William Shakespeare Kalli hong period. 5

Thesis: Shakespeare influenced the world through his early life, career, and his success.

Early life

Quote #1: "William Shakespeare was born in the small market town of Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564, the third of eight children" ( Lander).

Summary: Though Shakespeare was born in a small town, he grew up to be one of the most successful person ever. It does not matter where or how you were born, you could still change the world through what you’re best at.

Commentary: This shows that William was not born into a rich family and was born in a small market town. Shakespeare was able to break out of his small town and become a successful playwright who influenced others all over the world.

Quote #2: "While little is known of Shakespeare's boyhood, he probably attended the grammar school in Stratford, where he would have been educated in the classics, particularly Latin grammar and literature" ("William").

Summary: Shakespeare was well educated in his young age since he went to a high level school. Though his family did not have much money, they managed to send William to this prestigious school to do what he enjoys.

Commentary: This quote shows that William was taught at a grammar school which improved his Latin grammar and literature. The fact that he went to this prestigious school shows that what he learned played an important role in his plays and influenced him to become a playwright.

Quote #3: "The infant Shakespeare survived an episode of plague that swept Stratford in the summer and fall of 1564, killing about one-eighth of its inhabitants" (Boyce).

Summary: During Shakespeare's time, a plague was being swept through the town of Stratford. It is fascinating that Shakespeare, an infant has managed to survive a plague even though infants are the ones with a weak immune system.

Commentary: This quote shows that William was able to survive during a plague that was occurring in his early years. It also shows that many people did not survive during the 1500s. William Shakespeare was able to endure this plague and become a very famous playwright who influenced others.

Quote #4: "He never attended a university. Instead, in November 1582, at age eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway (c. 1556–1623), a Stratford woman who was eight years older than he" ("Shakespeare").

Summary: Shakespeare married at a young age. He married instead of attending an university.

Commentary: William Shakespeare decided to marry at the age of eighteen instead of attending a university. He married a woman who was, at the time, twenty six and who was also from a well off family. Usually during the time period Shakespeare was living in, most people did not survive, meaning they could not marry like Shakespeare. Shakespeare was able to marry, have kids, and be one of the famous playwrights even though he was living through a harsh period.

Shakespeare’s Career

Quote #5: "After arriving in London, Shakespeare began an association with one of the city’s repertory theater companies. These companies consisted of a permanent cast of actors who presented a variety of plays week after week"(Lander).

Summary: Shakespeare was working with a theater company after arriving in London. Shakespeare could have written plays for the actors to perform during this time.

Commentary: This quote explains that Shakespeare worked at a theater company which consisted of permanent actors. Shakespeare's company would perform a variety of plays week after week. Shakespeare was able to sustain a job that helped him with finance and had him do what William did best. Shakespeare was able to continue on producing play that would later influence other playwrights to become as famous as Shakespeare.

Quote #6: "Working alone, Shakespeare could not rival the productivity of a Thomas Dekker, but he averaged two popular works a year"(Rosenblum).

Summary: Shakespeare preferred to work alone rather than with others. Though he could not compare to the productivity of another playwright, Thomas Dekker, he was still able to average two popular works a year by working alone.

Commentary: This quote shows that Shakespeare did not work with others, but rather alone and that is how he likes it. Shakespeare was still able to be successful with his plays even though he worked alone. Shakespeare did not have to work with others to be successful, he was still able to impact society by working alone. This shows others that they can still be successful even if they work solo.

Quote #7: "Shakespeare not only acted with the Globe's company of actors; he was also a shareholder and eventually became the troupe's most important playwright"("Shakespeare").

Summary: Shakespeare acted and was an important to playwright to the troupe. He was also a shareholder, making him financially stable.

Commentary: This quote shows that Shakespeare was not only an actor during his career, but he was a shareholder and a very important playwright. Everyone usually associates Shakespeare as a playwright, but not only was he talented in that, he was talented in acting too. Having done all this during his career effected others to become as talented as Shakespeare was.

Shakespeare’s Success

Quote #8: "During a Broadway season in the 1980s, one critic estimated that if Shakespeare were alive, he would be receiving $25,000 a week in royalties for a production of Othello alone" (Anderson 777).

Summary: Shakespeare's play, Othello, was a very popular play. Shakespeare could have made a lot of money in royalties just for this production alone if he were alive.

Commentary: This quote explains that Shakespeare produced priceless plays and that he could have made as much as $25,000 a week just with his play, Othello, alone. Shakespeare has impacted his audience with his plays by having them think about all the different themes that were in his plays. By doing this, Shakespeare was a successful person during his lifetime.

Quote #9: "During much of this period, Shakespeare ranked as London’s most popular playwright, based on the number of times his plays were performed and published" (Lander).

Summary: Shakespeare was famous in London as a playwright. This was due to his plays that were performed and published a number of times.

Commentary: Shakespeare's plays has made it so that he would be ranked as one of the most famous playwright in London. Shakespeare's plays are still performed to this day and has been made into movies too. Though Shakespeare may be dead, he is still very important role model to most people in the entertainment industry.


Summary: Shakespeare earned money from his plays and gets a share of the profit of every company performance. Shakespeare was inspired by this financial arrangement making him write of the most famous play of all, "Romeo and Juliet".

Commentary: This quote shows that Shakespeare did not only obtain money from the plays he acted or has written, but he would also get a share of the money made for every company performance. Having this financial arrangement inspired his innovative attempts, for he set out to write plays that resulted in him being famous. Shakespeare's success in earning money has made it so that he could produce plays that would affect others. Earning all this has inspired Shakespeare's tries in being creative and this resulted into him effecting others with his pays.

Works Cited


Boyce, Charles. “Shakespeare, William.” Critical Companion to William Shakespeare: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom’s Literature, Facts On File, Inc. www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&WID=103800&SID=5&iPin=ffazshak2005&SingleRecord=True.

Branam, Harold. “William Shakespeare.” Great Lives from History: Renaissance & Early Modern Era, 1454-1600. Ed. Christina J. Moose. Hackensack: Salem, 2005. n. pag. Salem Online. Web. 06 Dec. 2016. <http://online.salempress.com>.


Rosenblum, Joseph. “Shakespeare’s Professional Career.” Magill’s Literary Annual 1993. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Hackensack: Salem, 1993. n. pag. Salem Online. Web. 04 Dec. 2016. <http://online.salempress.com>.

“Shakespeare, William.” Renaissance and Reformation Reference Library, edited by Julie L. Carnagie, et al., vol. 4: Vol. 2: Biographies, UXL, 2002, pp. 335-346. Gale Virtual Reference Library, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=tmulvusd&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CCX3426300095&asid=a08c35a1eafaf988c413ece2afc5db8e. Accessed 6 Dec. 2016.


“William Shakespeare.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2016): 1-4. History Reference Center. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.


Created with images by Ben Sutherland - "Pages of William Shakespeare's first folio at the Bodlean Library, Oxford" • InspiredImages - "stratford-upon-avon avon warwickshire" • Southern Arkansas University - "Twelfth Night 10.8.12" • summonedbyfells - "SHAKESPEARE'S BIRTHPLACE MUSEUM" • ell brown - "Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon - Shakespeare's Grave - graves of Anne and William Shakespeare" • ell brown - "William Shakespeare 1564 - 1616 - Cannon Street, Birmingham" • summonedbyfells - "BUST OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE"

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