answersLogoWhite

0

Edmund Spenser had a pretty big influence. So did the King James Bible. He knew plenty of Latin, and the Latin tragedies/comedies had an influence as well. Greek mythology was important.

It's thought possible he was a secret Catholic, at a time Catholicism was illegal, and some believe this shows in much of his work, as does his familiarity with Dante, Homer, Sophocles, Augustine of Hippo, and Boethius.

His English contemporaries (particularly Ben Johnson) were important as competition.

Shakespeare's main influence, though, appears to have been his constant study and acute observation of human nature.

User Avatar

Wiki User

15y ago

What else can I help you with?