Tiffany Harrend

OConnor
Honors English 9
31 May 2016
William Shakespeare, His Work, and His Language
William Shakespeare could be considered the best known author and poet to date. Out of
the numerous plays and poems he has written, many of them are still memorized and acted out
by scholars for multiple reasons. His use of words and meanings behind his work is what makes
them so extraordinary compared to other writers of his time.
Starting with his first plays, believed to be written around 1592, Shakespeare focused on
three main genres: tragedy, comedy, and history. His plays stretch across these genres, covering
each thoroughly. Scholars believe that he was already affiliated by the time he he wrote these
plays. He then partnered with many other efforts, including a crew known as the Kings Men.
The honorable playwright then wrote the most famous of his plays between the mid 1590s and
his retirement. Fifteen out of thirty-seven of them were published, giving him wide publicity in
the theatre culture. The money he made from the produced plays gave higher ranking to his
family. Though his family lived in one of the largest houses in Stratford, Shakespeare dedicated
most of his life to writing and acting. He would only takes breaks when the theatres were closed.
Shakespeare has a very distinct writing style that weaves into his plays and poetry. Most
of his plays are written in blank verse with an unrhymed iambic pentameter. There are short
passages in most of his plays that vary away from this. For example, the higher ranking people in
Romeo and Juliet would speak in rhyming couplets or simple prose, which made them seem
more respectable and elegant. His innovative wordplay is often recognized in his plays. Through

the metaphors and similes his character uses, they gain more traits and are more interesting to
listen to and watch.
Shakespeare is well known for his plays but first started as a poet. His early poems,
becoming popular in the last decade of Queen Elizabeths reign, was the beginning of what
would become history. He famously started his poetry career with narrative poems like Venus
and Adonis. His earlier lyrical and narrative poems are more appreciated that his later sonnets.
After being an amazing playwright, his focus turned to poetry again. The theatres were
closed in London because a plague was going around. Because of this, Shakespeare had to turn
to another part of the English language to support himself and his family. He wrote a collection
of 154 sonnets that covered the genres of love, beauty, and death. These sonnets were published
in 1609. Some believe that these sonnets were supposed to be for a private circle supposed to the
general public, considering the sexual and personal content.
The work and language of William Shakespeare is truly remarkable and incomparable to
all. He has made new words, opened peoples minds, and widened the spectrum of playwright
ability. The impression he has made on the English language has formed the way people speak
and analyse today.

Work Cited
History.com Staff. "William Shakespeare." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 01 Jan.
2011. Web. 31 May 2016.

"William Shakespeare." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 31 May 2016.
"William Shakespeare." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 01 June 2016.