Shakespeare: The Playwright

So who was the man responsible for some 37 plays and over 160 sonnets?

The name Shakespeare commands respect and demands attention. William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer and dramatist of the English Language and it is no great feat to see why. Shakespeare's works have become universal and his tantalising poetry an everyday part of our everyday language. Not only was Shakespeare a gifted writer, he frequently appeared as minor characters in his plays, gracing the stage with his presence in many of the various roles in his work.

There is much speculation around Shakespeare's birth date, as the only thing that is certain is the date of his christening - 26 April 1654, and the date of his death - 23 April 1616. Because a baby was christened very soon after birth, scholars speculate that he was born on the 23 April, and many refer to that date as both his birth day and death.

So what do we know about the man of the hour? He was an actor as well as a poet and playwright, and is responsible for the addition of thousands of new words to the English language. Most of these were new grammatical uses for existing words - ie nouns made into verbs. We also know that his father was mayor of the town he grew up in, which may mean he was given more opportunities to be involved in town events than most children and perhaps meant he was exposed to things like theatre and literature at an early age. This can of course only be assumed by scholars.

His great works include tragedies, comedies and history plays, as well as numerous sonnets. Macbeth is known as the shortest of the tragedies. There is also a curse that is said to have been put upon Macbeth centuries ago, but upon his death; William Shakespeare placed a curse upon his gravestone. The curse reads:

Good friend for Jesus' sake forbear,

To dig the dust enclosed here:

Blest be the man that spares these stones,

and curst be he that moves my bones.