William Shakespeare (Older America)

William Shakespeare (April 26th, 1564 - April 23rd, 1635) was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet, and the "Bard of Avon". His extant works, including collaborations, consist of approximately 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

Sonnets

 * 1) From fairest creatures we desire increase
 * 2) When forty winters shall besiege thy brow
 * 3) Look in thy glass, and tell the face thou viewest
 * 4) Unthrifty loveliness, why dost thou spend
 * 5) Those hours, that with gentle work did frame
 * 6) Then let not winter's ragged hand deface
 * 7) Lo! in the orient when the gracious light
 * 8) Music to hear, why hear'st thou music sadly?
 * 9) Is it for fear to wet a widow's eye
 * 10) For shame! deny that thou bear'st love to any
 * 11) As fast as thou shalt wane, so fast thou grow'st
 * 12) When I do count the clock that tells the time

Comedies

 * 1) All's Well That Ends Well
 * 2) Comedy of Errors
 * 3) Love's Labour's Lost
 * 4) Measure for Measure
 * 5) Merchant of Venice
 * 6) Midsummer Night's Dream
 * 7) Much Ado about Nothing
 * 8) Tempest
 * 9) Winter's Tale

Histories

 * 1) Henry IV
 * 2) Henry V
 * 3) Henry VI
 * 4) Henry VIII
 * 5) Richard III

Tragedies

 * 1) Antony and Cleopatra
 * 2) Hamlet
 * 3) Julius Caesar
 * 4) Romeo & Juliet
 * 5) MacBeth
 * 6) Timon of Athens

Hits

 * 1) A Christmas Carol
 * 2) Star Wars

Rumors
In a few parts of Shakespeare's career, some rumors caught people's ears as to how he came up with the inspiration for some of his plays. The two most rumored ones of mysterious origins were A Christmas Carol and Star Wars.

A Christmas Carol
During Shakespeare's time, Christmas was both religious and raucous. Some people went into church on December 25th to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, while others partied and sang in the streets all drunk and rowdy. During this time, Shakespeare figured there could be other purposes for the Christmas holiday, but he'd have to do it fast. Religious reformers led by Oliver Cromwell were losing tolerance for the rowdy Christmas and threatened it. The rumors claimed that Shakespeare wrote A Christmas Carol to help convert the religious reformers to see other purposes for the holiday, along with the rest of the population. The story became exceedingly popular and it helped to show how Christmas can be centered around celebrating the family as well as Jesus, and how it can help everyone pay attention to the less fortunate.

Star Wars
No one in Shakespeare's time ever really thought about travelling through space, aliens and robots, or high-tech weapons that Star Wars had. No one truly knows what inspired Shakespeare to create such as story. But one rumor is that some kind of projectile fell from the heavens, containing something. When Shakespeare found this projectile, it was said he found the 'historical records from another galaxy', though its been denounced as unbelievable, it's said that Shakespeare made Star Wars based off of actually events that happened in another part of outer space.