At long last, we're going to read from our companion text, William Shakespeare: A Very Short Introduction, by the renowed Shakespeare author and scholar, Stanley Wells. The book offers a short examination of his life, culture, and work to piece together how one man managed to write some of the most celebrated plays (and indeed, works of literature) ever written. Much of this book might surprise you by challenging long-held rumors and revealing some strange and interesting truths about his life and works.
Answer TWO of the following:
Q1: What exactly makes Shakespeare's early life (that is, before he came to London and became a playwright) so mysterious? Why might some of these details seem unlikely as the backdrop for the future great dramatist/poet? And why might some people use it as evidence that Shakespeare didn't write the plays attributed to him (at least, not without help)?
Q2: Earlier in the class, we looked at four alleged portraits of Shakespeare, all of which capture some aspect of the Shakespeare myth (even if none are authentic). However, why might some of what we DO know about his life--especially in older age, after he retired from the stage, not square with the myth of his works and that of an inspired artist? Why might we also point to this portrait and say, "that's not the guy who wrote Hamlet!"
Q3: When Shakespeare is taught to high school students, he seems to come out of thin air, as if no one existed before him to offer him guidance. According to the book, where DID Shakespeare, the artist, come from? Who were his heroes? Who inspired him? What did he learn from? And why might we argue that Shakespeare was just as good at adapting literaure as writing it himself?
Q4: What reality of theater or acting in Shakespeare's day might surprise us, according to the book? How might it change the way Shakespeare's drama was seen or experienced? Why don't we experience like that today? Would it still be entertaining?
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