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The Plays of William Shakespeare

Decent Essays

Shakespeare’s Plays William Shakespeare, a British playwright and poet, is born in 1564. The exact day is not known. Shakespeare is baptized on April 25, so they say his birthday is April 23, 1564 (Boyce, Shakespeare). As an infant, he survives the plague that kills tons of people living near him. He is the son of John and Mary Arden Shakespeare. “His father is a prosperous and prominent tradesman, bailiff, and alderman, who suffered a decline in fortune and prestige” (Burt, Shakespeare). His father ran into financial difficulties in Shakespeare’s teen years and did not recover until 20 years later with the help of William. His mother is a member of the next higher social class. There is no record of Shakespeare’s education, although he did attend Stratford Grammar School (Boyce, Shakespeare). At eighteen, Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway and later they have three children (Burt). Shakespeare writes many tragedies, romances, and comedies. Three main plays are Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Macbeth. Between 1593 and 1596, Shakespeare writes Romeo and Juliet .The first edition of the play, the Quarto of 1597, known as Q1, is a reproduced edition by John Danter and Edward Allde (Boyce, Romeo and Juliet). The play is made into a movie at least seventeen times. Romeo and Juliet is mainly a tragedy of young love, but there are also many other love connections in the play. There is the love of parent for child, religious love, political love, and an unrequited love (Holland). The

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