Attending Himself to Fame: An Excerpt

This is the introduction paragraph and conclusion paragraph to my 12 paragraph research paper on William Shakespeare. If for whatever reason someone wants to read the whole thing, let me know and I'll e-mail it to you (although I don't think I would want to read it all :P).

Introduction:

“All the world's a stage/ And all the men and women merely players/ They have their exits and their entrances/ And one man in his time plays many parts/ His acts being seven ages,” Jaques proclaimed in Shakespeare’s As You Like It (II. vii. 139-43). Through life’s twists and turns, William Shakespeare collected a mass of experiences: the loss of siblings during childhood and children in adulthood, the sentiment of growing into manhood, and the shift from husband and father to writer and actor, to name a few. Gaining knowledge year after year, Shakespeare climbed the ladder of success, although sometimes he tripped on a step or two. Nonetheless, each fall simply left behind a bruise to remind him not to repeat the mistake, and eventually everything in his life worked out for the greater good. Beginning with his childhood education, Shakespeare apprehended the basic nuggets of knowledge that sustain one through the trials and temptations of life—how to count and to read, to wake yourself up on time, and not to steal classmates’ sweets or draw funny pictures of your teacher while you’re supposed to be taking hefty notes. After his schooling was completed, he married and disciplined his own family in the ways of life and love, bestowing upon them boons of wisdom and personal experience. When the time was ripe, he packed up and headed for London where his talents and abilities flourished as he created dramas and trouped with Lord Chamberlain’s Men. Toiling day after day in heat of the sun, he worked alongside Lord Chamberlain’s men to create his future home—The Globe Theater. Vitality granted him eminence.

Conclusion:

Surely, the prolonged hours of studying when William Shakespeare was a child was the starting point of his later beloved fame. The lessons, the disciplines, and the focus he maintained led to the inestimable outcome of Shakespeare. When his own teachings were perfected, he himself became a husband and a father, conducting his own household. However, one day he decided to journey to London—the focal point of his fame. Wherever acting companies accepted him, he wrote dramas and even played a few minor parts. Continuing this process for some time, he eventually found himself supporting solely Lord Chamberlain’s Men—the acting troupe that, after some time, climaxed his career. Accepting the opportunities that came his way, Shakespeare fought the battles of hunger, aspersion, and disapproval until he ascended the stairs of fortune—and the Globe Theater—where his name forever remains renowned. Even in death, Shakespeare tied his words together with strings of black humor. On his gravestone was scribed:
GOOD FREND FOR JESUS SAKE FORBEARE,
TO DIGG THE DUST ENCLOASED HEARE.
BLESTE BE Ye MAN Yt SPARES THES STONES,
AND CURST BE HE Yt MOVES MY BONES (Palomar).
Forever shall Shakespeare be remembered as the man who pursued knowledge, endured trials, and boldly attended himself to fame.