What was the primary source Shakespeare used when writing his history plays?
The primary text that Shakespeare used in constructing his history plays was Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Who is “the Bard” and what does it mean? The word “bard” actually means “poet”, but for centuries people have used it primarily as a nickname for William Shakespeare. So, whenever you hear someone say ‘the Bard’, or the ‘Bard of Avon’ (Stratford-upon-Avon being his home town) they are referring to Shakespeare. I heard somewhere that “Shakespeare” was originally a nickname? Is this true? In 1875, Mr. Charles W. Bardsley proposed that the name Shakespeare belonged to a class of nicknames in Renaissance England. He claimed that: “the nicknames given to lower-class officials some centuries ago were invariably hits at the officious and meddlesome character of their duties. Such names generally referred to the implement or badge of office, with the additional wag or shake . Thus we find Shake-buckler, shake-lock (as the designation of a turnkey), Waggestaff,
