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Will Shakespeare: The Bard of Avon (April 26, 1564-April 23, 1616)

12/25/2016

7 Comments

 

You must be aware how the digital age of the late 20th century has transformed the world around you and your worldview while adding new words and concepts to your vocabulary. The 16th century England also saw a similar burst of creativity and ripples of transformation, and this is the very time frame that shaped and was shaped by William Shakespeare.

 
Before we commence our discussion on Hamlet, let’s envision the young Shakespeare witnessing and processing these changes in his poetic vision. He was born into the world of literary symbolism—Queen Elizabeth the first tacitly fostered the cult of the Virgin Queen and all her courtiers vied to “woo” the “fair(y) queen” as a means of achieving social promotion. The printing press Johannes Gutenberg invented in 1439 finally reached the English shore to spawn aspirant writers and translators, who eagerly churned out pamphlets and booklets.


The educated and the elite had favored Latin and French to English, yet now there was a definite sea change and even the future king James the first was to commission the bible to be translated from the languages of the exclusive elite (Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and Aramaic) into the English vernacular. Thomas Wyatt had imported the Petrarchan (aka Italian) sonnet and attempted to Anglicize it suitable for the English tongue and decorum. As if to give wing to the English, the fortuitous defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 helped catapult the English to global hegemony (that is, dominance) and now the English dreamed of expanding their insular world to the brave new world (the American colony, the Indian subcontinent, and the small and large islands between the seas).
 

Now, Shakespeare walks into this bustling scene of creativity, experiment, expansion, and prosperity. Born in a small town called Stratford-upon-Avon (a Stratford near the small rivulet called Avon), the young Shakespeare runs away from a shotgun marriage to Anne Hathaway (a seven-year senior to Shakespeare) and joins the theater troupe as a novice actor and soon transforms into a poet and playwright. By 1616, Shakespeare is to own the largest house in Stratford and to become one of the shareholders of the acting company, King’s Men. This man we honor as the Bard.
 

Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon, shaped the relatively flexible English (its spelling and pronunciation was yet to be standardized) by playing free and easy. For example, he used nouns as verbs as in “it out-herods Herod” and “uncle me no uncle.” Some even contend that he coined an estimated 2,000 neologisms (some illustrious examples include “bare-faced,” “gnarled,” “lackluster,” and “fitful”).


He also invented countless phrases commonly used even today such as “one fell swoop,” “vanish into thin air,” “brave new world,” “star-crossed lovers,” “there’s the rub,” “it's Greek to me,” “cruel only to be kind,” and so on and so forth. And he was more than happy to “borrow” from known sources and other writers (the copyright law was conceived not until 1709—Will, you lucky devil!). He penned 36 plays and 154 sonnets and perfected puns and blank verse (unrhymed units of iambic pentameter).


Whatever the merits of the other poets of this golden age, undoubtedly it is William Shakespeare who single-handedly fashioned the English language and literature for the times to come.
 


What one fact or observation of the Bard would you like to share with us? 


7 Comments
Luis Villanueva 1-2A
1/8/2017 20:20:20

By reading the text on the Bard (Shakespeare) I can infer that he was not the only one who helped shape English that we know today. Shakespeare probably had multiple accomplices , but because at the time as mentioned there was no problem with taking other peoples work therefore we only know it as Shakespeare. Shakespeare most likely altered others works to make it seem like it was his own , but unfortunately we will never know whether it was the Bard of Avons work or others mixed together that created English. In my opinion since English was not dominant until later therefore Shakespeare could not do this on his own since it wasn't used by most people. The fact is that Shakespeare wrote magnificent works and made the language of English dominant, but what I observed is it couldn't be done alone and being no copyright law proved all the more reason for it not being himself.

Reply
Adaylin Alvarez
1/9/2017 02:31:01

Luis,
I completely agree with you in saying that Shakespeare helped sculpt English and literature into what we know now. I never took the copyright violation (not really a violation) into consideration of how English and literature were transformed. I now realize that credit for the rebirth of English should not just be given to Shakespeare for he got help. The Renaissance of art was due to, mostly, three people, Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael Sanzio da Urbino, and Donatello Bardio. Maybe William Shakespeare isn't the only Bard out there.

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Adaylin Alvarez
1/9/2017 02:24:13

Named the Bard of Avon, for people say he was the greatest poet to have ever lived, Shakespeare was a man who wrote of the new and exciting things of his time. He invented many words and became famous, both when he was living and posthumously, for his innovative stories. Although Shakespearian times are more than over, his work is still alive today. Shakespeare’s Hamlet was, in a way, reincarnated to be Disney’s The Lion King and his The Taming of the Shrew was recycled as Ten Things I Hate About You. I believe that Shakespeare was ahead of his time, just as the Father’s of the Renaissance were. Shakespeare is still referenced to this day, even though a lot of his work was modernized. The Bard of Avon continues to thrive in modern times and will perhaps continue to flourish in the future.

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Sergio Avendano
1/12/2017 08:41:04

Can i haz book plz

Reply
antuan jimenez
2/11/2017 16:53:17

Shakespeare went to a small world to a big world with dreams of changing English literature and owning the biggest house in Stratford and also a shareholders of the acting company. with out him we wouldn't be speaking the language we speak today or read been one of the largest impacts on America and England.

Reply
Carlos Ramírez Jr
2/23/2017 20:14:37

I have to agree with the last sentence you said antuan. Because it's true, without the Shakespeare and Bard evolution of literature we wouldn't be talking the English that we do today. They both played Kay roles in the history of English literature.

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Carlos Ramírez Jr
2/23/2017 20:10:16

One of the facts that stood out for me was the fact that Shakespeare and the Bard of Avon evolved the English we read, write and speak today. They revolutionized modern English in their time, for example the words, "gnarled, lackluster, and fitful." Also that he creates world-renowned phrases suck as "vanish into thin air."

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