First Folio

Who wrote Shakespeare? Introduction The Shakespeare authorship question refers to a controversial argument in the realms of arts and literature that someone else other than William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon composed the numerous works accredited to him as shown in most books of history. Anti-Stratfordian theorists allege that the original author of the works used Shakespeare as a pen name thereby shielding his or her identity (Shapiro 56). Such dissenting viewpoints arise from theorists…

Despite the struggle that William Shakespeare endured throughout his life he still managed to become an influential historian, and become successful regardless of his financial, family and career problems. He had a very different childhood than most think he had, and growing up in the Elizabethan era wasn’t the easiest for him either. He took the word success to a whole new level in his time and left a huge impact on the world of theatre as a whole. Shakespeare has been known for his strong…

always be important because they depict a wide variety/range of human emotion accurately, tells what are often relatable and universal stories, and he formed the basis our modern day English language. For us to understand Shakespeare’s work we must first know more about his background. Not much is known about Shakespeare’s early life, such as his birth. But According to the Folger Shakespeare Library, Shakespeare’s birthday was likely April 23, 1564 because he was baptized on April 26, 1564. His…

How does ‘She’s the Man’ challenge stereotypes about gender? William Shakespeare was a pioneer in English literature and gave a meaningful and significant contribution to the arts and theatre. He has been regarded as one of the greatest writers in history and has played a monumental role in the development and shaping of the way we view and appreciate English literature. 2006, award-winning film, ‘She’s the Man’ is a modern adaption of William Shakespeare’s 1601 play ‘Twelfth Night’. ‘Twelfth…

his character could be. The word primogeniture translates to “first-born” from its Latin roots, refers to the practice of a first-born son inheriting of his father’s property and possessions upon their demise (McDonald, 263). Sir Thomas Smith, a Tudor legal scholar, presents a synopsis of the system’s implementation in early English history. “Of lands as ye have understood before,” he explains, referring to this system…

broken up into the there four genres, the tragedies are alike, the comedies are alike and so on and so forth. But one thing that does not change through out any of Shakespeare’s plays is how heavily the plot tends to rely on family. And sure when first analyzing that statement it may seem pretty obvious; everyone one has a family so it…

The comic subplots in Shakepeare’s Twelfth Night and Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus function in the overall structures of the plays in many ways. Specifically, I argue that they parallel the main plot, emphasizing the theme of self-love that dominates the main plot. Within Twelfth Night, the emphasis that is placed on the theme of self-love is prominent from the moment the play begins. For example, it opens with the following speech by Orsino to himself: “If music be the food of love, play on/Give me…

The playwright “No Exit”, by Jean-Paul Sarte has been a playwright and book of many discussions. Many questions have arisen since its publication, and interpretations have been considered regarding the meaning of the book, or what Sarte was trying to convey through his dialogue and characters involved in the novel. Many consider Sarte fascinations with the afterlife, freedom, and other supernatural aspects somewhat intriguing; while also exhibiting a disturbing feature in his writing. However,…

In the very first scene of the play the idea of one having control over one's own fate is evident through the contrasting actions of Cordelia's to those of Goneril and Regans. In Act one scene one of the play King Lear decides to give control of his kingdom to his daughters with each daughter receiving a third of the kingdom. The kings’ only catch being that each of his daughters has to profess their love for him in order to receive their share of the kingdom. Lears two eldest daughters Goneril…

The Spirit of Revenge: Does Hamlet achieve his goal? The words of Shakespeare are legendary. His books have influenced billions of lives and his works are still relevant to the study of the English literary culture. 400 years later, he is still considered one of the most influential playwrights in history. One of his most well-known works, Hamlet, is the result of Shakespeare being influenced by a Danish legend, “Ur-Hamlet”, a play now lost to time. This influence of the Danish culture struck…