Sir William Shakespeare has been the embodiment of literary ingenious for several centuries. He is credited with being both a master playwright and poet. In just a mere quarter of a century, Shakespeare wrote an estimated thirty eight plays. His master literary works are more widely translated than any others works, other than the Bible. Among his many attributes, William Shakespeare is generally regarded as the world's greatest writer in the English language, and therefore has been studied for a great number of years. The content in these literary works of art are very detailed and have a majestic use of wording. The authenticity of Shakespeare's masterpieces has been speculated for many centuries because of his humble education and his lack of upper social status. The evidence gathered from his writings and his scarce record of documentations, has lead many scholars to believe that he should not be credited for his writings. A widely accepted theory is the "Baconian controversy". It is believed that the English philosopher and essayist, Sir Francis Bacon, was the actual author of Shakespeare's plays.
William Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564, and raised in the market town of Stratford-on-Avon. He was son to Mary-Arden and John Shakespeare. Mary-Arden took a step down on the ladder of social classes when she wed John, for he was a member of the yeoman social class. In 1579, at the age of fifteen, William left school due to a family financial set back. He did not go on to pursue any formal education, and was not considered a truly learned man. (Moore, R.).
Many of Shakespeare's history plays as well as his tragedies deal with political conflict and the never ending struggle to achieve a balance between power, justice, and legitimate authority in society.(Textbook, 313) Although many of his writings share this similar theme, they all have a very distinct style. Style is referred to as the particular way in which work is written.