The great flaws of humanity, as defined in the characters of the tragedy, make Hamlet to be considered one of the greatest tragedies ever written. As Emily Dickonson stated, "Hamlet wavered for all of us," humanity can indeed find a likeness of himself in the Prince of Denmark. Thousands of scholars, writers, students, and psychologists spend countless years on the analysis of human nature through Hamlet, the great "play within a play". As Harold Goddard puts it, "[Hamlet] presents a different face to each man..."(Goddard, page 331), and therefore, the analysis of the tragedy is a matter of personal opinion, and will never be complete.
             According to Quennell: "A conclusive history of Shakespeare's life is lacking; much hypothesis surrounds relatively few facts". Born at Stratford-upon-Avon, in Warwickshire, April 23, 1564, he led a relatively comfortable life. His father was a a prominent man in Stratford. By 1560, he was one of fourteen burgesses which formed the town council.The eldest son of eight children, William received education at the local grammar school and an apprenteship at a butcher shop. Shakespeare, however, never attended a university. On November 28, 1582 Anne Hathaway married Shakespeare. At the time, she was two months pregnant. Seven months later, she gave birth to Susanna, and later to twins Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet, the couple's only son, died at age eleven. Shakespeare's most productive years were from 1594 to 1608, the period in which he wrote all of his great tragedies, such as Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Romeo and Juliet. During these fourteen years, he furnished
             his acting company with approximately two plays annually. After 1608, it
             appears he went into semi-retirement, spending more time in Stratford and
             creating only five plays before his death on April 23, 1616. He is buried
             before the altar in the Stratford Church, where his body still lies today.
             Shakespeare uses a metri...