Category Famous Personalities

What was Shakespeare’s educational qualification?

 

            An ordinary man from an ordinary family, Shakespeare’s childhood was not worthy enough to be carefully recorded. There is scanty information of his schooling. He may have had only a primary education. He learned basic Latin text and grammar, as was the custom then, at King’s New School located at Stratford.

            Shakespeare was no great scholar. He had no degrees from universities. In fact, being the member of a lower-middle class family, Shakespeare could not afford further university education, which was the prerogative of the affluent. Ben Jonson, a great playwright and his contemporary, wrote that Shakespeare had ‘small Latin and less Greek’, meaning the writer probably had no great scholarship. It, however, does not mean that he did not know history and philosophy. His plays and poetry testify that he had deep understanding of the literature of his times.

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What do we know about Shakespeare’s life?

 

            Do you know that Shakespeare’s death is observed on the same day he was born? The great writer died on 23rd April 1616. However, there is still no clarity regarding the date of his birth. Some church documents say that he was born in Stratford-upon-Avon and baptized on 26th April 1564. As was the custom then, children would be baptized on the third day of their birth; and therefore, Shakespeare’s birth is speculated to be on April 23rd. Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare, was a glove-maker. He was also an alderman, a member of the municipal council. His mother, Mary Arden, was the daughter of a wealthy landowning farmer. They had eight children and William was the third and eldest surviving member among the siblings.

            Shakespeare is popularly known as the ‘Bard of Avon’ because he hails from Avon. A bard is a wandering poet, who travels around reciting poems.

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Why William Shakespeare is considered one of the greatest writers ever?

            Probably no writer would have caught the imagination of men and wielded as much influence and impact on writers, scholars and the common folk alike as Shakespeare. There would be hardly anyone who has not had at least some scant acquaintance with his plays or characters that are popular across cultures and have been adapted in various art forms and genres of literature. Shakespeare’s characters such as Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, Falstaff, Shylock, lago or King Lear have in other names, forms and contexts appeared before us. Such is his influence that we would have used at least one expression from his plays or poems by the time we talked in English for a minute or two!

            The great English playwright and poet has produced several works, including about 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and several other poems, that have stood the test of time. His plays have been translated into all major living languages in the world today. They have been performed more times than the plays of any other writer.

            Theatre during Shakespeare’s time was a monotonous and rigid display of art and was sometimes too academic to suit the taste of the common folk. Shakespeare did not faithfully adhere to the classical norms of drama. His attention was on creating interesting characters. His plays were emotionally intense and insightful. People laughed, wept and were enraged at his protagonists, fools and villains.

            To the Elizabethans of the 16th century, Shakespeare opened a world of passionate romance, hot-blooded rivalry, cold-blooded betrayal and obsessive jealousy.

            Shakespeare made huge contributions to the evolution of the English language too. His plays standardized the language and provided it with new words and phrases. It is said that about 1,700 words were first used in English by Shakespeare!

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Who first classified butterflies and moths?

            Butterflies and moths were first classified by the great Swedish botanist Carl von Linne (1707-78), generally known as Carolus Linnaeus. His method, which applied to plants and all living things, was the binomial system. This meant the each insect was given two scientific and internationally recognized names: the first is a generic name denoting the genus or group to which the subject belongs; the second is a specific epithet indicating the species within the group.

            Similarly we all have surnames and forenames. But, in the case of the Linnaean system, Latin or Greek words are used to ensure uniformity regardless of the expert‘s native language. The first or generic name is spelt with a capital letter, but the second name usually begins with a small one.

               Linnaeus published more than 180 scientific works, some of the most important ones after he left Sweden for Holland, where he studied medicine. After visiting England and France he returned to Sweden, where he was given the chair of botany at Uppsala University.

Who was the founder of the United States of America?

               George Washington is called the founder of the United States of America. He is revered by all Americans as the father of the nation. He had a quality which was much more vital than any other gifts and that was his strength of character. A man of conviction, he was a fearless and determined person who believed in carrying out his duty. And thus his fellow Americans considered him their leader. After his death it was said of him that ‘he was first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen’.

               George Washington was born on 22nd February, 1732. His father Augustine Washington was a naval captain who died when George was only 12 years old. He did not receive much education during his childhood. In the Virginian society of those days it was considered more important to learn riding well and to acquire knowledge of farming and estate management. He learned enough arithmetic for his routine work to manage the estate, which he inherited from his father.

               Physically strong and already trained in riding, shooting etc; Washington was made a Lieutenant Colonel in the Virginia militia and sent on an expedition against the French, who were building forts on the Chio River. Later, when General Braddock was sent to fight the French, George was made his aide. Unfortunately Braddock was killed, George, however, showed great courage during the fighting and at the age of twenty three he was made Commander-in-Chief of all the Virginia forces.

               Washington was willing to sacrifice anything for the cause of American defence. When war broke out in 1776 Washington was elected unanimously to lead the army of the 13 colonies to fight the British. The war continued for several years. In 1781 the British surrendered. This was the greatest achievement of Washington.

               In 1789 Washington was unanimously elected as the first President of the United States. The new capital of USA was named after the first President — George Washington. He served two terms as President and refused a third term.

               He died on 14th December in 1799. His birthday is a National holiday in USA. 

Why is Lord Louis Mountbatten ever remembered in India’s history?

            Shortly after his arrival in India on 24th March 1947, Lord Mountbatten took part in discussions with Indian political leaders. He had free and frank discussions with Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad, Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhiji, and other prominent leaders. He had talks with the members of Muslim League too.

            Mountbatten worked sincerely with the goal of persuading the Congress and the League to agree to an acceptable plan, to end the rule of the British Raj, and to work out the modalities for the withdrawal of the British.

            He also wanted to keep India in the Commonwealth of Nations. The time was also favourable for his plans. India was tormented by communal wars. Brutality and human sacrifice were spiraling beyond human endurance.

            Being the last British Viceroy in India, Mountbatten got abundant freedom to solve the prevailing issues without any interference from Britain. Since the time at his disposal was very short, he wanted to prepare for the transfer of power without wasting time.

            Mountbatten knew the art of dealing with the political leaders of India in a dignified way. Gandhiji alone opposed the idea of partition among the leaders. But ultimately, he too accepted the decision with a deep sense of sorrow.