Draft

Background

Focus on where they were born

William Shakespeare and William Wordsworth have fundamental similarities and difference in

as far as their backgrounds are concerned. Shakespeare was a famous poet, playwright, and actor,

whose works have been performed in several metropolises, hamlets, and cities. He was born on

April 1564 in Stratford (Stratford -upon-Avon), England. Similarly, William Wordworth was a

notable English poet who played an instrument role in the founding of the Romantic movement

as far as English Literature is concerned. He was born in England like Shakespeare, though he

was not born in Strafford. Instead, he was born in Cockermouth, Cumberland. Consequently,

Shakespeare and Wordsworth shared the same nationality, although they hailed from different

towns.

Achievements and Accolades

While Shakespeare did not live long like Wordsworth did, in his short life, he accomplished a

lot. His achievements include 154 sonnets, two narratives, and 38 plays. He also coined over

1700 words. For instance, the word addiction was first used in Othello; Academe was used in

Love’s Laboor’s Lost, Bedroom was used in A Midnight’s Summer Night’s Dream and Fitful

and Dauntless in Macbeth. Some of the phases he coined to include all that glitters are not gold,

live long day, Brave new world and in a pickle Shakespeare did not receive awards during his

time like today’s writer do, however, it is worth noting that his theatrical company were named

“The Lord Chamberlain’s Men” and later “The Kings Men” which were vital titles during his

time.
 Like Shakespeare, Wordsworth had numerous accolades and achievements in his long

life. However, unlike Shakespeare, who did not focus on only one form of literary form,

Wordsworth focused more on poems. In his liffe, he wrote about 387 poems, not including the

poems he penned when he was young or before the first publication in 1787. Another critical

achievement of Wordsworth was his notable contribution alongside Samuel Coleridge in the

launching of the Romantic Age in the field of English Literature. The University of Durham and

University of Oxford awarded him with honorary degrees in Civil Law in 1838 and 1839

respectively. The government also awarded him a £300 per year Civil List Pension. After the

demise of Robert Southey, he became Poet Laureate in 1842, though he did not write poems

because of his advancing age.

Public perception

The public perception of both Shakespeare and Wordsworth have differed from positive to

negative. On the one hand, Shakespeare has mostly been viewed more positively than

Wordsworth. After more than four centuries, people still perform, read, and study Shakespeare’s

plays and poetry. Today people of all walks of life throng Shakespeare’s plays in cinemas, parks,

and theatres. On the other hand, Wordsworth has received positive and negative reviews from the

public. For instance, critics such as Francis Jeffrey found him arrogant, silly, and irresponsible.

He also found the moral of his work obscure. Those who praised his work, such as William

Hazlitt found him to be the most original poet.