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SUMMARY: William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) British playwright, poet
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William Shakespeare, also referred to as the “Bard” was an English poet, playwright and actor and is thought of by many as the greatest writer in the English language. After his death he left behind 38 plays, 154 Sonnets, and several narrative poems. His poems have been translated and performed all over the world.

The Life of Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was the son of John Shakespeare. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon and was baptized into his religion on April 26 1564. He was the third child of eight in his family and the oldest surviving son. Shakespeare’s was educated in many different schools. He attended the King’s New School in Stratford, and chartered school in 1553, and also Grammar schools during the Elizabethan era. William Shakespeare married at the age of 18 to a woman named Anne Hathaway. The marriage ceremony was arranged I haste and some believe this was because of Anne’s pregnancy. Six months after they were married she gave birth to their first daughter, Susanna. They were blessed with two other children two years later; son Hamnet, and daughter Judith. Unfortunately Hamnet would only live 11 years. He died due to unknown causes at the age of 11 and was buried in 1596.

Shakespeare seemed to have disappeared after the birth of his twins. Scholars have often referred to this time period as Shakespeare’s “lost years.” There were many stories as to the unknown whereabouts of Shakespeare at this time from illegal deer poaching to minding the horses in a nearby London theatre to being a school master. No evidence has ever been found to substantiate any of the tall tales.

No one knows exactly when Shakespeare’s writing career began but there are records showing that many of his plays became popular and hit the stage in 1592. Robert Greene, a playwright critic knew Shakespeare well enough by then to attack some of his writings. Shakespeare’s play from about 1594 were only performed by the Lord Chamberlain’s Men; a company owned by a group of players, one of which was Shakespeare. His plays became so well known and loved that The Lord Chamberlain’s men became the leading play company in London. After the death of the Queen they changed their name to the King’s Men.

Shakespeare’s Plays
Of course, today we know and recognize the name Shakespeare because of his contributory plays that he left behind. Scholars have divided Shakespeare writing career into four different periods. Up until the mid 1590’s he wrote mainly comedies which were influenced by the Roman and Italian models. From 1595 until about the 1600’s he wrote his tragedies. His most popular ones we recognize today are Romeo and Juliet, and the last which he wrote; Julius Caesar. From about 1600 to 1608 scholars have said he wrote more tragedies, and then from about 1608 to 1613 he wrote tragicomedies called romances. Some of his other more famous playwright’s which have not already been mentioned are Henry VI, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado about nothing, and of course the famous Hamlet and Macbeth plays.

Shakespeare’s works made a lasting impression upon theatre as well as literature. He may not have received the same recognition in his day as he has received in ours, but was appreciated by the people of his time. William Shakespeare died on April 23 1616 and was buried in Stratford upon Avon.

Filed Under: Biography

SUMMARY: Shel Silverstein (September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) American poet, songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter and author of children’s books.
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Many children and adults alike are familiar with the works of Shel Silverstein. This popular American poet wrote a number of books of poetry for children, which is what he is best known for. In fact, Shel Silverstein’s famous books of poetry, A light in the Attic and Where the Sidewalk Ends, are often classroom staples, required school reading, and a child’s first taste of poetry. While he was an excellent and well-known poet, Shel Silverstein has written much more than just children’s works.

Personal life
Shel Silverstein’s full name was Sheldon Allan Silverstein, and he was born in Chicago in 1930. His biographical information is difficult to come by, as he was a private man who shunned interviews and publicity tours and told his publisher not to give out any information about him. He was married and divorced and was the father of a daughter. Shel Silverstein died of a heart attack in 1999 in his home in Key West

Artwork and songwriting
Although Shel Silverstein is best known for his children’s works, interestingly enough, writing for children was never his first intention. According to Silverstein, his career in writing and drawing began at an early age, when he said that because he wasn’t athletic, he instead took up writing and drawing.

Silverstein was a talented artist on many levels. As a songwriter, he wrote the songs “A Boy Named Sue” for Johnny Cash as well as “The Cover of the Rolling Stone” for Dr. Hook. In addition to these hits, he also wrote the popular “Unicorn Song” for the Irish Rovers as well as “I’m Checking Out” for the movie Postcards from the Edge, which he also received an Oscar nomination as a songwriter for.

Silverstein was also a cartoonist, which he started while serving in the Army in Japan and Korea, when he was a cartoonist for Stars & Stripes, the US Army publication. After he was released from the Army, he began to draw cartoons for such magazines as Sports Illustrated, This Week, Look, and Playboy. Silverstein’s cartoons appeared in every issue in Playboy from 1957 to the mid-70’s.

Poetry
Despite his successful career as a songwriter, Silverstein is best known for his children’s poetry and stories, which were eventually translated into over 30 different languages. He first began writing for children after a friend introduced him to his Editor at Harper Collins. From there, his first book for children, The Giving Tree, was published in 1964. While it was not a big success at first, it eventually went on to be a bestseller and continues to be, with over 5 million copies sold.

In 1974, Shel Silverstein published his first book of poems, Where the Sidewalk Ends. It became an immediate success and is still a staple in many elementary school libraries. In 1981, A Light in the Attic was published, spending 182 weeks atop the New York Times bestseller list, surpassing sales of Where the Sidewalk Ends. Fifteen years later, Falling Up, another book of children’s poetry, was published. Silverstein also illustrated his own work, drawing from his success as a cartoonist.

Shel Silverstein was a man of many talents, including writing, art, and music. He is well-known and respected in a number of industries, and people continue to enjoy his poems and his music today.

Filed Under: Biography

SUMMARY: Robert Browning (May 7, 1812–December 12, 1889) British poet, playwright
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When studying famous poets, the name of British poet Robert Browning is sure to be mentioned. He wrote a number of famous works throughout his life.

Life and poetry of Robert Browning

Born May 7,1812, in Camberwall, England (close to London), Robert Browning was the son of an accomplished pianist and a clerk at the Bank of England. From an early age, Robert Browning was exposed to literature and poetry. His father was an avid reader and very well read, and had a library of over 6000 books and volumes.

Robert Browning himself was also well-read and very educated, mostly as a result of his family. An avid reader as well, Robert was also gifted in his studies and learned Latin, Greek, French, and Italian by the time he was fourteen years old. In 1828, at the age of 16, he attended the University of London but dropped out soon after to study what he wanted at his own pace.

As a writer, Browning began with writing verses for stage after meeting William Macready, an actor on British stage. Browning began writing dramatic monologues. He received good reviews of his monologue Paracelsus, written in 1935, and much poorer reviews for Sordello, written in 1840. Many critics complained that his references and meanings were much too obscure to be understood and enjoyed.

Browning married fellow British poet Elizabeth Barrett after reading some of her poems and sending her a letter declaring his love for her and desire to meet her in 1844. They courted via letters until they eventually married in 1846, when she was 38 years old and he was 34, and later eloped to Italy. Together, they had a son, named Robert and nicknamed Pen, in 1849.

Their union and love for each other was the inspiration for a number of both of their poems, although Elizabeth was the more popular of the two poets at the time. He dedicated his collection of works Men and Women, which is said to hold his best works, to her in She also wrote a number of poems to him in her famous Sonnets from the Portuguese.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning died in 1861, and it wasn’t until a few years after that that Robert’s work became much more well-known and successful and he became more widely known as a poet. Some of the works he wrote around this time included Dramatis Personae (1864), The Ring and the Book, a poem consisting of 21,000 lines, Balaustion’s Adventure (1871), Fifine At The Fair (1872), Red Cotton Night-Cap Country (1873), including The Inn Album (1875) and Pacchiarotto and How He Worked in Distemper (1876), Certain People of Importance in Their Day (1887), and the anthology The Agamemnon of Aeschylus (1877). Asolando: Fancies and Facts (1889) was actually published the same day he died.

Browning’s popularity as a poet was evident with the 1881 founding of the Robert Browning Society, developed by fans in England and the US.

Robert Browning died on December 12, 1889, in Italy in his son’s house. He wanted to be buried by Elizabeth in Florence, but the cemetery wasn’t taking new burials at the time. Instead, he is buried in Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey, London, England, not far from Lord Alfred Tennyson.

Robert Browning was a famous British poet known for his dramatic monologues and his love for his wife, fellow poet Emily Barrett Browning.

Filed Under: Biography

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