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SUMMARY: Thomas A. Edison (1847 – 1931) American inventor.
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Thomas Edison was an American inventor and businessman who made many contributions to the world. He is most widely known for his invention of the light bulb, but was also the inventor of the phonograph. He has been called “The Wizard of Menlo Park” and was one of the first inventors to of mass production to the process of invention. He holds 1093 U.S. patents in his name, as well as many other patents in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.

Thomas Edison was born in Milan, Ohio and raised in Michigan. He was the last child born in his family of seven. Edison was not unlike any other child in school; his mind often wandered to other places . His mother took him out of school and began homeschooling him. When Edison was young he had a bout of scarlet fever and recurring untreated middle ear infections. This is believed to be the cause of his deafness, although Edison attributed his hearing loss due to being struck on the ears by a train conductor when his chemical lab caught fire in a boxcar.

When the Edison family moved to Michigan, Thomas worked at many different jobs. He sold candy, newspapers, and vegetables. This would be the beginning of his entrepreneurial adventures as he began to discover his talent for business. His new found talent would eventually lead him to be the founder of General Electric, which is still a publicly-traded company today. After saving three-year old Jimmie MacKenzie from being struck by a train, Edison was hired to work for Jimmie’s father as a telegraph operator. In 1866, Edison moved to Louisville, Kentucky where he was employed by Western Union and worked the Associated Press bureau.

On December 25, 1871, Thomas Edison, at the age of 24, married 16-year old Mary Stilwell. They had three children together: Marion Estelle Edison, Thomas Alva Edison Jr., and William Leslie Edison. On August 9, 1884, Mary Stilwell Edison passed away, and on February 24, 1886, Edison married Mina Miller in Akron, Ohio. Together they also had three children: Madeleine Edison, Charles Edison, and Theodore Miller Edison.

Although Edison is most prominently known for the invention of the light bulb, the following are some of the things that Edison has been credited with inventing:

• Carbon telephone transmitter- In 1877-1878 Thomas Edison invented and developed the carbon microphone which was used in all telephones (along with the Bell receiver) until the 1980’s. The carbon microphone was also used in broadcasting and public address work through the 1920’s.
• Electric Light- The first successful test with platinum and others metals was on October 22, 1879 and lasted 13.5 hours. Edison improved his design and by November 4, 1879 filed for a patent for an electric lamp.
• In 1880 Thomas Edison patented an electric distribution system. On December 17 of that same year he founded the Edison Electric Illuminating Company. The company established the first “investor-owned” electric utility in 1882. In September of 1882 Edison switched on the generator and provided 59 customers electricity to lower Manhattan.
• In 1883 the first standardized incandescent electric lighting system using overhead wires began working in New Jersey.
• Edison is also credited with designing and producing the first fluoroscope. What’ that you ask? A fluoroscope is a machine that took radiographs (also known as x-rays). Wilhelm Rotgen was the original inventor, but Edison made the images much brighter by using calcium Tung state fluoroscopy screens, as opposed to the original platinocyanide screens. It is still used today although Edison abandoned his project after almost losing his eyesight and seriously injuring his assistant (who later died from poisonous exposure to radiation).
• The Key to Edison’s success and fortunes was telegraphy. With his prior knowledge of working as a telegraph operator, he learned the basics of electricity, which ultimately gave him his first early fortune. In 1878 he patented the sound recording and reproducing phonograph. He was also given a patent for the motion picture camera.

Thomas Edison was an active businessman up until the day he died. He died on October 18, 1931 ,in Llewellyn Park in West Orange, New Jersey. His second wife Mina, died in 1947.

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SUMMARY: W. B. Yeats (13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939) Irish poet and dramatist.
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William Butler Yeats was a Nobel Prize winning Irish dramatist, author and poet who was best known for writing “The Celtic Twilight”. Yeats’ works focus heavily on Irish mythology and history. He never was able to fully embrace his Protestant past nor did he join the majority of Ireland’s Roman Catholics. He also devoted much of his life to study in a myriad of other subjects including theosophy, mysticism, spiritualism, and the Kabbalah.

William Butler Yeats was born on June 13, 1865 in the seaside village of Sandymount in County Dublin, Ireland. His mother, Susan Mary Pollexfen was the daughter of a wealthy family from County Sligo. William’s father John Butler Yeats was studying to become a lawyer at the time of his marriage but soon gave that up to follow his dreams of becoming an artist, of which he became a well known portrait painter.

At a young age William was already reading Dante Alighieri, William Shakespeare, John Donne and the works of William Blake and Percy Bysshe Shelley. These books were recommended by his father and inspiration for his own creativity, but fellow Irish poets Standish James O’Grady and Sir William Ferguson were perhaps the most influential. Yeats became a devoted patriot and found his voice to speak out against the harsh Nationalist policies of the time. His early dramatic works convey his deep respect for the Irish legend and fascination with the occult, while his later works take on a more poetical and experimental aspect. Yeats spent most of his life between Sligo, Dublin, and London, but his profound influence to future poets and playwrights and theatre, music and film can be seen the world over.

Yeat’s mother Susan was the first to introduce him and his two sisters Susan Mary and Elizabeth Corbet to the Irish folktales he would grow to love so much. His younger brother Jack Butler Yeats would follow in his father’s footsteps and also become an accomplished artist. When William was just two years old his father decided to move the family to London, England to study art. There William attended the Godolphin School in Hammersmith to begin his education before the family moved back to Dublin. Once back in Dublin William attended Erasmus Smith High School and spent much of his time at his father’s nearby art studio. Pursuing his own interests in the arts, in 1884 he decided to enroll in the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin for two years, during which some of his first poems were printed in the Dublin University Review.

The Yeats were now living in London in Bedford Park and their home was the lively gathering place for their many writer and artist friends to discuss politics, religion, literature, and art. It was at this time that he also met many of the other up-and-coming authors and poets of his generation.

In 1903, as a successful poet and playwright now, Yeats went on his first lecture tour of the United States, and would repeat the tour again in 1914, 1920, and 1932. Yeats and his sisters joined forces and started the Cuala Press in 1904, which would print continuously until it closed in 1946.
In 1911 at the age of forty-six, Yeats met Georgie Hyde Lees and they married on October 20, 1917. They had two children; Anne, born in 1919 and for whom he wrote the well known poem “A Prayer for My Daughter” and a son Michael was born on August 22, 1921, for whom Yeats wrote “A Prayer for My Son”.

William Butler Yeats died, on January 28, 1939, in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France he was seventy-three years old. . He was first buried there then as were his wishes, in then 1948 re-interred in Drumcliff churchyard, County Sligo, Ireland.

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SUMMARY: Socrates (470 BCE–399 BCE) a Classical Greek philosopher.
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Socrates, a classical Greek philosopher is best known for the creation of two things; Socratic irony, and the Socratic Method (also known as elenchus). From a teacher student point of view, Socrates is more specifically known for his philosophical type of pedagogy; the teacher asks the student questions to elicit the best possible answer and any other knowledgeable insights. We, in the Western society have associated him with two other famous men, Plato and Aristotle of whom all three have influenced our philosophical views.

The Life of Socrates
Most of what is known about Socrates has been taken from different sources:
1. Dialogues of Plato and Xenophon (both students of Socrates)
2. The Plays of Aristophanes.
Socrates father was Sophroniscus and his mother was Phaenarete; she being a midwife and his father’s occupation unknown. According to Plato Socrates was an unattractive man being very short in stature. Even with this, he married a woman by the name of Xanthippe who was much younger than himself. They had three sons together, Lamprocles, Sophroniscus, and Menexenus. Many of Plato’s dialogues refer to Socrates as a military service man. It is said that he served in the Athenian army under three different parties; Potidaea, Amphipolis, and Delium.

Aristophanes’ plays also have given slight insight to who this man Socrates might have been. Although this portrayal should not be taken at face value, many have done such and have agreed that this is how many people saw Socrates. In Aristophanes’ play “The Clouds”, Socrates is a clown who teaches his students how to bamboozle their way out of debt. Most of Aristophanes’ works were parodies however, so the reality of this portrayal may be somewhat disillusioned.

No one knows quite for sure how, or if Socrates earned a professional living. It is clear that he had many followers and students, but professionally we do not know exactly what he did. According to Timon of Phlius and other sources, Socrates took over his father’s stonemasonry profession. He might have crafted the statues which stood near the Acropolis until the second century AD. There is also evidence that Socrates never pursued any profession at all. In a symposium Socrates once stated that “he devotes himself only to what he regards as the most important art or occupation; discussing philosophy.” Some say he was paid to be a teacher, and others say he denied taking payment for anything.

The Socratic Method
Socrates most important contribution to the Western philosophy was in his dialectic method of inquiry. This we know today as the “Socratic Method.” The Socratic Method was described by Plato in a series of dialogues. In attempt to solving a problem, it would be broken in a series of questions, and the answers would come gradually as you answer the many questions. The “Socratic Method’s” influence is most widely felt in the use of the Scientific Method, where thinking and finding a hypothesis is the first step. The development and practice of the Socratic Method has perhaps given him the honor of becoming the “father of political philosophy” and a major figurehead in Western philosophy. His philosophies are designed so that one is forced to examine their own beliefs and values.

Death
There is much controversy as the whether or not Socrates’ actions were justified at the time of his death. It was no secret that in Socrates’ pursuit of virtue and adherence to truth, he clashed with many of Athenian politics and society. In his efforts to improve Athenien’s sense of Justice, he may have ultimately been the source of his own execution. There is evidence from two of his students Xenophon and Plato, that Socrates had an opportunity to escape his death as followers were able to bribe the prison guards. However, he chose not to for several reasons:
1. He did not want anyone believing he was afraid of death as no philosopher is ever afraid to die.
2. He understood that his philosophies would be no better accepted in another country has he would continue questioning all he met.
3. Having understood that he had agreed to live under the city’s laws, he knew there was great possibility of being accused and judged guilty of crimes. By fleeing, this would have been an act contrary to Socratic principle.
At his trial he was found guilty and sentenced to death by poison. He turned down the pleas of Crito in attempt to escape and drank the poison that took him to his death. Just before he died he said, “Crito, owe a cock to Asclepius. Please don’t forget to pay the debt.” This has been interpreted as meaning that death is the cure, and freedom of the soul from the body. Socrates certainly left his mark upon history then, and history now.

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Sir Francis Bacon (22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) English philosopher and statesman.
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Sir Francis Bacon was an English philosopher known well for his contribution to the scientific revolution. According to John Aubrey though his scientific experiments may have played a role in his death. His most well known and popular works were for scientific inquiry and called the “Baconian method.” His demand for a planned procedure of investigating marked a new turn in the rhetorical and theoretical thinking of science.

Early Life
Francis Bacon was born at York House in Strand London. He was the youngest of five sons to Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal. Francis Bacon’s mother was the second wife of Sir Nicholas and a member of the Reformed Puritan Church.

It is believed that Francis Bacon received an education during his early years at home because his health was in delicate condition. In 1573 he attended Trinity College, Cambridge at the age of 12 and lived there for three years with his brother Anthony. It was here that he first met Queen Elizabeth I. She was very impressed with his intellect and often referred to him as the “young Lord Keeper.” It was also at Trinity College that he came to the conclusion that all science of his day was inaccurate and misleading. Although he admired Aristotle, he disliked his philosophies. In June of 1576 Francis and his brother Anthony went abroad with Sir Amias Paulet, and English ambassador at Paris. But with the sudden death of his father Francis in 1579 Francis felt a great need to return to England. Before Sir Nicholas had died he had planned on purchasing an estate for his youngest son but died before doing so. Francis was left with only a fifth of that money and it was after this that he became “habitually in debt.”

Career Goals
Francis Bacon had three specific goals which were:
1. Discovery of Truth
2. Service to his country
3. Service to the Church
Bacon knew that having a prestigious post would help him reach his goals so he applied for a post at court which would help him devote himself to a life of learning. Much to his disappointment his application was denied and therefore continued working at the Gray’s Inn while studying law until he was finally admitted in 1582. Here are some of his accomplishments in his “Life long career of learning.”
• 1586- he took a prominent role in urging the execution of Mary Queen of Scots.
• 1589 Bacon became acquainted with Robert Devereux (2nd Earl of Essex) and by 1591 he was the acting confidential advisor for him.
• In 1596 Francis Bacon was mad a Queen’s Counsel but missed the appointment of Master of Rolls.
• Friends of his could find no public office for him so Bacon’s financial state continued to be poor and in 1598 he was arrested for debt.
• His relationship with the Queen improved however and he found favor from her.
• Bacon was knighted in 1603 after his “Declaration of the Practices and Treasons, etc. of the Earl of Essex.”
• In 1608 he entered the Clerkship of the Star Chamber.
• As Francis Bacon won the favor of the king, in 1618 he was appointed to the position of Lord Chancellor

Although there were many accomplishments during his lifetime, his career ended in disgrace after falling into considerable debt. The Parliament Committee charged him with corruption under twenty three counts and sentenced him to serve at the Tower of London (to the King’s pleasure). Turns out that he actually was only there for a few days and devoted the rest of his life to study and writing. Some believed that the charges presented against Bacon were false and that he only pleaded guilty to save King James from a political scandal. He died on April 9 1626 at the age of 65.

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SUMMARY: John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917–November 22, 1963), 35th American President, served from 1961 until his assassination in 1963.
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John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States of America. He served as President from 1961 until his well known assassination in 1963. He was a military commander of the USS PT-109 during WWII after which his aspirations turned political. Because of circumstances around his death he was one of the most loved Presidents of the United States and continues to rank highly among public opinion ratings of former U.S. Presidents.

John F. Kennedy was the son of Joseph Patrick Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald. He was born in Brookline, Massachusetts on May 29 1917. Kennedy’s father was a successful businessman who served as an ambassador to Great Britain from 1937 to 1940. Kennedy’s mother also came from a prominent political family. Kennedy’s grandfather on his mother’s side was a prominent Boston political figure who was the city’s mayor and a member of Congress. It seemed that John F. Kennedy had politics in his blood before he was even born. Living in Brookline during the first ten years of his life, he attended a public school called Edward Devotion School. He spent kindergarten through third grade here and then attended Noble and Greenough Lower School, and again moved to Dexter School, a private school for boys. In 1927 his family would move two times, once to a rented 20 room mansion in the Bronx, and again to a 21 room mansion on a six acre estate in Bronxville, New York.

As a young man he did many of the same things other young men did. He was a member of a Scout Troop from 1929 until 1931 and would soon be the first Scout to ever become President. He spent holidays with his family in many different vacation homes but his primary school years were spend at Riverdale Country School, a private school for boys in Riverdale (5th through 7th grade). The next year he was sent to Canterbury School which was 50 miles from his home. He would not stay for long though as he required an appendectomy and was sent home to recuperate. His years of education were spent in boarding schools until he fell ill in 1934 and was hospitalized in Rochester Minnesota for evaluation of Colitis. He graduated from Choate in June 1935 and was written as the “Most likely to become President” in his yearbook.

In 1936 he enrolled at Harvard College. His older brother also attended Harvard College. In 1937 he traveled to France with a friend and then in 1928 he sailed with his father and brother to SS Normandy. In 1939 Kennedy toured Europe, the Soviet Union, the Balkans, and The Middle East to gather information for his senior honors thesis. He was given many opportunities to hear political speeches, and visit many political and historical places and people. Kennedy graduated Cumme Laude from Harvard in 1940 and with the encouragement of his father; his Thesis was published in a book.

John F. Kennedy took a strong interest in foreign policy in 1951 and in 1952 was elected to the Senate. In 1953 he married Jacqueline Bouvier and over the next few years had four children. Two of those children, Caroline and John were the only ones to survive. Kennedy was a strong advocate of social welfare and civil rights legislation in the Senate and sponsored many bills providing Federal financial aid to education and immigration laws. In 1960 Kennedy entered the Presidential race as the representative for the Democratic Party. It was a controversial candidacy because of his Roman Catholic religion. He was the second youngest president in United States History and at his inaugural address on January 20 1961 he challenged the people to this famous statement, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but rather what you can do for your country.” During his presidency he faced many different obstacles. There was the “Bay of Pigs” disaster, and also the Cuban Missile Crisis.

On November 22 1963 President John F. Kennedy along with his party including his wife, Vice President, Governor, and Senator arrived in Dallas Texas. At about 12:30pm the presidential limousine entered Elm Street and soon thereafter shots rang out. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated and died at the hospital. Although his killer claims he was the only one involved with in the shooting, there is much speculation that there was more involved and the plot runs deeper than was originally thought.

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SUMMARY: Jesse Jackson (born October 8, 1941) American civil rights activist and Baptist minister.
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Jesse Jackson was a Baptist minister who is known today for his fight against inequality against the blacks and whites. He was an American civil rights activist and was also a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988. We know and recognize his son Jesse Jackson Jr. as his representative today. Let’s take a closer look at his life.

Birth and Life of Jesse Jackson
• Jackson was born in Greenville South Caroline to Helen Burns.
• His mother was a 16 year old single mother
• His biological father, Louis Robinson was a professional boxer and a prominent figure in the black community. He was also married to another woman when Jesse was born.
• His mother married Charles Henry Jackson when Jesse was two and would later adopt him at the age of 16. Jesse took on the surname of his stepfather.
• Jesse attended Sterling High School which at the time was a segregated high school in Greenville.
• Jackson was an outstanding student and athlete during his high school years and was offered a professional contract with a baseball team which he turned down.
• He was also offered a football scholarship to the University of Illinois where he attended his first racially integrated school.
• On year after attending the University of Illinois he transferred to North Carolina A&T which was located in Greensboro, North Carolina. There are different stories as to why he transferred schools some of which may have had to do with racial discrimination.
• Jackson graduated from A&T and then attended the Chicago Theological Seminary with high hopes of becoming a minister.
• In 1966 when he realized his true focus was on the civil rights movement, he dropped out. He was however ordained in 1968 and received an honorary theological doctorate from Chicago in 1990.

Civil Rights Leader
• In 1965 Jackson participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches which were organized by Martin Luther King Jr. along with some other prominent civil rights leaders. After returning from Selma, Jesse Jackson became fully devoted to Martin Luther King’s efforts.
• Jesse Jackson became a part in establishing the beachhead of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Chicago.
• In 1966 Martin Luther King chose Jackson to be the head of the SCLC’s Operation Breadbasket and promoted him to be the national director in 1967.
• Jackson was also a part of the successfully organized boycott, “selective buying” in which service stations were refusing to provide restroom services for blacks.
• Reverend Jesse Jackson speaks on a radio broadcast from the headquarters of PUSH at its annual convention.
• Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4 1968 and Jesse Jackson was with him in Memphis Tennessee.
• Martin Luther King’s successor was a man named Ralph Abernathy. Jackson and Abernathy did not see eye to eye.
• After a total falling out with Abernathy, Jackson resigned and organized a new group in the home of Dr. T.R.M. Howard.
• In 1984 Jackson organized the Rainbow Coalition which merged with Operation PUSH in 1996. Many members of the SCLC left in protest to follow Jackson. The National Youth Movement was then formed.
• During the 1980’s Jackson’s identity was well known and his influence was felt far beyond the borders of the United States.
• In 1983 Jackson traveled to Syria to secure the release of a captured American pilot, Navy Lt. Robert Goodman. After this event specifically, Ronald Reagan welcomed the efforts of Jackson more openly and invited him to the White House.
• In 1984 Jackson again help negotiate the release of twenty two American prisoners in Cuba.
• In 1997 Jackson traveled to Kenya to meet with President Daniel Arap Moi.
• In 1999 Jackson traveled to Belgrade to negotiate the release of three U.S. POWs and there met with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
• Jackson traveled to other countries such as Belfast, Venezuela, Ireland, and London.
• In 2006 in a poll taken, Jackson was voted the most important black leader.

Jesse Jackson ran for the position of President of the United States in 1984 and then again in 1988. Although he did not receive enough votes to run, he gave hope for many African American people for a changing country. Today he continues to leave his mark upon society.
• He was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest honor bestowed on civilians.
• In 2005 he was enlisted as part of the United Kingdom’s “Operation Black Vote.”
• In 2006 he played a key role in the scandal caused by comedic actor Michael Richards’ racially charged comments.
• In 2007 Jackson was arrested for protesting at a gun store in Riverdale Chicago. The gun store had apparently been selling weapons to local gang members which was contributing to the decay of the community.
He was a very influential leader in today’s society and continues to be so.

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SUMMARY: James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – November 30, 1987) American novelist and civil rights activist.
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James Arthur Baldwin was an American writer, novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and civil rights activist. He his most notably known for his novels on sexual and personal identity and biting essays on civil rights movements in the United States. His first novel, “Go tell it on the mountain” was the one that gave him his first dose of fame. Several of his novels also dealt with homosexual connections and the pressures of being black. This was well before the social and cultural groups could be assumed.

Early Life

James Baldwin was born in 1924 in Harlem, New York City. He was the first of his mother’s nine children but never met his biological father nor did he even know the man’s identity. At the age of three his mother married a man by the name of David Baldwin who became his father figure, but was a harsh and cruel man. James Baldwin grew up in extreme poverty but found his love through literature and read many books as a child. Although his stepfather opposed his literary aspirations, Baldwin found support from his teacher and from the mayor of New York City, Fiorello H. LaGuardia. When Baldwin was 12 he published his first story in the church newspaper. By the time he was 17 he had graduated from high school, left home and had been employed in several ill paid jobs. It was then that he began his literary apprenticeship.

Inspiration

Like many writers, there are people that come in and out of our lives that have great influence on the way in which we write and what we write about. One such man for James Baldwin as Richard Wright. Baldwin called Richard Wright the “greatest black writer in the world for me” and they quickly became good friends. It was during this period that Baldwin wrote a collection of essays entitles “Notes of a Native Son” in reference to Wright’s novel “Native Son.” Their friendship would be short lived, as Baldwin made the assertion that Wright’s “Native Son” novel did not have “credible characters and psychological complexity.” Although Baldwin still greatly admired Wright, and tried to explain his statements, they were never friends again.

Another prominent influent in the life of James Baldwin was an African American painter by the name of Beauford Delaney. Baldwin described Delaney as “the first living proof, for me, that a black man could be an artist.” As this was not a time where any black man would have been considered a white man’s teacher (which is how Baldwin saw him), Delaney became a courageous example of integrity, humility, and passion. He said about Delaney, “An absolute integrity: I saw him shaken many times and lived to see him broken but I never saw him bow.”

His next most prominent influence was a singer, painter, and civil rights activist named Nina Simone. Baldwin, along with Langston Hughes and Lorraine Hansberry was responsible for making her aware of the racial inequalities that existed between blacks and whites. He also left her with literary references to help increase her knowledge on this point.

Later Life

In 1948 James Baldwin left his home town and moved to Europe; his first destination being Paris. During his time in Europe he wrote an essay called “Stranger in the Village.” This essay portrayed many of his feelings of helplessness and strangeness in a new country. When he finally returned to the United States he became actively involved with the Civil Rights Movement. He was among the people who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. to Washington D.C. He was on the faculty of Five Colleges in Massachusetts where he mentored and trained successful playwrights such as Suzan-Lori Parks and Mount Holyoke. He spent his later years in St. Paul de Vence on the Riviera, France and died from stomach cancer on November 30 1987.

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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.

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