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The Life of William Shakespeare. Childhood.
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Childhood • William Shakespeare is believed to have been born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-Upon Avon. He came from a well-to-do family and was fortunate enough to attend school. William was the third child of John Shakespeare, a leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a local heiress. William had two older sisters, Joan and Judith, and three younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard, and Edmund.
Adulthood • In 1582, at 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, who was 26 years old. Their daughter Susanna was born in 1583 and the twins, Judith and Hamnet, in 1585. (His daughters lived to adulthood, but Hamnet died in 1596.)
Early Career • Shakespeare’s earlier plays were mainly histories and comedies such as Henry VI, Titus Andronicus, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice and Richard II. The tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, was also published in this period. By the last years of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, Shakespeare was well established as a famous poet and playwright and was called upon to perform several of his plays before the Queen at court.
Early Career Continued… • Other plays, possibly written before 1600, include The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, and The Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Height of Career/Later Works • In William Shakespeare's final period, he wrote several tragicomedies. Among these are Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale and The Tempest. Though graver in tone than the comedies, they are not the dark tragedies of King Lear or Macbeth because they end with reconciliation and forgiveness.
Hamlet • Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is visited by a mysterious ghost of his recently deceased father, the King of Denmark. The ghost tells Hamlet that his father was murdered by Claudius, the King’s brother, who then took the throne and married Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. The ghost encourages Hamlet to avenge his father’s death. The task before Hamlet weighs heavily upon him. Hamlet’s uncertainty is what makes the character so believable – he is arguably one of literature’s most psychologically complex characters. He is slow to take action, but when he does it is rash and violent!
Shakespeare’s Death • Shakespeare spent the last five years of his life in Stratford. He died on his birthday, on April 23, 1616 at the age of 52. He was buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. It is unknown what caused his death, although some Scholars believe it was due to a high fever, (one of the many side effects to the plethora of diseases during that time). However, with the average life expectancy at 35 years, William Shakespeare fared quite well, leading a relatively long and healthy life. Shakespeare left his property to the male heirs of his eldest daughter, Susanna.
A Quote From Shakespeare… • “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves.”
Interesting Facts… • In Shakespeare’s time, no girls or women were allowed to act in plays, so boys and men had to play the roles.
Interesting Facts… • Some scholars believe that Shakespeare wrote characters based on people he knew in real-life, and often gave them the same or similar names. Audiences would often know whom he was referring to during shows. (“Hamnet”=“Hamlet,” “Tybalt-” a hot-headed, hated character in Romeo and Juliet shared the same name as a neighbor Shakespeare disliked).
Interesting Facts… • In 1613, The Globe Theatre, Shakespeare’s Theatre, burned to the ground after being set on fire by a spark from a cannon during a performance of Henry VIII.
Interesting Facts… • Shakespeare created anywhere from 1,700-2,600 common words and phrases we still use today. “Puke?” Thanks, Shakespeare
Impact On The World • William Shakespeare’s influence extends from Theatre and literature to present-day movies and the English language itself. He is considered the greatest writer of the English language, and the world's best dramatist. Shakespeare transformed European Theatre by expanding expectations about what could be accomplished through characterization, plot, language, and genre. It is hard to imagine our world without his influence!
Resources: Mabillard, Amanda. How Did Shakespeare Die?. Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2008. < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/deathofshakespeare.html >. Mabillard, Amanda. Words Shakespeare Invented. Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/wordsinvented.html >.Mitchell, C. Martin. The Shakespeare Circle. Birmingham: Cornish Brothers, 1949.Picard, Liza. Elizabeth's London. London: Phoenix Press, 2003. "William Shakespeare." 2014. The Biography.com website. May 12 2014 http://www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323.
