Category: William Shakespeare
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Did Shakespeare publish his plays?
As can be easily imagined, Shakespeare’s plays were written primarily to be performed, and not to be read. Though Shakespeare authored so many plays, he never bothered about printing any of them as books. It was only after his death that his plays were compiled, and were made into respectable books. However, they…
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From where did Shakespeare get his stories?
Did all the wonderful tales that Shakespeare told through his plays have their inception in Shakespeare’s brain? Did he fashion all those tales from scratch? In fact, the plots of most of his plays are borrowed from various sources. This, however, does not diminish his brilliance. The bard’s genius lies more in the…
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How Shakespeare’s are plays classified?
Harold Bloom, one of the most celebrated Shakespeare scholars, thinks that the Bard of Avon invented the ‘modern man’. Shakespeare’s canvas was so wide that there was scarcely any kind of human being that does not appear in his plays. No character, not even the one that appears and disappears for a single…
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Did Shakespeare in fact really exist?
The question might seem absurd, but many scholars believed, and some still hold, that Shakespeare was either not real or too incompetent to have written so many great works of literature. The conspiracy theories took birth almost two centuries ago. One of their chief arguments is that the plays contain too much knowledge of…
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How did Shakespeare die?
Although we have no conclusive evidence, scholars think that Shakespeare had a very brief illness that led to his sudden and unexpected death. The great writer had retired to his old town Stratford some years prior to his demise. Shakespeare was still working in 1606; however, the spreading of the bubonic plague had…
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What did Shakespeare write in his will?
Shakespeare was no ordinary mortal. His tales and poems have travelled to the ends of the world and his name is familiar even to toddlers. What would such a great soul have written in his will, the document that he wrote to his near and dear ones as he was nearing death? Does the man,…
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What contributions did Shakespeare make to the development of the English language?
Shakespeare is a colossal figure when it comes to his contributions to literature. As is expected from any writer of such magnitude, Shakespeare’s contribution to language is huge. Many words that we use today have been in some way or other were modified or used with a distinct meaning by Shakespeare. He has…
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Did Shakespeare write in the same English that we speak today?
Have you read Shakespeare’s plays or poems in its original language? It is highly likely that we understand hardly half of what is written. Some words and sentences do not have any resemblance to the modern English we are familiar with today. We may even wonder if Shakespeare wrote in the English language…
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How rich was Shakespeare?
Shakespeare was born into not so rich circumstances. Although his mother was from an affluent family, his father had a business that did not fetch the family much. In the 1580s, Shakespeare’s father suffered failure in business. Circumstances were such that the bard had to marry at the age of 18 and thus…
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Did Shakespeare receive support from patrons?
Art and literature have been greatly appreciated and encouraged in societies for ages as they gave direction and shape to civilization and culture. Art and literature thrived, unfortunately, not in affluence; and therefore, artists and writers had to seek help and support from the wealthy and the aristocratic. There were patrons…