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Minae Kwon
Ms. Porter
F block English
29 August, 2009
Shakespeare’s Last Gift to Hammet
My dearest Hammet,
Even though you may be dead right now, I still want to write you this to show you I
haven’t forgotten you, and to tell you everything you ought to know as a son of mine, for I
miss you terribly. I had succeeded to a great extent, more than that I had expected. Starting
off with not much, I soon became one of the greatest playwrights in England. Just know my
son, that how hard life may be, there is always success on the other end.
I was born on April 23rd, 1564. I was the third oldest child, being one of the four
children that made it to adulthood. I grew up in Stratford, on Henrey street- oh how the
memories of my childhood are flooding my mind right now! Your grandfather, John
Shakespeare had many occupations, being the town official of Stratford, and a local
businessman that dealt with leatherwork and tanning (“Shakespeare Biography”). My mother,
Mary Shakespeare’s name was originally Mary Arden (“Shakespeare Biography”). She was
very considerate, and nursed each and every one of us very well. I wasn’t able to get a full
education, but I attended King’s New Grammar School to learn reading and writing for a
while (“Shakespeare Biography”). That is where I learned the basic and vital skills for
writing. However, I was not able to complete my education, since I had to help Father with
his business (“Shakespeare Biography”).
I soon had to leave my family and find jobs, arriving in London around 1588. I helped
out with the family business, served as a law clerk, a schoolmaster, a scrivener, and a soldier
for a brief amount of time (“William Shakespeare | Shakespeare Biography”). Oh, it was
tiring, and I felt completely lost about where I was headed in the future.
Now, I must tell you that meeting the girl of your dreams is such a lovely and
powerful moment. I did when I was 19 years old. Her name was Anne Hathaway, your
mother, and she was 26 years old and pregnant when we got married on November 28th,
1582(“Shakespeare Biography”). It was one of the best events in my life. Life got even better
when my children were born. Your older sister, Susana was born seven months later, while
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you and your twin brother was born on February 1592(“Shakespeare Biography”). However,
this happy moment soon passed away when you left us for good on August 11, 1596 at the
age of 11 (Pressley). It ripped my heart apart as it still does now when I think about you.
Do you know how funny it is when unimportant and devastating events can turn your
life into a whole new one? Oh how you mother wished for some deerskin to wear around all
day. Wanting to make her happy, I caught some deer on the restricted territory of Sir Thomas
Lucy (Gray). As soon as I did so, I fled to London to escape punishment (Gray). This was
such an embarrassing event. Son, if you were alive, never do such a thing like this, I advise
you. As I was wandering around London, I studied theatre and literature, which got me
somewhere. I got the bulk of my knowledge here. I wrote some poems and the first few parts
of Henry VI while I was there (Pressley). Finally, I began to gain popularity about my talent,
and people started to envy me. I guess I had some natural talent eh?
Here is when my career reached its climax! In 1594, I was acting and writing for the
Lord Chamberlain’s Men, and was a partner in managing the business (Pressley). In 1599 I
was a successful actor, and plays that I wrote were being produced frequently. More
importantly, I became part owner in the Globe, which was the most prestigious playhouse in
London (Pressley). I wrote countless poems and plays exhaustively throughout my career.
When I first started writing famous plays, my main theme was classic plays, such as The
Comedy of Errors (Gray). Some of my later works progressed into history plays, which
included Richard III(Gray). The themes of my work became lighter and happier with
narrative poems, Venus and Adonis, and comedy later on as well, The Taming of the Shrew
(Gray). Finally, my plays progressed into the theme of romance and magical creatures around
1600 (Gray). Plays like The Tempest and Winter’s Tale became very popular.
After many years of excitement and success, around 1611, I retired after writing
Tempest, and returned to Stratford (Gray). Susanna finally got married, and I wrote a few
more of my final pieces at home.
No matter how hard life seems to be, there will always be a reward in the end if you
try hard. I hope you are watching me from above as I write this to you. I have left a will to
my family, but with me leaving nothing to you, this is the least I could do.
Your loving father,
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare died on April 23rd, 1616. He was buried in the Chancel of Holy
Trinity Church on April 25th. (Gray) Seven years later, a collection of his works were
published, and are famous and loved even today. (Gray)
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Works Cited Page
“Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet.” Mr.William Shakespeare and the
Internet. 23 Aug. 2009 [Web] <http://shakespeare.palomar.edu>.
Pressley. "Shakespeare Resource Center - Shakespeare's Biography."
Shakespeare Resource Center. June 23 2009. 23 Aug. 2009 [Web]
<http://www.bardweb.net/man.html>.
"Shakespeare Biography at AbsoluteShakespeare.com." Absolute
Shakespeare - plays, quotes, summaries, essays.... 23 Aug. 2009 [Web]
<http://absoluteshakespeare.com/trivia/biography/shakespeare_biograph
y.htm>.
"William Shakespeare Biography." William Shakespeare Biography.
23 Aug. 2009 [Web] <http://www.shakespeare-william.com/>.