Questions about shakespeare and his life. please help!

Hey, we're doing a project for school and we have answer some questions. and we're having some trouble finding some of the answers.

if you could please help us that would be much appreciated.

1. What was shakespeare preoccupied with durring his mid-life?

2. This preoccupation led him to write which play?

3. What were the last words shakespeare wrote?

4. With what did SHakespeare have a serious fascination?

5. Why was the teatrical group called the King's Men?

6. Who criticized Shakespeare's lack of university educations

7. Why did shakespare call his theater a wooden O?

8. WHat did shakespeare use to suggest theatrical scenery?

thank you sooo much if you can answer any of these questions!

-Celloman10687-

i don't know the answers to all you questions but i'll take a crack at few of them. First of all Shakespeare didn't call his theatre a "Wooden O" it was a line in Henry V, i think. and it was a wooden O because it was a damn near (it was really more of a oval) circular theatre build out of wood. and to suggest theatrical scenery he would write a line for one of the character to describe where they were, something like, " so here we are in the mysterious...." it was cheaper that way. as to criticism about his lack of education, the only thing i can think of is someone calling him an "upstart crow", a fellow playwrite. but otherwise the real criticism regarding his life came after his death

hope that this helps---good luck

I am quite sorry to tell you that the majority of Shakepeare's life remains a mytery today, but I can tell you that it was playwrite Robert Greene that criticized Shakespeare due to lack of education. Something about an Upstart Crow. Also, Shakespeare's theatre (which has been rebuilt) as well as all other theatres of the Elizbethean era were round or octogonal (to better project sound) which is why it is refered to as the "wooden O" in Henry V. As for the other questions I'm stumped. As I said before, much of Shakespeare's life is still unknown.

I'll take a stab at a couple of them...Let's see...

From what I understand, Shakespeare's early plays indicate a preoccupation with tragedy, often quite gruesome tragedies like Titus Andronicus. But as he went through life, he seems to have become more interested in forgiveness--which lead to the Romance plays such as The Winter's Tale, and The Tempest, and a couple of others. But only near the very end. If you look at a chronology of his plays, I think you would be able to deduce what his interests were at the time. Here's a link: http://www.shakespeare-online.com/keydates/playchron.asp
I think it'll help.

As for last words he wrote, who knows? As for his plays,
it was The Two Noble Kinsmen--but if you're a purist it was Henry VIII. The Two Noble Kinsman was a collaboration, but I forget with who.

And the King's Men--Shakespeare's players used to be the Lord Chamberlain's Men, but as they grew more popular and respected, they got promoted, as it were, to the King's Men. The king in this case was James I (r. 1603-1625).

Hope this helps. :)

John Fletcher was the collaborator.

Okay, I have new information. Sorry about any problems this might cause.

The last play we hear of Shakespeare writing is Cardenio. It's another collaboration with Fletcher. This play has since been lost, but scholars know that it was performed in 1613, three years before Shakespeare died.

Thank you for replying to my post. Your answers were very helpful. i hope that anyone else that needs answers to these questions will be able to find them here. thx again everyone!

-Celloman10687-

Look to Edward de Vere the Earl of Oxford for answers

Oh, here we go with the "Shakespeare didn't write Shakespeare" stuff.

Have you read the evidence? I am not saying he did or he did not write 'the material". Shakespeare is Shakespeare, but it very well could be that he is Shakespeare in the very SAME way that Mark Twain IS Mark Twain. I never believed in the possibility until I watched a PBS special about 15 years ago. Since then I have looked at every piece of information I can find,and the evidence always leaves a window of POSSIBILITY.
I might add that I have been teaching Shakespeare for 19 years now. I love Shakespeare.

*grins at Celloman* Lol... asking us is soooo much easier than doing our homework ourselves... Lol... as if I am not guilty of this too....

Wayaatli... there may be a possibility... but I view it as kind of a long shot...

Well, that's all I'm saying.There is a possibility, and I'm not sure what difference it makes to anybody except to family members. If it was de Vere, it is not going to change any of the works or my study of any of the works. de Vere is the only person other than the traditional Shakespeare that comes close to having a claim.
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