Getting Schooled on Shakespeare

Last week I started my Shakespeare I class at Rutgers University. Everyone at one point or another had to read at least some of his plays in school. What is amazing is how little is known about his life. Many writers leave behind personal papers like diaries or letters that tell you a little more about the person than what can be gleemed from their works. Sometimes, their peers will have mentioned something about them either favorably or not. Still, more silence. A lot of speculation is out there about who Shakespeare was and what inspired him. The pagentry of royal life and spectacle of religious passion plays are the main factors. What is known is he was famous in his own time which blasts the notion of the starving artist not getting recognized until long after he is dead. Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime after all. Plus he was a very smart business man often taking stock in his own theater companies.

The first play I am reading is Titus Andronicus. A friend of mine warned me that this would be his most gruesome play. It is sometimes wondered if he even wrote it since it's so different from any of his other plays including the tragedies. In the near future I'll give you a more detailed account of the play.

UPDATE: Congrats to Millinerd, He just had an article published. You can read it here.