Shakespeare

             Shakespeare Let me tell you a story of two young lovers torn apart by the wrath of their parents oh, you've heard this one already? How about the story of the evil villain plotting to overthrow his king? Heard that one too? Surprisingly enough, these stories came into creation over two hundred years ago. The wonder lies not in the stories, but in the man behind them. William Shakespeare is really the defining icon for modern literature. Because of his plays, prose, and poems; the works of Shakespeare are considered to be some of the finest literature ever written. His stories established a foundation off which thousands of dramas, romances, and histories have been based. During his fifty-two year life, Shakespeare produced plays that have been the models for books and movies for hundreds of years. One of Shakespeare's outstanding points as a writer was his colorful mastery of the English language, which was nothing short of genius. Shakespeare's keen annotations into the 16th century granted historians a glimpse into traditional 16th century life. The one quality in Shakespeare's writing that never fails to astound me is his ability at capturing the essence of human passion and feeling. My goal for this paper is to convince you, reader, that William Shakespeare had the greatest affect on the future of modern literature. Wish me luck. Before I begin to verify my thesis, I shall give you little history of the Shakespeare family. William's family was fairly well off, and their wealth fluctuated as according to John Shakespeare's income. John Shakespeare was William's father. John Shakespeare came to Stratford from Snitterfield some time before 1532. He came as a leather tanner's apprentice, although he later became involved in dealing wool and farm products. In 1582, Shakespeare married Mary Arden, William's mother. Throughout William's life, John had a number of professions, but was predominantly a trader in farm products and wool.