The Historical Accuracy of ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare is probably the greatest English writer of all time. Many people around the world enjoy reading his plays. Often in his plays, Shakespeare describes things like the lifestyle and laws of his time. However, some people claim that Shakespeare's plays are not historically accurate and therefore mislead people who read his plays. So how can we determine whether Shakespeare is accurate or not? Well, one might wonder what social class was like, what Shakespeare's personal experiences were, and what laws governed the times. To begin with, in the 1500s, social class was divided into two main groups; one with all the power and one with no power. Shakespeare demonstrates this in his writings. According to Civilization in the West, “European society was supposed to be divided into two status groups: the nobles and the commoners” (Civilization in the West para. 1). Essentially, medieval Europe was made up of nobles and commoners with all power in the hands of the nobles. Nobles were responsible for politics, the military, and the economy while common people cultivated the crops. Shakespeare demonstrated this in Romeo and Juliet when he had servants like Sampson and Abram speak in prose while nobles like Lord Capulet speak in meter. This constitutes a clear distinction between ordinary people and nobles. Then, as published in Life in Italy, Italy faced great difficulties because the Byzantines and Lombards were fighting for control of the Italian peninsula. Because two different groups were fighting for Italy, disputes could have arisen between Italian citizens over which side they should support. This serves as a possible explanation for why the Capulets disliked the M...... middle of paper ......life in Italy during the Middle Ages." Life in Italy. Life in Italy, 2014. Web. April 29, 2014. .Mabillard, Amanda. “What Inspired Shakespeare Online?” . "Life Experiences in Modern Europe, 1500-1650." Pearson Education, 1995-2010. .Thompson, James C. "Marriage in Antiquity." ." Womenintheancientworld.com. Np, July 2010. Web. April 29. 2014. .