My research paper about William Shakespeare. Has been submitted to www.turnitin.com

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Introduction
William Shakespeare is an author who has inspired many
writers of our time. His works have been studied by many
people and his plays have been made into movies and even
live performances. Shakespeare is an author who pushed the
limit when it came to writing and showed us how great a
play can be. Shakespeare’s plays were mainly focused on one
thing, making the reader feel the emotions that are going
on through the plays. Shakespeare has helped out society by
giving us new words with new meaning and giving us stories
that show us how life may have been for him during his
time. Shakespeare’s works have been a major part of history
in which queens and kings enjoyed his writings and until
now people in schools need to read many of his plays.
Background
William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 in
Stratford-on-Aivone. He was an English poet and playwright.
This would one day become what he is most known for. He
married Anne Hathaway who had 3 children. He began a
successful career in London as an actor, writer, and a part
owner of a playing company. This tells us where Shakespeare
started to get inspired to write his plays. Shakespeare
also worked as an assistant schoolmaster in Lancashire.

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Working with someone would teach him to write better and
get a better feeling about his work.
Shakespeare became such a successful playwright that
his family was granted with the great honor of having a
Coat of Arms. Later in Shakespeare’s life he became a part
owner of the famous Globe Theatre in London. Shakespeare
moved to London because he wanted to become a successful
actor and playwright. Shakespeare’s life of becoming an
actor and playwright was due to working hard and putting
much dedication into his works. He was able to write many
of his most famous plays while studying in London and began
his journey towards a more successful career. Shakespeare
became very successful in London after moving there for 4
years.
Shakespeare was better known for his plays about
tragedies that were written. His main genres for plays were
tragedy, history and comedy. Shakespeare began to write
many of his plays while attending school. Many of his older
plays are based on tragedy and seem to show a dark side to
them. During a time of great plagues he was able to write 2
poems that he dedicated to Henry Wriothesley and Earl of
Southampton.
Shakespeare later on retired to Stratford in 1613
where he died three years later. Shakespeare was buried in

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the chancel of the Holy Trinity Church. His grave is
inscribed with a curse that no one should move his bones.
After his death he left behind a wife and two daughters.
Shakespeare’s life was full of knowledge and determination
and in the end it all paid off for him.
Contributions
Shakespeare has contributed to modern culture and
people of our time in many different ways. Shakespeare has
helped us to understand the meaning of literature. His
legacy has contributed in many ways to modern culture and
how we interpret literature. Shakespeare’s works are the
foundation of many of the archetypes that are found in
modern day literature. His plays have influenced the way
many writers write their plays and how we learn to
understand old English. He has contributed many words to
the English Language and has thus expanded our vocabulary
in many ways. Shakespeare has been placed among one of the
writers who had dignified the language. He contributed to
the modern English language by giving us new words and by
showing us a new meaning to English. He helped out by
making English a practical means of reaching the public.
Shakespeare gave us the Globe Theatre, one of the
major theatres of the time. Many of Shakespeare’s plays
were done there and are still in use today. He contributes

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too many of the movies we have now in which actors portray
his plays. Shakespeare introduced style and structure to
language. Shakespeare helped contribute many new
vocabulary words to the English dictionary. He has
contributed many words in the English Language and has
expanded our vocabulary in many ways. His literature has
helped us to expand our minds and learn new words that were
not yet heard of during his time. Shakespeare invented over
1700 common words by changing nouns into verbs. Many of his
playwrights helped contribute to our movies. His English
had many ways of contributing to modern English. We have
learned many things from his words of wisdom. He has helped
scholars increase their knowledge.
Shakespeare gives us insight into the human character
like very few writers do and he reminds us how beautiful
the spoken and written word can be. He is also a form of
shorthand - a single line can conjure up a myriad of
complex thoughts. His contribution to the World Literature
is highly remarkable, and perhaps unmatched. Shakespeare’s
works contribute to our movies and the way certain climaxes
end in movies. His plays that have become movies have given
us ideas of how he depicted time while he still lived. The
ways he puts his plays together contribute to the way
modern writers write there own plays and stories.

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Influence
Throughout many years Shakespeare has influenced many
modern day writers in many different ways. His writings
have influenced poetry of our time and have inspired many
painters of our time. Many students were influenced by him
and now study his work for research and topics. Many
English majors study Shakespeare so that they are able to
comprehend more detailed plays and writings. His plays have
influenced many of the movies directors make now.
Shakespeare has inspired many students till now to attend
Stratford University to study his works. Many people have
turned to his work to create movies and also to publish
there own books. He has influenced a number of English
poets. Many of his works influenced poetry to be written
after his death. Shakespeare overall has greatly influenced
the entire English language.
Shakespeare was influenced to start writing while he
attended Stratford University. He was influenced by Queen
Elizabeth since she enjoyed his literature and sponsored
him. Homer was another person who greatly influenced
Shakespeare. The human condition also influenced him and he
used themes such as jealousy, love, ambition, death and
others in all of his plays. Shakespeare was influenced by
many people whose books we still read till this day. When

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we study Shakespeare's works today, we realize that we are
not so very much different from him and his contemporaries,
even though we have a different mindset and values.
Shakespeare’s plays help us to understand old English and
be able to admire his works.
Shakespeare's plays have been translated into every
major language in the world. All across the United States,
the plays are performed in schools, theaters and festivals.
There are over one hundred Shakespeare festivals and many
permanent theaters that perform his works. Shakespeare’s
works help influence the movies we watch today. The ways he
put his plays together helped to influence the way modern
writers write there own plays and stories now in our time.
His literature has influenced us to expand our minds and
appreciate what we read from modern authors. Shakespeare’s
legacy will continue to live on from this day on and will
influence people for the rest of time.
Conclusion
William Shakespeare will always be an author who will
live on for the rest of time through his writings. He will
be a great influence to many writers and will help
encourage others to read more. Shakespeare will continue to
help modern society realize that the past is a key to
knowing the future. Shakespeare’s writings will help us

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expand our vocabulary and will open up many opportunities
for us to read and study his writings. William Shakespeare
will be a writer who will be looked up to and will always
inspire many people to write and be interested in plays and
literature.

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Work Cited
Absolute Shakespeare “2000-2005”, 8 Dec 2009
<http://www.AbsoluteShakespeare.com>
Goddard, Harold C. The Meaning of Shakespeare, 2 vols. Chicago: The University of
Chicago Press, 1951.
Pressley, J.M. “An Encapsulated Biography.” Shakespeare Resource Center, 10 Feb.
2005. 08 Dec 2009. <http://www.bardweb.net/man.html>
Wells, Stanley. Shakespeare: A Life in Drama. NY: W.W. Norton and Co., 1997.
Wells, Stanley. "'What Was He Really Like?'." Critical Survey 21.3 (2009):
107-111. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Nov. 2010.
Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, “Larry Sanger” Wikimedia Foundation 7 Dec 2009. 8 Dec
2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare#CITEREF
Schoenbaum1987>