1. Amber Wallace October 4, 2011 4 th Period William Shakespeare

2. Poet’s Life & Times “The Renaissance was marked by invention and exploration; renewed interest in art, theatre and in the potential of humankind” (Foster and Johnson 15).

3. Poet’s Life & Times “Outbreaks of a terrible disease called the plague were common in Elizabethan London. Nobody knew how the plague spread, but when there was an outbreak it seemed wise to avoid crowded places like playhouses. There was no demand for Shakespeare to write new plays, so he turned to poetry”(Chrisp2 28).

4. Poet’s Background “In the 1580s, Shakespeare said goodbye to his family in Stratford and set off to seek his fortune in London. As a newcomer, Shakespeare would have been struck by the noise, the dirt, and the smells of the city. He would have also been struck by London’s wealthy merchants and nobles” (Chrisp 18).

5. Poet’s Background “William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway at the age of eighteen. She was three months pregnant at the time and was eight years his senior. They later had twins, Judith and Hamnet” (“Shakespeare Biography”).

6. Selection from a Poem From Sonnet 18 “Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date:” (“Famous Sonnets”).