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Background
William Shakespeare and William Wordsworth have fundamental similarities and difference in
as far as their backgrounds are concerned. Shakespeare was a famous poet, playwright, and actor,
whose works have been performed in several metropolises, hamlets, and cities. He was born on
April 1564 in Stratford (Stratford -upon-Avon), England. Similarly, William Wordworth was a
notable English poet who played an instrument role in the founding of the Romantic movement
as far as English Literature is concerned. He was born in England like Shakespeare, though he
was not born in Strafford. Instead, he was born in Cockermouth, Cumberland. Consequently,
Shakespeare and Wordsworth shared the same nationality, although they hailed from different
towns.
While Shakespeare did not live long like Wordsworth did, in his short life, he accomplished a
lot. His achievements include 154 sonnets, two narratives, and 38 plays. He also coined over
1700 words. For instance, the word addiction was first used in Othello; Academe was used in
Love’s Laboor’s Lost, Bedroom was used in A Midnight’s Summer Night’s Dream and Fitful
and Dauntless in Macbeth. Some of the phases he coined to include all that glitters are not gold,
live long day, Brave new world and in a pickle Shakespeare did not receive awards during his
time like today’s writer do, however, it is worth noting that his theatrical company were named
“The Lord Chamberlain’s Men” and later “The Kings Men” which were vital titles during his
time.
Like Shakespeare, Wordsworth had numerous accolades and achievements in his long
life. However, unlike Shakespeare, who did not focus on only one form of literary form,
Wordsworth focused more on poems. In his liffe, he wrote about 387 poems, not including the
poems he penned when he was young or before the first publication in 1787. Another critical
achievement of Wordsworth was his notable contribution alongside Samuel Coleridge in the
launching of the Romantic Age in the field of English Literature. The University of Durham and
University of Oxford awarded him with honorary degrees in Civil Law in 1838 and 1839
respectively. The government also awarded him a £300 per year Civil List Pension. After the
demise of Robert Southey, he became Poet Laureate in 1842, though he did not write poems
Public perception
The public perception of both Shakespeare and Wordsworth have differed from positive to
negative. On the one hand, Shakespeare has mostly been viewed more positively than
Wordsworth. After more than four centuries, people still perform, read, and study Shakespeare’s
plays and poetry. Today people of all walks of life throng Shakespeare’s plays in cinemas, parks,
and theatres. On the other hand, Wordsworth has received positive and negative reviews from the
public. For instance, critics such as Francis Jeffrey found him arrogant, silly, and irresponsible.
He also found the moral of his work obscure. Those who praised his work, such as William