About the author - Shakespeare initial research

Considering the longevity of this brief I felt that I may become easily exhausted with Shakespeare's work - having studied many of his plays, such as 'Much ado about nothing' and 'the tempest', throughout my school career. But now I think there are many components that could be really interesting to research further and visualise. 

REINVENTION - the universal and timeless themes as well as his evaluation of the human condition throughout his writing makes his plots easy to reinvent within different historical and contemporary settings. 

e.g. 'Ten things I hate about you' is a film reinventing Shakespeare play 'The taming shrew' into the modern setting of a life an american teenager -- turning it into a contemporary romcom. 

HISTORICAL INFLUENCES - Something I think is really interesting about Shakespeare's work is how the political and religious events during his lifetime influenced the plots and portrayal of certain characters within work. 

e.g. Richard III (in the play Richard III) is portrayed to be so villainous because Shakespeare wrote the play during the rule of Queen Elizabeth I - who as descendent of Henry VII, who overthrow Richard III, wanted him to be believed as a monster and illegitimate ruler of England. 

CONSPIRACY THEORIES - Due to the lack of biographical information on Shakespeare's personal life and his modest education there have been theories that his plays were written by another person. (But the theories are not taken seriously by many academics)