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Before proceeding with a critical analysis of these two works however, we should take a moment to reflect on the events and factors that helped to shape Shakespeare's life and his work.
A Short Biography on Shakespeare.
It is generally accepted that William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564. Although the exact date of his birth is unknown April 23rd seems as fitting a date as any given the fact that he died on that exact day and month of 1616. What is known however is that he was baptized on April 26, 1564 under the name of Gulielmus filius Johannes .
Shakespeare. His father, John Shakespeare was a usually successful tradesman as well.
as a dedicated civil servant. His mother, Mary Arden, came from a family of landowners. Because of his father's wealth and official position it is assumed that William must have begun his education at the Stratford Grammar School from a young age. Here he would have been educated primarily in Latin and thereby familiarized with the great Latin writers who would later come to influence his works.
Eventually his father fell into serious financial difficulties, which forced William to be removed from school at the age of thirteen. The details of his life in the years to follow are sketchy at best, but what is known is that he re-emerged at the age of eighteen and married Anne Hathaway, who was pregnant at the time not to mention eight years his senior. In the following three years they had three children, Susanna and twins Judith and Hamnet.
Once again our history of Shakespeare is obscured until the early 1590's when he resurfaced in London as an established actor. His formal debut as a poet came in 1593 as he published Venus and Adonis. From this point on his career as an actor, playwright and poet was in full stride. By the time he was done Shakespeare had written at least 36 plays and 154 sonnets.
Shakespeare's prolific writing has had a tremendous impact not only on the world of poetry and drama but also on the English language itself.
