Shakespeare, through circumstance, happened to have been given a brilliant classical education.
At the age of nine, he was introduced to Latin, and spoke it everyday for the next 5 years, in school, where, amongst other things, he was not allowed to speak English after he went to the upper forms.
Upon arriving in London, in or around 1586-7, he first tried to act, but, was not very good, compared to the fabulous talent that surrounded him then, and so, was encouraged to write, by, among others, Christopher Marlowe, who,until his death, became a close friend and confidante.
Because of his classical education, Shakespeare took easily to writing of the Greek heroes and myths, and gained confidence enough to contribute to the plays being written for the stage at the time.
Gradually his style evolved, so that he was able to submit his own work to the company he was with, The Admiral's Men, who presented his trilogy of the Lancastrian King, Henry V1, to a good reception.
Bolstered by this, and still with the encouragement of Marlowe, he continued to write, polishing his skills and presenting major work after major work, until even Marlowe was forced to write, 'Edward 11' just to keep up!
His knowledge of Greek and Latin, his fine understanding of Italian and Spanish, his abilty to spot a potential subject, and his stage management of actors and situations, gained him immense respect within the burgeoning acting profession, and he became a colossus in English theatre, and still is so.
At the age of nine, he was introduced to Latin, and spoke it everyday for the next 5 years, in school, where, amongst other things, he was not allowed to speak English after he went to the upper forms.
Upon arriving in London, in or around 1586-7, he first tried to act, but, was not very good, compared to the fabulous talent that surrounded him then, and so, was encouraged to write, by, among others, Christopher Marlowe, who,until his death, became a close friend and confidante.
Because of his classical education, Shakespeare took easily to writing of the Greek heroes and myths, and gained confidence enough to contribute to the plays being written for the stage at the time.
Gradually his style evolved, so that he was able to submit his own work to the company he was with, The Admiral's Men, who presented his trilogy of the Lancastrian King, Henry V1, to a good reception.
Bolstered by this, and still with the encouragement of Marlowe, he continued to write, polishing his skills and presenting major work after major work, until even Marlowe was forced to write, 'Edward 11' just to keep up!
His knowledge of Greek and Latin, his fine understanding of Italian and Spanish, his abilty to spot a potential subject, and his stage management of actors and situations, gained him immense respect within the burgeoning acting profession, and he became a colossus in English theatre, and still is so.
