Biography – William Shakespeare: Life of Drama
Wednesday, 16. September 2009. 03:08 by admin
Amazon.com
Though Shakespeare is heralded as the world’s most influential and admired writer, little is known about the man himself. That didn’t stop A&E Biography from weaving together a substantial birth (in 1564) to death (in 1616) portrait from spotty documentation, historical accounts, and interpretations of the master’s work itself. It won’t give away all the video’s surprises to reveal here that Shakespeare was born into privilege, started out as an actor, had an unhappy marriage to an older woman–in his will, he specifically left her only his “second best bed”–and survived the death of his only son, Hamnet. Many of his most complex works came about after the death of his son, including the play named after him. Before Sh… More >>
Biography – William Shakespeare: Life of Drama
September 16th, 2009 at 3:42 am
William shakespear is one of the 20th century’s greatest writers. Know world wide he is recognized for many great plays and many pieces of art.
Rating: 5 / 5
September 16th, 2009 at 5:23 am
Because of Shakespeare, I am Advanced Placement Literature. I have read all his works and enjoyed them thoroughly. This Bio of him, as with all the others on A&E, is wonderful. He is the best playwrite of the 17th century.
Rating: 5 / 5
September 16th, 2009 at 6:27 am
Lots of stuff about Shakespeare out there, but this contains so much information in a condensed and entertaining format. HIgh school and college level students really respond positively. Ther are discussion questions that go along with it at the A&E bio website.
Rating: 5 / 5
September 16th, 2009 at 8:37 am
I regularly teach my college’s Introduction to Shakespeare class, and have found this to be a very good overview of the Bard’s life and times. Micheal Wood’s film on Shakespeare is also excellent, but that one is much too long to show in class. This A&E Bio, however, is the perfect length; coming in at about 50 minutes, it’s ideal for showing towards the start of the semester. It includes good visuals and images, and includes short clips from several well-respected Shakespeare scholars.
I would also like to address the issue of Shakespeare’s sexuality and his relationship with the Earl of Southampton, since several reviewers mention this in a dismissive way. I think that not introducing this aspect of Shakespeare’s life to our students does them a great disservice. Literary scholars like Stephen Greenblatt (of Harvard University) and Stephen Orgel (of Stanford University) have done much research into the sexual norms of Shakespeare’s life and period, and most gender and Renaissance studies scholars concur that Shakespeare was most likely bisexual, and that sexuality was understood differently during the Renaissance — as more of a continuum. When we study sonnets like Sonnet 20 (”A woman’s face with Nature’s own hand painted / Hast thou, the master-mistress of my passion”), I think that there is ample enough evidence that Shakespeare had a relationship with another male. To dismiss this or not address it in class reflects ignorance of the current state of literary scholarship, as well as homophobia.
Rating: 5 / 5
September 16th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Since this version of the Shakespeare A&E bio was “stolen” from our high school English department and I depend heavily on it for certain lesson plans, I bought it myself. It arrived at a nominal fee in pristine condition and I already used it for summer school classes. I am always happy with my Amazon purchases. No disappointments yet. Thanks for helping to keep my teaching and personal life organized. DeLana Beagle
Rating: 5 / 5