| | Shakespeare was a [[conservative]] then, and even more so by today's standards. His play ''[[The Taming of the Shrew]]'' is anti-[[feminist]] and censored from some schools today for that reason. Major conservative themes in his works include the sacred nature of the family in [[King Lear]], the recognition of God in his plays and personal life, the existence of necessary war in ''[[The Famous Life of King Henry V]]'', and the exposed injustice of taxation in [[Coriolanus]]. Not surprisingly, modern [[liberal]] literary critics often ignore these themes because of their place on the modern political spectrum. Shakespeare's hilarious jokes were often at the expense of the [[liberal]] base, such as his following quip by Dick the Butcher in Shakespeare's ''Henry VI'': "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."<ref>Part II, act IV, Scene II, Line 73.</ref> Shakespeare was [[politically incorrect]]. | | Shakespeare was a [[conservative]] then, and even more so by today's standards. His play ''[[The Taming of the Shrew]]'' is anti-[[feminist]] and censored from some schools today for that reason. Major conservative themes in his works include the sacred nature of the family in [[King Lear]], the recognition of God in his plays and personal life, the existence of necessary war in ''[[The Famous Life of King Henry V]]'', and the exposed injustice of taxation in [[Coriolanus]]. Not surprisingly, modern [[liberal]] literary critics often ignore these themes because of their place on the modern political spectrum. Shakespeare's hilarious jokes were often at the expense of the [[liberal]] base, such as his following quip by Dick the Butcher in Shakespeare's ''Henry VI'': "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."<ref>Part II, act IV, Scene II, Line 73.</ref> Shakespeare was [[politically incorrect]]. |
| − | The "First Folio," which is the first edition of 36 plays of Shakespeare from more than 400 years ago, of which about 220 survived (only about 20 of which are in private ownership) from the printing of 750 copies, sold at an auction in July 2022 for about $2.5 million.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/jul/22/shakespeare-first-folio-sells-for-2m-at-auction</ref> The only portrait purportedly of him while alive went on sale for more than $11 million in [[London]] in 2022, amid doubts about its authenticity.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/nov/16/shakespeare-portrait-said-to-be-only-one-made-in-his-lifetime-on-sale-for-10m</ref> | + | The "First Folio," which is the first edition of 36 plays of Shakespeare from more than 400 years ago, of which about 220 survived (only about 20 of which are in private ownership) from the printing of 750 copies, sold at an auction in July 2022 for about $2.5 million.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/jul/22/shakespeare-first-folio-sells-for-2m-at-auction</ref> The only portrait purportedly of him while alive went on sale for more than $11 million in [[London]] in 2022, amid doubts about its authenticity.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/nov/16/shakespeare-portrait-said-to-be-only-one-made-in-his-lifetime-on-sale-for-10m</ref> A revered icon of traditional [[British]] culture, Shakespeare receives 20 full pages of detailed explanation and commentary in the entry about him in the ''[[Encyclopedia Britannica]]'' - far more than nearly any other historical figure. |
| | Shakespeare wrote 17 comedies, 10 tragedies, 10 historical plays, 154 love [[sonnet]]s, and several other works of non-dramatic poetry. All his plays are freely available on the internet.<ref>[http://www-tech.mit.edu/Shakespeare/ Shakespeare]</ref> Shakespeare developed first as a poet and then, when his acting career was ended by the [[Plague]] temporarily closing theaters in [[London]], he turned to writing plays.<ref>https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/william-shakespeare</ref> | | Shakespeare wrote 17 comedies, 10 tragedies, 10 historical plays, 154 love [[sonnet]]s, and several other works of non-dramatic poetry. All his plays are freely available on the internet.<ref>[http://www-tech.mit.edu/Shakespeare/ Shakespeare]</ref> Shakespeare developed first as a poet and then, when his acting career was ended by the [[Plague]] temporarily closing theaters in [[London]], he turned to writing plays.<ref>https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/william-shakespeare</ref> |