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Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)
English playwright and poet born in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Shakespeare worked as an actor in London, where he began to compose sonnets.
With the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, a company of players to become known as the King’s Men, Shakespeare leased the first Globe Theatre, erected in 1598. It burnt down in 1613 but Shakespeare and his troupe had already been performing at a new Globe.
The genius of his work, written mostly for the Globe, was recognized by Queen Elizabeth and her court.
Shakespeare enjoyed much success and considerable wealth in his lifetime. Today, many forget that his plays were written to be seen, not read.
If theatre going isn’t a practical alternative, the next best thing might be the BBC television series (VHS and DVD) of Shakespeare’s plays. This production boasts authentic costumes, on-location castles and ancestrally inherited accents to help bring the mystical bard’s works to life.
It has been suggested that Shakespeare is the greatest writer ever, not only in the English language, but in any language. Some feminists contend this claim, suggesting that writers like Jane Austen and Emily Dickinson are equal if not superior to Shakespeare’s wit and wisdom. And others say that if Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had not written in German, he might have rivaled Shakespeare’s literary throne.
This author remembers an Anglican minister once saying that the Biblical Book of Job was “like Shakespeare,” as if to imply that Shakespeare was better literature than the Bible. Many might disagree, and popularity is not necessarily an indicator of absolute value, but from 1986 to 1993 Shakespeare ranked third in the Top 10 Authorities cited in academic journals of the Arts and Humanities, with the Bible at 5th place.†
† Source: Institute for Scientific Information as cited in The Globe and Mail, Toronto: Southam, February 11, 1993.
On the Web:
» Arjuna, Atlantis, Berkeley (George), Glamour, Hamlet, Homer, Iago, Keats (John), Macbeth, Madness, Merchant of Venice, Milton (John), Othello, Pericles, Psychosis, Radha, Reincarnation, Romeo and Juliet, Shylock, Unconscious
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I’m not sure what the point of this entry is, as the bare facts of Shakespeare’s life and times are available in thousands of locations. I’d suggest, however, some revisions:
it’s playwright, not playwrite;
it’s the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, and the King’s Men;
Shakespeare didn’t lease the Globe- he was a member of the theatre company which did;
what is “mystical” about Shakespeare?;
what’s the point of the Goethe comparison? Goethe is generally considered Germany’s national poet, as Shakespeare is England’s, Racine is France’s and so on;
where’s the evidence that Queen Elizabeth approved of his work, beyond the fact that it is thought one or two plays were performed at court?;
I don’t think there’s any evidence of another Globe built before the first burned down;
actors in the BBC Shakespeare are, generally, British, so they speak with British accents- I don’t know what an ancestrally inherited accent might be;
some of the BBC Shakespeare has external scenes, but mostly it’s studio-bound.
Comment by Rob Spence — June 29, 2009 @ 1:34 pm |
Thanks for the corrections posted thus far.
As for your opinions, hopefully I’ll have time at some later date to take you up on them.
–MC
Comment by Earthpages.ca — June 30, 2009 @ 12:31 pm |