William Shakespeare (National Portrait Gallery), in the famous Chandos portrait, artist and authenticity unconfirmed.

William Shakespeare (April 1564; baptised April 26, 1564; – April 23, 1616 (O.S.), May 3, 1616 (N.S.)) has a reputation as the greatest of all writers in the English language and one of the greatest playwrights in history. His ability to capture and convey the most profound aspects of human nature is regarded by many as unequalled, and the English Renaissance has often been called "the age of Shakespeare". He was among the few playwrights who have excelled in both tragedy and comedy and several of his plays contain songs that are among the finest lyric poems in English. He also wrote 154 sonnets, two narrative poems, and a handful of shorter poems. Shakespeare wrote his works between 1588 and 1616, although the exact dates and chronology of the plays attributed to him are often uncertain. His prolific output is especially impressive in light of the fact that he lived only 52 years. Shakespeare's influence on the English-speaking world shows in the widespread use of quotations from Shakespearean plays (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Shakespeare), the titles of works based on Shakespearean phrases, and the many adaptations of his. The famous Chandos portrait, the subject of which, although commonly assumed to be William Shakespeare, has never been definitely identified. ... The National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery in central London which was opened in 1856. ... Categories: Stub | William Shakespeare | Paintings ... Events March 8 - Naples bans kissing in public in the penalty of death June 22 - Fort Caroline, the first French attempt at colonizing the New World September 10 - The Battle of Kawanakajima Ottoman Turks invade Malta Modern pencil becomes common in Philippines Births February 6 - Christopher Marlowe, English poet and... Baptism is a water purification ritual practiced in certain religions such as Christianity, Mandaeanism, Sikhism, and some historic sects of Judaism. ... April 26 is the 116th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (117th in leap years). ... Events March 8 - Naples bans kissing in public in the penalty of death June 22 - Fort Caroline, the first French attempt at colonizing the New World September 10 - The Battle of Kawanakajima Ottoman Turks invade Malta Modern pencil becomes common in Philippines Births February 6 - Christopher Marlowe, English poet and... April 23 is the 113th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (114th in leap years). ... Events Dirk Hartog lands on an island off the Western Australian coast Pocahontas arrives in England War between Venice and Austria Collegium Musicum founded in Prague Nicolaus Copernicus De revolutionibus is placed on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Roman Catholic Church Births May 24 - John Maitland, Duke of... The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, taking force in 45 BC or 709 ab urbe condita. ... May 3 is the 123rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (124th in leap years). ... Events Dirk Hartog lands on an island off the Western Australian coast Pocahontas arrives in England War between Venice and Austria Collegium Musicum founded in Prague Nicolaus Copernicus De revolutionibus is placed on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Roman Catholic Church Births May 24 - John Maitland, Duke of... The Gregorian calendar is the calendar widely used in the Western world. ... Though anyone who creates a written work may be called a writer, the term is usually reserved for those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Human nature is the range of human behaviour that is believed to be invariant across long periods of time and across very different cultural contexts. ... By Region: Italian Renaissance Northern Renaissance -French Renaissance -German Renaissance -English Renaissance This article is about the cultural movement known as the English Renaissance. ... A playwright is an author of plays for performance in the theater. ... Tragedy is one of the oldest forms of drama. ... Comedy is the use of humour in the performing arts. ... This article is about the sonnet form of poetry. ... Poetry (ancient Greek: poieo = create) is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. ... Events May 12 - Day of the Barricades in Paris. ... Events Dirk Hartog lands on an island off the Western Australian coast Pocahontas arrives in England War between Venice and Austria Collegium Musicum founded in Prague Nicolaus Copernicus De revolutionibus is placed on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Roman Catholic Church Births May 24 - John Maitland, Duke of... The precise chronology of Shakespeares plays as they were first performed is a controversial topic, as many of the plays were performed many years before they were published. ... The following is a partial list of titles of works based on Shakespearean phrases: Books As You Like It: Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy Hamlet: The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton How Like an Angel by Margaret Millar Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace To the... The following is a partial list of adaptations of Shakespearean plays, and includes more literal adaptations as well as works where Shakespeare was obviously an inspiration: Kiss Me, Kate (1948) by Cole Porter A Midsummer Nights Sex Comedy (1982) by Woody Allen My Own Private Idaho (1991) by Gus...

Biography

Most historians agree that William Shakespeare¹—actor, playwright and poet—was one individual, of whose life and work there is considerable historical evidence.

Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, in April 1564, the son of John Shakespeare, a glove-maker, and of Mary Arden. His baptismal record dates to April 26 of that year. Because baptisms were performed within a few days of birth, tradition has settled on April 23 as his birthday. It provides a convenient symmetry: he died on that day in 1616, and, perhaps appropriately for a playwright considered to be England's greatest, it is also the Feast Day of Saint George, patron saint of England. Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon is a town in Warwickshire, England. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... Events March 8 - Naples bans kissing in public in the penalty of death June 22 - Fort Caroline, the first French attempt at colonizing the New World September 10 - The Battle of Kawanakajima Ottoman Turks invade Malta Modern pencil becomes common in Philippines Births February 6 - Christopher Marlowe, English poet and... John Shakespeare (b. ... Mary Arden was the mother of William Shakespeare. ... April 26 is the 116th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (117th in leap years). ... April 23 is the 113th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (114th in leap years). ... Events Dirk Hartog lands on an island off the Western Australian coast Pocahontas arrives in England War between Venice and Austria Collegium Musicum founded in Prague Nicolaus Copernicus De revolutionibus is placed on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Roman Catholic Church Births May 24 - John Maitland, Duke of... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with a saint, and referring to the day as the saints day of that saint. ... For alternate uses, see Saint George (disambiguation) Saint George on horseback rides alongside a wounded dragon being led by a princess, late 19th century engraving. ... In several forms of Christianity, a patron saint has special affinity for a trade or group. ...

Shakespeare's father, prosperous at the time of William's birth, was prosecuted for participating in the black market in wool, and later lost his position as an alderman. Some evidence exists that both sides of the family had Roman Catholic sympathies. This article is about wool, the fiber. ... An alderman is a member of a municipal legislative body in a town or city with many jurisdictions. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...

As the son of a prominent town official, William Shakespeare probably attended the Stratford grammar school, which may have provided an intensive education in Latin grammar and literature. The quality of Elizabethian era grammar schools was uneven. There is no evidence he actually attended the school or that his formal education extended beyond grammar school.

Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior, on November 28, 1582 at Temple Grafton, near Stratford. Two neighbors of Anne, Fulk Sandalls and John Richardson, posted bond that there were no impediments to the marriage. There appears to have been some haste in arranging the ceremony: Anne was three months pregnant. After his marriage, William Shakespeare left few traces in the historical record until he appeared on the London literary scene. Anne Hathaway ( 1556- 1623) was the wife of William Shakespeare. ... November 28 is the 332nd day (333rd on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 15 - Russia cedes Livonia and Estonia to Poland February 24 - Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian Calendar. ... London — containing the City of London — is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England and a major world city. With over seven million inhabitants (Londoners) in Greater London area, it is amongst the most densely populated areas in Western Europe. ...

On May 26, 1583 Shakespeare's first child, Susanna, was baptised at Stratford. A son, Hamnet, and a daughter, Judith, were baptized soon after on February 2, 1585. May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... Events August 5 - Sir Humphrey Gilbert establishes first English colony in North America, at what is now St Johns, Newfoundland. ... February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events January 12 - The Netherlands adopts the Gregorian calendar Beginning of the Eighth War of Religion in France (also known as the War of the Three Henrys) August 8 - John Davis enters Cumberland Sound in quest for the North West Passage. ...

By 1592 Shakespeare had enough of a reputation for Robert Greene to denounce him as "an upstart Crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tygers hart wrapt in a Players hyde, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blanke verse as the best of you: and beeing an absolute Johannes factotum, is in his owne conceit the onely Shake-scene in a countrey." (The italicised line parodies the phrase, "Oh, tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide" which Shakespeare used in Henry VI, part 3.) Events January 30 - The death of Pope Innocent IX during the previous year had left the Papal throne vacant. ... This article is about the writer Robert Greene, who lived in the 16th century. ... Henry VI Part III is the third of William Shakespeares plays set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England, and prepares the ground for one of his best-known and most controversial plays: the tragedy of King Richard III (Richard III of England). ...

In 1596 Hamnet died; he was buried on August 11, 1596. Because of the similarities of their names, some suspect that his death inspired Shakespeare's The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Events April 9 - Spanish troops capture Calais July 14 - King Dominicus (Domingos) Corea was behaded by the Portugese in Colombo Ceylon September 17 - The Spanish capture Amiens September 20 - Diego de Montemayor founded the city of Monterrey, Mexico. ... August 11 is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events April 9 - Spanish troops capture Calais July 14 - King Dominicus (Domingos) Corea was behaded by the Portugese in Colombo Ceylon September 17 - The Spanish capture Amiens September 20 - Diego de Montemayor founded the city of Monterrey, Mexico. ... The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy by William Shakespeare and one of his most well-known and oft-quoted plays. ...

By 1598 Shakespeare had moved to the parish of St. Helen's, Bishopsgate, and appeared top of a list of actors in Every man in his Humour written by Ben Jonson. Events January 7 - Boris Godunov seizes the throne of Russia following the death of his brother-in-law, Tsar Feodor I April 13 - Edict of Nantes - Henry IV of France grants French Huguenots equal rights with Catholics. ... Looking north from a pedestrian bridge across Bishopsgate Bishopsgate is a road in the east of the City of London, running north from Gracechurch to Norton Folgate. ... Benjamin Jonson ( June 11, 1572 – August 6, 1637) was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. ...

Shakespeare's signature, from his will

Shakespeare became an actor, writer and finally part-owner of an acting company known as The Lord Chamberlain's Men — the company took its name, like others of the period, from its aristocratic sponsor, the Lord Chamberlain. The group became popular enough that after the death of Elizabeth I and the coronation of James I (1603), the new monarch adopted the company and it became known as The King's Men. The Kings Men was the playing company that William Shakespeare worked for throughout most of his career. ... The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the royal household in the United Kingdom, and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the great offices of state. ... Elizabeth I Queen of England and Ireland Queen of France, nominal title Elizabeth I (September 7, 1533–March 24, 1603) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from November 17, 1558 until her death. ... James VI and I King of England, Scotland and Ireland James VI of Scotland and I of England (Charles James) (19 June 1566–27 March 1625) was a King who ruled over England, Scotland and Ireland, and was the first Sovereign to reign in the three realms simultaneously. ... Events March 24 - Elizabeth I of England dies and is succeeded by her cousin King James VI of Scotland, uniting the crowns of Scotland and England April 28 – Funeral of Elizabeth I of England in Westminster Abbey July 17 or July 19 - Sir Walter Raleigh arrested for treason. ... The Kings Men was the playing company that William Shakespeare worked for throughout most of his career. ...

In 1604, Shakespeare acted as a matchmaker for his landlord's daughter. Legal documents from 1612, when the case was brought to trial, show that in 1604, Shakespeare was a tenant of Christopher Mountjoy, a Huguenot tire-maker [a maker of ornamental headdresses] in the northwest quarter of London. Mountjoy's apprentice Stephen Belott wanted to marry Mountjoy's daughter. Shakespeare was enlisted as a go-between, to help negotiate the details of the dowry. On Shakespeare's assurances, the couple married. Eight years later, Belott sued his father-in-law for delivering only part of the dowry. Shakespeare was called to testify, but remembered little of the circumstances.

New Place, Stratford-on-Avon, built on the site of Shakespeare's home

Various documents recording legal affairs and commercial transactions show that Shakespeare grew rich enough during his stay in London years to buy a property in Blackfriars, London and own the second-largest house in Stratford, New Place. Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 455 KB) Taken by Burn the asylum, February 2004. ... Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 455 KB) Taken by Burn the asylum, February 2004. ... New Place is the name given to William Shakespeares final place of residence in Stratford-upon-Avon during his retirement. ...

In 1609 his sonnets were published, love poems variously addressed: most to a youth (or 'fair lord'); the remainder to a 'dark lady'. Some regard the former set as being homoerotic, but that characterization remains in debate. Events April 4 – King of Spain signs an edit of expulsion of all moriscos from Spain April 9 – Spain recognizes Dutch independence May 23 - Official ratification of the Second Charter of Virginia. ... Shakespeares sonnets comprise a collection of 154 poems in sonnet form published in 1609 and deal with themes such as love, beauty, politics, and mortality. ... The Fair Lord is the unnamed young man to whom most of Shakespeares Sonnets are addressed. ... The Dark Lady is the woman to whom Shakespeares speaker composed a portion of his sonnets. ...

Shakespeare retired in about 1611. His retirement was not entirely without controversy. He was drawn into a legal quarrel regarding the enclosure of common lands. (Enclosure enabled land to be converted to pasture for sheep, but removed it as a resource for the poor.) Shakespeare had a financial interest in the land, and to the chagrin of some, he took a neutral position, making sure only that his own income from the land was protected. Events November 1 - At Whitehall Palace in London, William Shakespeares romantic comedy The Tempest is presented for the first time. ...

In the last few weeks of Shakespeare's life, the man who was to marry his younger daughter Judith -- a tavern-keeper named Thomas Quiney -- was charged in the local church court with "fornication." A woman named Margaret Wheeler had given birth to a child and claimed it was Quiney's; she and the child both died soon after. Quiney was disgraced, and Shakespeare revised his will to ensure that Judith's interest in his estate was protected from possible malfeasance on Quiney's part.

Shakespeare died in 1616, on April 23. He remained married to Anne until his death and was survived by his two daughters Susannah and Judith. Susannah married Dr John Hall, and later became the subject of a court case. Events Dirk Hartog lands on an island off the Western Australian coast Pocahontas arrives in England War between Venice and Austria Collegium Musicum founded in Prague Nicolaus Copernicus De revolutionibus is placed on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Roman Catholic Church Births May 24 - John Maitland, Duke of... April 23 is the 113th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (114th in leap years). ... John Hall (died 1635) was a physician and son-in-law of William Shakespeare. ...

William Shakespeare is buried in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon. He was granted the honor of burial in the chancel not on account of his fame as a playwright, but for purchasing a share of the tithe of the church for £440 (a considerable sum of money at the time). A bust of him placed by his family on the wall nearest his grave shows him posed as writing. Each year on his claimed birthday, a new quill pen is placed in the writing hand of the bust. It was common in his time for graves in the chancel of the church to later be emptied with the contents removed to a nearby charnel house as room in the chancel was required. As a result, his grave carries a well-known epitaph: Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon is a town in Warwickshire, England. ... An epitaph (literally: on the grave in ancient Greek) is text honoring the dead, most commonly inscribed on a tombstone or plaque. ...

Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear,

To dig the dust enclosed here.

Blest be the man that spares these stones,

But cursed be he that moves my bones.

Popular legend claims that unpublished works by Shakespeare may lie inside his tomb, but no-one has ever verified these claims, perhaps for fear of the curse included in the quoted epitaph.

Reputation

Main articles: Shakespeare's reputation, Timeline of Shakespeare criticism William Shakespeare, the man who of all Modern, and perhaps Ancient Poets, had the largest and most comprehensive soul ( John Dryden, 1668), our myriad-minded Shakespeare ( S. T. Coleridge, 1817), up for grabs (Terry Hawkes, 1992). ... This page consists of a chronological collection of critical quotations about William Shakespeare, which illustrate the article Shakespeares reputation. ...

Shakespeare's reputation has grown higher and higher since his own time, as illustrated in a timeline of Shakespeare criticism from the 17th to 20th century. This page consists of a chronological collection of critical quotations about William Shakespeare, which illustrate the article Shakespeares reputation. ...

During his lifetime and shortly after his death, Shakespeare was well-regarded, but not considered the supreme poet of his age. He was included in some contemporary lists of leading poets, but he lacked the stature of Edmund Spenser or Philip Sidney. It is more difficult to assess his contemporary reputation as a playwright: plays were considered ephemeral and even somewhat disreputable entertainments rather than serious literature. The fact that his plays were collected in an expensively produced folio in 1623 (the only precedent being Ben Jonson's Workes of 1616) and the fact that that folio went into another edition within nine years, indicate that he was held in unusually high regard for a playwright. Edmund Spenser Edmund Spenser (c. ... Philip Sidney Sir Philip Sidney (November 30, 1554 - October 17, 1586) became one of the Elizabethan Ages most prominent figures. ... Events August 6 - Pope Urban VIII is elected to the Papacy. ... Benjamin Jonson ( June 11, 1572 – August 6, 1637) was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. ... Events Dirk Hartog lands on an island off the Western Australian coast Pocahontas arrives in England War between Venice and Austria Collegium Musicum founded in Prague Nicolaus Copernicus De revolutionibus is placed on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Roman Catholic Church Births May 24 - John Maitland, Duke of...

John Dryden wrote about "the incomparable Shakespeare" in 1668.

After the Interregnum stage ban of 1642—1660, the new Restoration theatre companies had the previous generation of playwrights as the mainstay of their repertory, most of all the phenomenally popular Beaumont and Fletcher team, but also Ben Jonson and Shakespeare. Old plays were often adapted for the Restoration stage, and where Shakespeare is concerned, this undertaking has seemed shockingly respectless to posterity. A notorious example is Nahum Tate's happy-ending King Lear of 1681, which held the stage until 1838. In the early 18th century, Shakespeare took over the lead on the English stage from Beaumont and Fletcher, never to relinquish it again. John Dryden This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... John Dryden John Dryden (August 19, 1631 – May 12, 1700) was an influential English poet, literary critic, and playwright. ... Events January - The Triple Alliance of 1668 is formed. ... An interregnum is a period between kings, or between popes of the Roman Catholic Church. ... Events January 4 - Charles I attempts to arrest five leading members of the Long Parliament, but they escape. ... Events January 1 - colonel George Monck with his regiment crosses from Scotland to England at the village of Coldstream and begins advance towards London in support of English Restoration February 2 – George Monck and his regiment arrive in London February 23 - Charles XI becomes king of Sweden. ... The English Restoration or simply Restoration was an episode in the history of Great Britain beginning in 1660 when the monarchy was restored under King Charles II after the English Civil War. ... Beaumont and Fletcher were the English dramatists Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, who collaborated in their writing during the reign of James I. It is still uncertain how many plays were their joint work. ... Refinement meets burlesque in Restoration comedy. ... Nahum Tate (1652 - July 30, 1715) was an Anglo-Irish poet and hymnodist. ... King Lear and the Fool in the Storm by William Dyce (1806-1864) King Lear is generally regarded as one of William Shakespeares greatest tragedies. ... Events March 4 - Charles II of England grants a land charter to William Penn for the area that will later become Pennsylvania. ... 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

In literary criticism, by contrast, Shakespeare held a unique position from the start. The unbending French neo-classical "rules" and the three unities of time, place, and action were never strictly followed in England, and practically all critics gave the more "correct" Ben Jonson second place to "the incomparable Shakespeare" (John Dryden, 1668), the follower of nature, the untaught genius, the great realist of human character. The long-lived myth that the Romantics were the first generation to truly appreciate Shakespeare and to prefer him to Ben Jonson is contradicted by accolades from Restoration and 18th-century writers such as John Dryden, Joseph Addison, Alexander Pope, and Samuel Johnson. The 18th century is also largely responsible for setting the text of Shakespeare's plays. Nicholas Rowe created the first truly scholarly text for the plays in 1709, and Edmund Malone's Variorum Edition (published posthumously in 1821) is still the basis of modern editions of the plays. Literary criticism is the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. ... Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture. ... ... This article is about people with exceptional mental abilities. ... Romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in late 18th century Western Europe. ... Joseph Addison, the Kit-cat portrait, circa 1703-1712, by Godfrey Kneller. ... Alexander Pope - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... This article is about the literary figure. ... There have been two people named Nicholas Rowe: Nicholas Rowe (actor) Nicholas Rowe (dramatist) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Events January 12 - Two-month freezing period begins in France - The coast of the Atlantic and Seine River freeze, crops fail and at least 24. ... Edmond Malone (October 4, 1741 - April 25, 1812), was an Irish Shakespearean scholar and editor of the works of William Shakespeare. ... Events February 23 - The Philadelphia College of Apothecaries founds the first pharmacy college. ...

At the beginning of the 19th century, Romantic critics such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge raised admiration for Shakespeare to adulation or bardolatry, in line with the Romantic reverence for the poet as prophet and genius. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... This page is about the nineteenth century English poet. ... William Shakespeare, the man who of all Modern, and perhaps Ancient Poets, had the largest and most comprehensive soul ( John Dryden, 1668), our myriad-minded Shakespeare ( S. T. Coleridge, 1817), up for grabs (Terry Hawkes, 1992). ...

Identity and authorship

Main article: Shakespearean authorship This portrait, called the Chandos portrait, hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. ...

As noted above, there is considerable historical evidence of the existence of a William Shakespeare who lived in both Stratford-upon-Avon and London. The vast majority of academics identify this Shakespeare as the Shakespeare. Over the years however, such figures as Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Henry James, and Sigmund Freud have expressed disbelief that the man from Stratford-upon-Avon, christened William Shaksper or Shakspere, actually produced the works attributed to him. This scepticism is variously grounded: the lack of a single book to be found in his otherwise detailed will, the circumscribed social, education and travel opportunities available to the young author that could have served to prepare him, the language of the works itself. Mainstream scholars consider all these supposed mysteries to be explicable. Walt Whitman (May 31, 1819 - March 26, 1892) was an American poet and humanist born on Long Island, New York. ... Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 - April 21, 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was a famous and popular American humorist, writer and lecturer. ... This article is about the writer; for the politician who was almost his contemporary see Henry James, 1st Baron James of Hereford. ... Sigmund Freud His famous couch Sigmund Freud (May 6, 1856 - September 23, 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of the psychoanalytic place of psychology, a movement that damaged the theory that unconscious motives control much behavior. ...

Many attribute this debate to the the scarcity and ambiguity of many of the historical records of this period. Even the painting in the National Portrait Gallery, London (illustration above) may not depict Shakespeare after all, and the well-known "Flower Portrait" at Stratford-upon-Avon was demonstrated (by analyzing pigment and discovering chrome yellow) to be an early 19th-century forgery [1]  (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4471515.stm). Various fringe scholars have suggested writers such as Sir Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe and even Queen Elizabeth I as alternative authors or co-authors for some or all of "Shakespeare's" work. Some of these claims necessarily rely on conspiracy theories to explain the lack of direct historical evidence for them, although advocates of alternative authors point to evidentiary gaps in the orthodox history. The National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery in central London which was opened in 1856. ... Forgery is the process of making or adapting objects or documents (see false document), with the intention to deceive (fraud is the use of objects obtained through forgery). ... For others individuals named Francis Bacon see: Francis Bacon (disambiguation) Sir Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans (January 22, 1561 - April 9, 1626) was an English philosopher, statesman, and essayist. ... Christopher Marlowe (baptised February 26, 1564–May 30, 1593) was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. ... Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. ... This proposed logo for a US government agency was dropped due to fears that its masonic symbolism would provoke conspiracy theories A conspiracy theory is a theory that claims an event or series of events is the result of secret manipulations by two or more individuals or an organization, rather...

Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, an English nobleman and intimate of Queen Elizabeth, became the most prominent alternative candidate for authorship of the Shakespeare canon, after having been identified in the 1920s. Oxford partisans note the similaries between the Earl's life, and events and sentiments depicted in the plays and sonnets. Oxford was also contemporaneously identified as a poet and writer of some talent, and had the documented education, travel and life experience that one would ordinarily associate with works both as broad and detailed as Shakespeare.

A related question in mainstream academia addresses whether Shakespeare himself wrote every word of his commonly-accepted plays, given that collaboration between dramatists routinely occurred in the Elizabethan theatre. Serious academic work continues to attempt to ascertain the authorship of plays and poems of the time, both those attributed to Shakespeare and others. See academic Shakespearean authorship debates. This portrait, called the Chandos portrait, hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. ...

Word Coinage

Shakespeare was the first to use many of the words (ode, addiction, alligator) and phrases ("my mind's eye," "one fell swoop") that have become household words in our time.

See: Partial List of Shakespeare's Coinages (http://www.rhymezone.com/r/gwic.cgi?Word=_&Path=shakespeare/coinages//) National Geographic Article About Shakespeare's Coinages (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/04/0419_040419_shakespeare.html)

Works

Canonical works

The plays and their categories

Shakespeare's plays first appeared in print as a series of folios and quartos, and scholars, actors and directors continue to study and perform them extensively. They form an established part of the Western canon of literature. William Shakespeares earliest published plays are referred to as folios or quartos according to the size of the book, folios being large, tall volumes and the quartos smaller and squarer. ... The Western canon is a canon of books and art, and specifically a set with very loose boundaries of books and other art, that has allegedly been highly influential in shaping Western culture. ... Literature is literally an acquaintance with letters as in the first sense given in the Oxford English Dictionary (from the Latin littera meaning an individual written character (letter)). The term has, however, generally come to identify a collection of texts. ...

The plays are traditionally divided into tragedies, comedies and histories, following the logic of the original publications; however, modern criticism has labelled some of them "problem plays" as they elude easy categorization, or perhaps purposefully break generic conventions. In addition, Shakespeare's later comedies are commonly known as "romances". The term problem plays is applied to the three plays William Shakespeare wrote between the last of his pure comedies (Twelfth Night) and the first of his pure tragedies (Othello) They are Alls Well That Ends Well, Measure for Measure, Troilus and Cressida. ... The Late Romances are a grouping of William Shakespeares later plays, including Pericles, Prince of Tyre, Cymbeline, The Winters Tale, and The Tempest. ...

The following list gives the plays in the order and categorization of the 1623 First Folio (the first collected edition of the plays). A single asterisk indicates a play commonly classified as a 'romance' today; two asterisks indicates those generally accepted as 'problem plays' - though other comedies still occasion critical dispute. To see the plays in the order in which they were written, see Chronology of Shakespeare plays. The First Folio is the name given to the first published collection of William Shakespeares plays. ... The precise chronology of Shakespeares plays as they were first performed is a controversial topic, as many of the plays were performed many years before they were published. ...

• Comedies
  • The Tempest *
  • The Two Gentlemen of Verona
  • The Merry Wives of Windsor
  • Measure for Measure **
  • The Comedy of Errors
  • Much Ado About Nothing
  • Love's Labour's Lost
  • A Midsummer Night's Dream
  • The Merchant of Venice
  • As You Like It
  • Taming of the Shrew
  • All's Well That Ends Well **
  • Twelfth Night or What You Will
  • The Winter's Tale *
  • Pericles, Prince of Tyre * (not included in the First Folio)
  • The Two Noble Kinsmen * (not included in the First Folio)
• Histories
  • King John
  • Richard II
  • Henry IV, part 1
  • Henry IV, part 2
  • Henry V
  • Henry VI, part 1
  • Henry VI, part 2
  • Henry VI, part 3
  • Richard III
  • Henry VIII
• Tragedies
  • Troilus and Cressida **
  • Coriolanus
  • Titus Andronicus
  • Romeo and Juliet
  • Timon of Athens
  • Julius Caesar
  • Macbeth
  • Hamlet
  • King Lear
  • Othello
  • Antony and Cleopatra
  • Cymbeline * (normally classed as a comedy today)

Shakespearean comedies are one of the three (sometimes four) genres of plays by William Shakespeare. ... The Tempest is one of William Shakespeares last plays. ... The Two Gentlemen of Verona is a comedy by Shakespeare from early in his career. ... The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy by William Shakespeare. ... Measure for Measure is a play written by William Shakespeare in 1604 or 1605. ... The Comedy of Errors is an early play by William Shakespeare. ... Much Ado About Nothing is a play by William Shakespeare. ... One of Shakespeares early comedies, Loves Labours Lost features an artificial and rather silly plot, but displays an astonishing rhetorical technique. ... A Midsummer Nights Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare written in the mid- 1590s. ... Shylock and Jessica by Maurycy Gottlieb (1856-1879) The Merchant of Venice is a famous comedy (note: at the time the play was written, comedy had a very different meaning; see Shakespearean comedies) by William Shakespeare, written at an uncertain date between 1594 and 1597. ... As You Like It is a pastoral comedy written by William Shakespeare, in 1599 or early 1600. ... The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare. ... Alls Well That Ends Well is a comedy by William Shakespeare, which is also considered one of his problem plays. ... Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare. ... A comedy by William Shakespeare, The Winters Tale is also considered a problem play by many. ... Pericles, Prince of Tyre is a play written partly by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected plays. ... The Two Noble Kinsmen is a play, written in 1613 and published in quarto in 1654, which has been attributed to John Fletcher and William Shakespeare in collaboration. ... Traditionally, the works of William Shakespeare have been grouped into three categories: tragedies, comedies, and histories. ... This article is about the Shakespearian play. ... Richard II is a play by William Shakespeare, based on the life of King Richard II of England, written in 1595. ... Although at its first publication in 1598 it was titled The History of Henrie the Fourth, this play by William Shakespeare is the tale of the coming-of-age of the future Henry V—young Prince Hal, the compatriot of Falstaff and other disreputable rascals. ... Henry IV part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, first published as part of Shakespeares First Folio. ... Henry V is a play by William Shakespeare based on the life of King Henry V of England. ... King Henry VI Part 1 is one of the history plays of William Shakespeare. ... The play we know as King Henry VI Part II was originally known as The First Part of the Contention betwixt the Two Famous Houses of York and Lancaster. ... Henry VI Part III is the third of William Shakespeares plays set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England, and prepares the ground for one of his best-known and most controversial plays: the tragedy of King Richard III (Richard III of England). ... The Tragedy of Richard III is a play by William Shakespeare, in which the monarch Richard III of England is unflatteringly depicted. ... Henry VIII was one of William Shakespeares last plays. ... A Shakespearean tragedy usually involves the following: A seemingly admirable protagonist who falls from grace and into doom due to a fatal flaw in his/her character. ... The History of Troilus and Cressida is a play by William Shakespeare. ... Coriolanus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare based on the life of the legendary Roman leader. ... Titus Andronicus may be Shakespeares earliest tragedy. ... Romeo y Julieta is also a brand of Cuban cigars. ... Timon of Athens is a play by William Shakespeare written around 1607. ... Julius Caesar is a tragedy by William Shakespeare probably written in 1599. ... Macbeth is also a Scottish clan. ... The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy by William Shakespeare and one of his most well-known and oft-quoted plays. ... King Lear and the Fool in the Storm by William Dyce (1806-1864) King Lear is generally regarded as one of William Shakespeares greatest tragedies. ... This page is about the Shakespeare play, for the board game, see Othello board game. ... Antony and Cleopatra is an historical tragedy by William Shakespeare, first performed in 1607 or 1608 and printed in the First Folio, 1623. ... The Mythical British King Cymbeline is identified with Cunobelinus Cymbeline is a play by William Shakespeare. ...

Dramatic collaborations

Like most playwrights of his period, Shakespeare did not always write alone and a number of his plays were collaborative, although the exact number is open to debate. Some of the following attributions, such as for The Two Noble Kinsmen, have well-attested contemporary documentation; others, such as for Titus Andronicus, remain more controversial, and are dependant on linguistic analysis by modern scholars.

• Cardenio, a lost play; contemporary reports say that Shakespeare collaborated on it with John Fletcher.
• Henry VI, part 1, possibly the work of a team of playwrights, whose identities we can only guess at. Some scholars argue that Shakespeare wrote less than 20% of the text.
• Henry VIII, generally considered a collaboration between Shakespeare and John Fletcher.
• Macbeth: Thomas Middleton may have revised this tragedy in 1615 to incorporate extra musical sequences.
• Measure for Measure may have undergone a light revision by Thomas Middleton at some point after its original composition.
• Pericles Prince of Tyre may include the work of George Wilkins, either as collaborator, reviser, or revisee.
• Timon of Athens may result from collaboration between Shakespeare and Thomas Middleton; this might explain its incoherent plot and unusually cynical tone.
• Titus Andronicus may be a collaboration with, or revision of, George Peele.
• The Two Noble Kinsmen, published in quarto in 1654 and attributed to John Fletcher and William Shakespeare; each playwright appears to have written about half of the text.

Cardenio is a lost play, known to have been performed by the Kings Men, a London theatre company, in 1613. ... John Fletcher (playwright) (1579-1625) John Fletcher (Methodist) (1729-1785) ... King Henry VI Part 1 is one of the history plays of William Shakespeare. ... Henry VIII was one of William Shakespeares last plays. ... John Fletcher (playwright) (1579-1625) John Fletcher (Methodist) (1729-1785) ... Macbeth is also a Scottish clan. ... Thomas Middleton (baptized April 18, 1580, died 1627) was an English Elizabethan playwright and poet. ... Measure for Measure is a play written by William Shakespeare in 1604 or 1605. ... Thomas Middleton (baptized April 18, 1580, died 1627) was an English Elizabethan playwright and poet. ... Pericles, Prince of Tyre is a play written partly by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected plays. ... George Hubert Wilkins (fl. ... Timon of Athens is a play by William Shakespeare written around 1607. ... Thomas Middleton (baptized April 18, 1580, died 1627) was an English Elizabethan playwright and poet. ... Titus Andronicus may be Shakespeares earliest tragedy. ... George Peele (1558 - c. ... The Two Noble Kinsmen is a play, written in 1613 and published in quarto in 1654, which has been attributed to John Fletcher and William Shakespeare in collaboration. ... John Fletcher (playwright) (1579-1625) John Fletcher (Methodist) (1729-1785) ...

Lost plays by Shakespeare

• Love's Labour's Won A late sixteenth-century writer, Francis Meres, and a scrap of paper (apparently from a bookseller), both list this title among Shakespeare's recent works, but no play of this title has survived. It may have become lost, or it may represent an alternate title of one of the plays listed above, such as Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew, or All's Well That Ends Well.
• Cardenio, a late play by Shakespeare and Fletcher, referred to in several documents, has not survived. It re-worked a tale in Cervantes' Don Quixote. In 1727, Lewis Theobald produced a play he called Double Falshood, which he claimed to have adapted from three manuscripts of a lost play by Shakespeare that he did not name. Double Falshood does re-work the Cardenio story, and modern scholarship generally agrees that Double Falshood represents all we have of the lost play.

Loves Labours Won (or Loues Labours Wonne) is an unknown play written by William Shakespeare before 1598. ... Francis Meres (1565 - January 29, 1647), was an English churchman and author. ... Much Ado About Nothing is a play by William Shakespeare. ... The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare. ... Alls Well That Ends Well is a comedy by William Shakespeare, which is also considered one of his problem plays. ... Cardenio is a lost play, known to have been performed by the Kings Men, a London theatre company, in 1613. ... John Fletcher (playwright) (1579-1625) John Fletcher (Methodist) (1729-1785) ... Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (September 29, 1547 - April 23, 1616), was a Spanish author, best known for his novel Don Quixote de la Mancha. ... Statues of Don Quixote (left) and Sancho Panza (right) Don Quixote de la Mancha ( pronounced /) is a novel by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. ... Lewis Theobald (1688 - 1744), British textual editor and author, was a landmark figure both in the history of Shakespearean editing and in literary satire. ... Double Falshood (sometimes erroneously listed as The Double Falshood) is a play by Lewis Theobald, first produced on December 13, 1727 at the Drury Lane Theatre and published in 1728, which he claimed to have based on three manuscripts dating from the time of the English Restoration of an unnamed...

Poems

Shakespeare's other literary works include:

• Shakespeare's Sonnets.
• Longer poems:
  • Venus and Adonis
  • The Rape of Lucrece
  • The Passionate Pilgrim
  • The Phoenix and the Turtle

Shakespeares sonnets comprise a collection of 154 poems in sonnet form published in 1609 and deal with themes such as love, beauty, politics, and mortality. ... Venus and Adonis is one of Shakespeares longer poems. ... The narrative poem The Rape of Lucrece is the graver work promised by English dramatist-poet William Shakespeare in his dedication to his patron, Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, in Venus and Adonis. ... The Passionate Pilgrim is a collection of poems, first published in 1599, attributed on the title-page to William Shakespeare. ... The Phoenix and the Turtle is a poem by William Shakespeare. ...

Apocrypha

Plays possibly by Shakespeare

Note: For a comprehensive account of plays possibly by Shakespeare, see the separate entry on the Shakespeare Apocrypha. The Shakespeare Apocrypha is the name given to a group of plays that have sometimes been attributed to Shakespeare, but whose attribution is questionable for various reasons. ...

• Edward III Some scholars have recently chosen to attribute this play to Shakespeare, based on the style of its verse. Others refuse to accept it, citing, among other reasons, the mediocre quality of the characters. If Shakespeare had involvement, he probably worked as a collaborator.
• Sir Thomas More, a collaborative work by several playwrights, possibly including Shakespeare. That Shakespeare had any part in this play remains uncertain.

The Reign of King Edward III is a play attributed to William Shakespeare. ... Sir Thomas More is an Elizabethan play that depicts the life of Thomas More. ...

Other works possibly by Shakespeare

• A Funeral Elegy by W.S. (?). For a period many believed, on the basis of stylistic evidence researched by Donald Foster, that Shakespeare wrote a Funeral Elegy for William Peter. However most scholars, including Foster, now conclude that this evidence was flawed and that Shakespeare did not write the Elegy, which is more likely from the pen of John Ford.
• The King James Version of the Bible Some people claim that Shakespeare assisted in the translation of the King James Bible, rewording or rewriting certain sections to make them more poetic; they argue that the poetic sensibility of certain sections of the King James Bible is very similar to the style of Shakespeare, and cite Psalm 46, where the word "shake" appears 46 words from the beginning, and "spear" 46 words from the end. This is a controversial notion and is not accepted by mainstream scholarship.

This page is about the American professor, who uses Donald W. Foster in his academic writing and Don Foster in his popular writing. ... John Ford (baptized April 17, 1586 - c. ... This page is about the version of the Bible; for the Harvey Danger album, see King James Version (album). ...

Shakespeare and the textual problem

Unlike his contemporary Ben Jonson, Shakespeare did not have direct involvement in publishing his plays. The problem of identifying what Shakespeare actually wrote became a major concern for most modern editions. Textual corruptions stemming from printers' errors, misreadings by compositors or simply wrongly scanned lines from the source material litter the Quartos and the First Folio. Additionally, in an age before standardised spelling, Shakespeare often wrote a word several times in a different spelling, and this may have contributed to some of the transcribers' confusion. Modern editors have the task of reconstructing Shakespeare's original words and expurgating errors as far as possible. Benjamin Jonson ( June 11, 1572 – August 6, 1637) was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. ... Publishing is the activity of putting information in the public arena. ... Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of separate sheets of paper or other material. ... The First Folio is the name given to the first published collection of William Shakespeares plays. ...

In some cases the textual solution presents few difficulties. In the case of Macbeth for example, scholars believe that someone (probably Thomas Middleton) adapted and shortened the original to produce the extant text published in the First Folio, but that remains our only authorised text. In others the text may have become manifestly corrupt or unreliable (Pericles or Timon of Athens) but no competing version exists. The modern editor can only regularise and correct erroneous readings that have survived into the printed versions. Thomas Middleton (baptized April 18, 1580, died 1627) was an English Elizabethan playwright and poet. ... The First Folio is the name given to the first published collection of William Shakespeares plays. ... Pericles, Prince of Tyre is a play written partly by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected plays. ... Timon of Athens is a play by William Shakespeare written around 1607. ...

The textual problem can, however, become rather complicated. Modern scholarship now believes Shakespeare to have modified his plays through the years, sometimes leading to two existing versions of one play. To provide a modern text in such cases, editors must face the choice between the original first version and the later, revised, usually more theatrical version. In the past editors have resolved this problem by conflating the texts to provide what they believe to be a superior Ur-text, but critics now argue that to provide a conflated text would run contrary to Shakespeare's intentions. In King Lear for example, two independent versions, each with their own textual integrity, exist in the Quarto and the Folio versions. Shakespeare's changes here extend from the merely local to the structural. Hence the Oxford Shakespeare, published in 1986, provides two different versions of the play, each with respectable authority. The problem exists with at least four other Shakespearean plays (Henry IV, part 1, Hamlet, Troilus and Cressida, and Othello). King Lear and the Fool in the Storm by William Dyce (1806-1864) King Lear is generally regarded as one of William Shakespeares greatest tragedies. ... Although at its first publication in 1598 it was titled The History of Henrie the Fourth, this play by William Shakespeare is the tale of the coming-of-age of the future Henry V—young Prince Hal, the compatriot of Falstaff and other disreputable rascals. ... The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy by William Shakespeare and one of his most well-known and oft-quoted plays. ... The History of Troilus and Cressida is a play by William Shakespeare. ... This page is about the Shakespeare play, for the board game, see Othello board game. ...

Specialist acting companies and theatres

• John Bell's Bell Shakespeare Company (http://www.bellshakespeare.com.au/) in Australia
• Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon
• Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon
• Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City, Utah
• Colorado Shakespeare Festival (http://www.coloradoshakes.org) in Boulder, Colorado
• The Shakespeare Theater (http://www.shakespearedc.org/) in Washington, DC
• Shakespeare by the Sea, various companies of this name in Canada and the US
• Actors Shakespeare Company (http://www.ascnj.org/) in Jersey City, NJ
• Austin Shakespeare Festival in Austin, Texas
• Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery, Alabama
• Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario, Canada
• Shakespeare Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, California
• Shenandoah Shakespeare (http://www.shenandoahshakespeare.com/), in Staunton, Virginia (which has built a reconstruction of the Blackfriars Theatre)
• The Chicago Shakespeare Theatre in Chicago, IL

John Bell is an acclaimed Australian actor and theatre personality. ... Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is the sixth-largest country in the world, the only country to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia/Oceania. ... The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is an annual festival held from February to October in Ashland, Oregon, near Oregons border with California. ... Ashland is a city located in Jackson County, Oregon, near Interstate 5 and the Californian border. ... The Royal Shakespeare Company is a theatre company located in Stratford-upon-Avon, London, and Newcastle. ... Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon is a town in Warwickshire, England. ... Utah Shakespearean Festival is a festival of repertory productions of the works of William Shakespeare and other dramatists. ... Cedar City is a city located in Iron County, Utah, a 3½ hour drive south on Interstate 15 from Salt Lake City. ... Pearl Street Mall in Downtown Boulder Boulder (40n01, 105w16 MST) is a city located in Boulder County, Colorado, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 94,673. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... Shakespeare by the Sea is a name used by several theatre companies in Canada and the US. Shakespeare by the Sea, Halifax Shakespeare by the Sea, Newfoundland Shakespeare on the Sea, Saskatchewan Shakespeare by the Sea, San Pedro This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages... Canada is a sovereign state in northern North America, the northern-most country in the world, and the second largest in total area. ... The word Usa has more than one meaning: U.S.A. - The United States of America The United States Army Usa, Oita - A city in Japan The USA cable network USA Today national daily newspaper The University of Southern Alabama goes by the initials U.S.A. The patriotic cheer... The skyline of Jersey City, as seen from Lower New York Bay. ... Skyline from Town Lake Austin is the capital of the state of Texas, within the United States of America. ... The Alabama Shakespeare Festival (ASF) is one of the largest Shakespeare festivals in the world. ... Montgomery is a city located in Montgomery County, Alabama. ... The Stratford Festival of Canada is a summer-long celebration of theatre. ... Stratford (2001 population 29,676) is a city on the Avon River in Perth County, in southwestern Ontario, Canada. ... Canada is a sovereign state in northern North America, the northern-most country in the world, and the second largest in total area. ... Santa Cruz, Spanish & Portuguese for Holy Cross, is the name of several cities, regions, and other geographical features around the world: Santa Cruz, Argentina Santa Cruz Province, Argentina Santa Cruz, Bolivia Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia Santa Cruz, Espirito Santo, Brazil Santa Cruz, Paraíba, Brazil Santa Cruz, Pernambuco, Brazil Santa... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... Staunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the state of Virginia. ... Blackfriars Theatre was the name of two separate theatres in London, built on grounds previously belonging to a Dominican monastery. ... This article is about the largest city of Illinois. ...

Shakespeare in the movies

Main article: Shakespeare movies Movies based on the life of, or derived from the works of, William Shakespeare. ...

See also

• Elizabethan theatre
• Shakespeare's contemporaries, such as Queen Elizabeth I, Edward de Vere, Edmund Spenser
• His fellow dramatists: Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Kyd, John Fletcher, John Webster, Thomas Middleton, Thomas Dekker, Thomas Heywood, John Marston, etc.
• His godson, William Davenant, and son-in-law John Hall.
• Birmingham Central Library has a strong Shakespeare collection
• The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC has the biggest Shakespeare collection
• Asteroid 2985 Shakespeare, named after the dramatist
• List of archaic English words and their modern equivalents
• World Almanac's Ten Most Influential People of the Second Millennium
• David Bevington

Elizabethan theatre is a general term covering the plays written and performed publicly in England during the reign (1558 - 1603) of Queen Elizabeth I. The term can be used more broadly to also include theatre of Elizabeths immediate successors, James I and Charles I, until the closure of public... Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. ... The Earl of Oxford, from the 1914 publication English Travellers of the Renaissance by Clare Howard Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (April 12, 1550 - June 24, 1604) was born at Castle Hedingham to the 16th Earl of Oxford. ... Edmund Spenser Edmund Spenser (c. ... Christopher Marlowe (baptised February 26, 1564–May 30, 1593) was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. ... Thomas Kyd (1558 - 1594) was an English dramatist, the author of The Spanish Tragedy, and one of the most important figures in the development of Elizabethan drama. ... John Fletcher (playwright) (1579-1625) John Fletcher (Methodist) (1729-1785) ... John Webster (c. ... Thomas Middleton (baptized April 18, 1580, died 1627) was an English Elizabethan playwright and poet. ... Thomas Dekker (~1570 - ~1632) was an Elizabethan dramatist and pamphleteer. ... Thomas Heywood (died about 1650) was an English dramatist and miscellaneous author. ... John Marston (October 7, 1576 - June 25, 1634) was an English poet, playwright and satirist during the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. ... Sir William Davenant (February, 1606 - April 7, 1668), also spelled DAvenant, was an English poet and playwright. ... John Hall (died 1635) was a physician and son-in-law of William Shakespeare. ... Birmingham Central Library is the main library in Birmingham, England. ... The Folger Shakespeare Library is an independent research library located on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. History Standard Oil president, then chairman of the board, Henry Clay Folger was an avid collector of Shakespeareana. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... 2985 Shakespeare is a small main belt asteroid, which was discovered by Edward L. G. Bowell in 1983. ... This is a list of words and spellings which are now considered archaic or obsolescent within the current status of the English language. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... David Bevington David Bevington is the Phyllis Fay Horton Distinguished Service Professor in the Humanities and in English Language & Literature, Comparative Literature, and the College at the University of Chicago, where he has taught since 1967. ...

External links

• Open Source Shakespeare (http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org) has Shakespeare's complete works, along with a full concordance and an advanced search engine.
• Talk to William Shakespeare (http://www.shakespearebot.com) Have a real conversation with a William Shakespeare AI ChatterBot
• British Library; original 93 copies in quarto (http://www.bl.uk/treasures/shakespeare/homepage.html)
• Online Resources for Teaching Shakespeare (http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-3/online.htm)
• Online texts of Shakespeare's plays (http://william-shakespeare.classic-literature.co.uk/)
• Works by William Shakespeare (http://www.gutenberg.org/author/William_Shakespeare) at Project Gutenberg in various languages (includes spurious works)
• University of Pennsylvania Online Books e-texts of the works of William Shakespeare (http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/search?author=Shakespeare%2C+William)
• Shakespeare Literature (http://www.shakespeare-literature.com), Chapter-indexed, searchable versions of Shakespeare's works.
• Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet (http://daphne.palomar.edu/Shakespeare/)
• Selected Sonnets (http://www.poetseers.org/the_poetseers/william_shakespeare/the_sonnets/) By William Shakespeare
• Shakespeare and the Globe (http://search.eb.com/shakespeare/index2.html) from the Encyclopædia Britannica
• Touchstone - UK Shakespeare collections (http://www.touchstone.bham.ac.uk/index.html)
• Shakespeare works in online form and with a searchable database (http://www.elook.org/literature/shakespeare/)
• Doubtful Works of William Shakespeare (http://shakespeare-1.com/doubtful/) Full text of plays which have been erroneously attributed to William Shakespeare
• The original shakespeare.com (http://shakespeare.nowheres.com/)
• Shakespeare Discussion Groups Online
• William Shakespeare Study Guides (http://pcking.ca/wikinotes/index.php/Category:William_Shakespeare) @ Wikinotes (http://wikinotes.tk)

• William Shakespeare quotes (http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/william_shakespeare/)

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Notes

Note 1: Elizabethan English did not use standardised spelling; although Shakespeare's last name most frequently appears as Shakespeare, it also frequently appears as Shakespere, and sometimes as Shakespear, Shaksper and even Shaxberd [2]  (http://www.shakespeareauthorship.com/name1.html#2).