William Shakespeare: A man of many talents
Tyree Harper
English 9
Mrs. Posta
December 10, 2009
How much do you know or think you know about William Shakespeare? Sure you know
he was a famous playwright and I know you’ve heard of Romeo and Juliet, but that’s it.
Almost no one knows about his personal life because there’s almost no record of it. A lot
of his childhood and adolescence is a mystery. Even though Shakespeare was one of the
most famous people of his time he had a very mysterious life.
William Shakespeare’s childhood was his biggest mystery. He was believed to have been
born on April 23rd in Stratford (Shakespeare Online). I say believed because no one
knows his real birthday except for his parents. He had three sisters and two brothers; he
was the middle child (Shakespeare Online). Only one of his sisters and one of his
brothers survived until adulthood. Since there is very little record of his childhood it’s
almost as if he didn’t have one.
Shakespeare also had a very interesting adulthood. he wanted to marry a woman named
Anne (Shakespeare Online). The thing was there were two Anne’s in his adulthood
(Shakespeare Online). He only married one Anne, but the Anne he married carried his
child. No one knows his true intentions for loving two Anne’s, but we know he
eventually married Anne Harthaway.
Even though he’s a mystery Shakespeare was still a very talented actor and playwright.
He performed in the Globe Theater with many other actors (The Old Globe Theater
History). He and the other actors kept the audience on the edge of their seats. They used
massive and extraordinary parts (The Old Globe Theater History). They range from the
use of fire crackers to cannons. The Globe Theater was a place of wonder and amusement
for both the actors and the audience.
Even Shakespeare’s education was sort of a mystery. He did go to elementary school
when he turned 6yrs old, but he only got a 6th grade education (Shakespeare Online).
Even though that was normal during his time there is no record of where he went to
school or why after he was done where he went. The time Shakespeare spent mastering
his acting and play writing skills are know as the lost years (Shakespeare Online). No one
knows what he did or where he went during the lost years, but all I can say he must’ve
learned from the best drama the world has to offer.
As I’ve said throughout this paper Shakespeare’s life was just one big mystery to me. No
one knows his origins. His birthday is a mystery, his from what education, and even his
love life. William Shakespeare was a talented man, and he led a very interesting life.
What I think is really ironic is, the day he was supposedly born was the day that he died.
Directions: Review your scores in each of the following areas as well as the comments on
your research paper. Make revisions directly on your research paper to improve your
score. You can make these revisions electronically or in pen.
Requirements
Teacher Assessment Student Assessment
Title Page
10/10
___/10
Format – 12 point, times new roman, double spaced 10/10
___/10
Introduction
10/10
___/10
Transitions
8/10
___/10
Details/Examples with in text citations
15/20
___/20
Commentary
15/20
___/20
Conclusion
8/10
___/10
Works Cited Page
10/10
___/10
Total
69/100
___/100
**** Revisions must be complete by the end of the class period on 1/6/10 – NO
EXCEPTIONS!!! This will be a second quarter grade!
Student Reflection: Explain what revisions you made on your research paper. How did
these revisions improve your paper.