Edward De Vee Biography

England’s greatest playwright and poet has influenced the modern world in more than just one aspect. The true impact of these works is immeasurable as they have inspired authors, plays and, most importantly, the development of the English language. He coined many phrases and over 1,904 words commonly used today. He had an extremely vast literary vocabulary consisting of 20,000 words; two to three times that of the higher educated men of the time. These pieces include an extensive knowledge of Latin, French, Italian and an enormous variety of experiences from aristocratic sports to Catholicism and foreign policies (Decker 2). Almost all aspects human experience are shown throughout his comedies, tragedies, romances, and histories. His works are genius; he even was ranked first among all the Elizabethan writers of the period (“Edward de Vere” 106). …show more content…
Being taken into the hands of Queen Elizabeth I, Edward de Vere, the Seventeenth Earl of Oxford, was placed into the household of Lord Treasurer William Cecil. From there Cecil found it necessary that de Vere received a Renaissance education (106). Some of the best men of the century were hired to privately tutor de Vere. He had rigorous courses in literature, law, French, and Latin which then influenced his interest in classic poetry and music (Looney 146). Within the household there was a library holding over 3,000 books where de Vere spent the majority of his free time studying. In his later years, he proceeded to earn honorary degrees at Cambridge, Oxford, and studied law at Gray’ Inn. By young-adulthood de Vere had formed a highly respected reputation based on his education and upbringings