The time that Shakespeare wrote in is known as the Elizabethan age, or the English Renaissance. In this time literature, exploration, politics, and further education were booming in England, making this a valuable time fro playwriting (Wilson and Goldfarb 160). This was the time that William Shakespeare, one of the greatest play writes of all time began his work. Shakespeare was able to use so many valuable elements to creating a play set by those before him. He used English and Roman history, ancient Roman drama, Italian literature, the ideas of episodic plot structure, dramatic verse, Senecan devices, and more, to create some of the greatest theatrical works of all time (Wilson and Goldfarb 163).
Shakespeare, born in 1564, grew up in Stratford Upon Avon. His father was a leather glove maker (Wilson and Goldfarb 163). He attended the King’s New School in his childhood where he studied a lot of latin. It is recorded that he married Anne Hathaway in 1582 and began having children with her. By 1590 he was working in London as an actor and play write (Wilson and Goldfarb 163).
While in London, Shakespeare wrote narrative poems and worked for the London acting company. He associated with the leading troupe in London, the Lord Chamberlain’s men, later known as the King’s men. With this troupe he produced his many plays from about 1595 to 1614 (Wilson and Goldfarb 164). He was skilled in all aspects of theatre making his works so remarkable. Shakespeare was an actor, play write, and member of a dramatic company, who also understood the technical aspects of the theatre (Wilson and Goldfarb 164). His characters were complete and well rounded and the verse used in his writing were extraordinary (Wilson and Goldfarb 164). He had all the right tools to create brilliant and timeless works.
Works Cited:
Wilson, Edwin, and Alvin Goldfarb. Living Theatre: History of Theatre. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print.
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