recently experienced rather than writing an essay on how Shakespeare influenced the European drama

William Shakespeare is one of the world 's most influential people to ever live. “BBC audience survey names Shakespeare as Britain 's Man of the Millennium.” (Andrews 2) Shakespeare’s works continue to be evident globally in modern society. Hundreds of years after William Shakespeare’s death, his influence continues to make an effect in the modern day English language, modern movies and film, and authors or artists today.