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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> 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 is considered [[Britain]]'s greatest author, and is credited with coining more than 1,500 words and expressions still used today.<ref>https://www.discoverwalks.com/blog/london/top-10-most-popular-british-writers/</ref> Familiar expressions used today that were first coined by Shakespeare include "elbow-room"<ref>King John, Act 5, Scene 7 [https://nosweatshakespeare.com/quotes/famous/elbow-room/#:~:text='Elbow%20room'%20is%20a%20phrase,and%20function%20in%20some%20enterprise]</ref> and "catching a cold."<ref>"Once Shakespeare came up with this phrase, he used it in everything from Troilus and Cressida to King Lear to Cymbeline." [https://www.shmoop.com/shakespeare-quotes/catch-a-cold/meaning-then.html#:~:text=Shakespeare%20introduced%20this%20idea%20of,to%20King%20Lear%20to%20Cymbeline.]</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 is considered [[Britain]]'s greatest author, and is credited with coining more than 1,500 words and expressions still used today.<ref>https://www.discoverwalks.com/blog/london/top-10-most-popular-british-writers/</ref> Familiar expressions used today that were first coined by Shakespeare include "elbow-room"<ref>[https://nosweatshakespeare.com/quotes/famous/elbow-room/#:~:text='Elbow%20room'%20is%20a%20phrase,and%20function%20in%20some%20enterprise King John, Act 5, Scene 7]</ref> and "catching a cold."<ref>"Once Shakespeare came up with this phrase, he used it in everything from Troilus and Cressida to King Lear to Cymbeline." [https://www.shmoop.com/shakespeare-quotes/catch-a-cold/meaning-then.html#:~:text=Shakespeare%20introduced%20this%20idea%20of,to%20King%20Lear%20to%20Cymbeline.]</ref>

== Works ==

== Works ==

Shakespeare wrote 17 comedies, 10 tragedies, 10 historical plays, 154 love [[sonnet]]s, and several other works of non-dramatic poetry.<ref>[https://www.bardweb.net/plays/timeline.html Chronology of Shakespeare's plays].</ref> 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.<ref>[https://www.bardweb.net/plays/timeline.html Chronology of Shakespeare's plays].</ref> 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 did not become famous until late in his life and few details are known about his early life. Although no attendance records remain, it is believed that he attended Stratford-Upon-Avon Grammar School, where he would have received a sound education in the Latin and Greek classics, reflected in many of his plays. The social class from which he came could be described as wealthy tradesmen. His father, John Shakespeare, was a glove-maker who became mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon despite almost certainly being a Roman Catholic (in the early part of the reign of Elizabeth I, penalties against Catholics were light and often not imposed). His mother, Mary Arden, the daughter of a farmer, was certainly Catholic. William Shakespeare himself knew many of the Warwickshire Catholic gentry who later led the Gunpowder Plot to overthrow King James VI. Shakespeare himself did not adhere publicly to the Roman religion and it is not known if, like many Catholics, he practiced it in private.<ref>''In Search of Shakespeare'', by Michael Wood. BBC Books, 2003.</ref> There are few pictures of him but his near-contemporary as a playwright, Ben Jonson, stated that the famous engraving by Martin Droeshout, shown on this page, was a good likeness.

Shakespeare did not become famous until late in his life and few details are known about his early life. Although no attendance records remain, it is believed that he attended Stratford-Upon-Avon Grammar School, where he would have received a sound education in the Latin and Greek classics, reflected in many of his plays. The social class from which he came could be described as wealthy tradesmen. His father, John Shakespeare, was a glove-maker who became mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon despite almost certainly being a Roman Catholic (in the early part of the reign of Elizabeth I, penalties against Catholics were light and often not imposed). His mother, Mary Arden, the daughter of a farmer, was certainly Catholic. William Shakespeare himself knew many of the Warwickshire Catholic gentry who later led the Gunpowder Plot to overthrow King James VI. Shakespeare himself did not adhere publicly to the Roman religion and it is not known if, like many Catholics, he practiced it in private.<ref>''In Search of Shakespeare'', by Michael Wood. BBC Books, 2003.</ref> There are few pictures of him but his near-contemporary as a playwright, Ben Jonson, stated that the famous engraving by Martin Droeshout, shown on this page, was a good likeness.

To his contemporaries, Shakespeare was not well-educated, and his coming among them and making a success was upsetting to the University-educated playwrights of the time.  It is believed that the poet, Philip Green, was referring to Shakespeare when he wrote

To his contemporaries, Shakespeare was not well-educated, and his coming among them and making a success was upsetting to the university-educated playwrights of the time.  It is believed that the poet, Philip Green, was referring to Shakespeare when he wrote

{{cquote|There is an upstart crow beautified with our feathers

{{cquote|There is an upstart crow beautified with our feathers

that, with his '''tiger's heart wrapped in a player's hide'','

that, with his '''tiger's heart wrapped in a player's hide'','

*"politics makes for strange bedfellows" - adapted from ''[[The Tempest]]'' (“Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows")<ref>Charles Dudley Warner, a 19th-century writer and friend of [[Mark Twain]], is credited with the adaptation of the quote to its modern political sense. [https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/charles_dudley_warner_379741]</ref>

*"politics makes for strange bedfellows" - adapted from ''[[The Tempest]]'' (“Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows")<ref>Charles Dudley Warner, a 19th-century writer and friend of [[Mark Twain]], is credited with the adaptation of the quote to its modern political sense. [https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/charles_dudley_warner_379741]</ref>

*"[[Gilded Age]]" - adapted from ''[[King John]]'' (1595) (“To gild refined gold, to paint the lily ... is wasteful and ridiculous excess.”)

*"[[Gilded Age]]" - adapted from ''[[King John]]'' (1595) (“To gild refined gold, to paint the lily ... is wasteful and ridiculous excess.”)

*“What the dickens?” - Shakespeare’s ''[[The Merry Wives of Windsor]]''.  

*“What the dickens?” - Shakespeare's ''[[The Merry Wives of Windsor]]''.  

Many of the storylines for Shakespeare's works were based on prior works.  But three of Shakespeare's plays were completely original in their plots: ''Love's Labour's Lost'', ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', and ''The Tempest''.

Many of the storylines for Shakespeare's works were based on prior works.  But three of Shakespeare's plays were completely original in their plots: ''Love's Labour's Lost'', ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', and ''The Tempest''.

*"Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed, that he has grown so great!"<ref>Julius Caesar, Act I, Scene 2</ref>

*"Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed, that he has grown so great!"<ref>Julius Caesar, Act I, Scene 2</ref>

*"Heart of gold"<ref>Henry V (1599)</ref>

*"Heart of gold"<ref>Henry V (1599)</ref>

*Motley Fool (not a direct quote, but a concept used repeatedly by a character)<ref>Jacques in ''As You Like It'' [https://journeys.dartmouth.edu/exploratoryshakespeare/2015/07/28/the-motley-fool/]</ref>

*Motley Fool (not a direct quote, but a concept used repeatedly by a character)<ref>[https://journeys.dartmouth.edu/exploratoryshakespeare/2015/07/28/the-motley-fool/ Jacques in ''As You Like It'']</ref>

*"Necessity's sharp pinch"

*"Necessity's sharp pinch"

Shakespeare wrote 154 love sonnets between the 1590s and perhaps 1605, and early versions of his sonnets 128 and 144 were published in 1599 as part of poetry entitled ''The Passionate Pilgrim''.  His Love Sonnet 18 is his most famous.

Shakespeare wrote 154 love sonnets between the 1590s and perhaps 1605, and early versions of his sonnets 128 and 144 were published in 1599 as part of poetry entitled ''The Passionate Pilgrim''.  His Love Sonnet 18 is his most famous.

Because some of these love sonnets are about male beauty, critics have suggested that Shakespeare was gay or bisexual.  But Stanley Wells writes, in ''Looking for Sex in Shakespeare'', that more recent, liberal commentators have possibly allowed their ideology to influence their understanding.<ref> Cambridge University Press, 2008, pp.8–9.</ref> Love Sonnet 20 appears to condemn [[homosexuality]] by asking whether the narrator, presumably a man, has fallen in love with someone who was originally a woman turned into a man by nature, which implies that [[homosexuality]] is an aberrant form of [[sexuality]].

Because some of these love sonnets are about male beauty, critics have suggested that Shakespeare was gay or bisexual.  But Stanley Wells writes, in ''Looking for Sex in Shakespeare'', that more recent, liberal commentators have possibly allowed their ideology to influence their understanding.<ref>Cambridge University Press, 2008, pp.8–9.</ref> Love Sonnet 20 appears to condemn [[homosexuality]] by asking whether the narrator, presumably a man, has fallen in love with someone who was originally a woman turned into a man by nature, which implies that [[homosexuality]] is an aberrant form of [[sexuality]].

Many of Shakespeare's sonnets are tributes to male beauty, but the narrator could have been a woman, or the love sonnets could be fantasies about a woman in love with Shakespeare.  Many refer to a "Fair Lord" or "Fair Youth," who scholars assume is the same person as "Mr W.H.", to whom the sonnets are dedicated. That there are very few exclusive female pronouns in these sonnets has led liberal critics to believe that Shakespeare was gay.

Many of Shakespeare's sonnets are tributes to male beauty, but the narrator could have been a woman, or the love sonnets could be fantasies about a woman in love with Shakespeare.  Many refer to a "Fair Lord" or "Fair Youth," who scholars assume is the same person as "Mr W.H.", to whom the sonnets are dedicated. That there are very few exclusive female pronouns in these sonnets has led liberal critics to believe that Shakespeare was gay.

== Cancel culture ==

== Cancel culture ==

Shakespeare is a target of [[woke|wokeism]], or [[cancel culture]], and has been falsely (but increasingly) accused of white supremacy.<ref> https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dont-cancel-shakespeare/2021/02/16/7b12bebe-70a1-11eb-b8a9-b9467510f0fe_story.html</ref>

Shakespeare is a target of [[woke]]ism, or [[cancel culture]], and has been falsely (but increasingly) accused of white supremacy.<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dont-cancel-shakespeare/2021/02/16/7b12bebe-70a1-11eb-b8a9-b9467510f0fe_story.html</ref>

== See also ==

== See also ==

*[[Infinity]]

*[[Infinity]]