Lilan Miller

ENGL304-Ray
17 May 2016
Biography
Shakespeare was born in 1564 and died on April 23, 1616. This year marked the 400th
year anniversary of his death (17th-century legacies para. 2). Shakespeare was an actor, a
playwright, and a shareholder in an acting company, wrote somewhere between 38 and 40
plays and the First Folio was published in 1623 (Playwright para. 1, 3). While known for his
plays, Shakespeares best-selling work was his poem Venus and Adonis (1593) (Shakespeare
para. 2).
By 1599 the construction of the Globe had been complete, and Shakespeare began
performing his works there. In 1616, the Globe burns down due to a production of Henry VIII,
but is rebuilt (Timeline 1).
While Shakespeare is widely recognized as the greatest poet, he did receive criticism.
Robert Greene was a critic who called Shakespeare an upstart crow (Shakespeare, Life of an
Icon Exhibit). Greenes may have referred to Shakespeare as such because of suspicions of
falsifications of his works in contrast to his rising popularity. Evidence for Shakespeares
authenticity to documented through manuscripts and prints (Shakespeare, Life of an Icon
Exhibit).
Shakespeares works continued to be study because of how timeless the themes integrated
into his works are. The works also provide history to the life of the arts during that time, as well
as historical references. The aesthetics of iambic pentameter in his play also creates a form of
drama different from the rest.

Work Cited:
"17th-century legacies." Shakespeare Documented. Folger Shakespeare Library, n.d. Web. 17
May 2016. <http://www.shakespearedocumented.org/exhibition/17th-century-legacies>.
"Playwright, actor & shareholder." Shakespeare documented. Folger Shakespeare Library, n.d.
Web. 17 May 2016. <http://www.shakespearedocumented.org/exhibition/playwrightactor-shareholder>.
"Shakespeare the poet." Shakespeare documented. Folger Shakespeare Library, n.d. Web. 17
May 2016. <http://www.shakespearedocumented.org/exhibition/shakespeare-poet>.
"Timeline of Shakespeare's Life." Shakespeare documented. Folger Shakespeare Library, n.d.
Web. 17 May 2016. <http://www.shakespearedocumented.org/timeline-shakespeareslife>.