William
Shakespeare
What We Know About Shakespeare
Who was he?
Though William Shakespeare is recognized
as one of literature’s greatest influences, very
little is actually known about him. What we do
know about his life comes from registrar
records, court records, wills, marriage
certificates and his tombstone. Anecdotes
and criticisms by his rivals also speak of the
famous playwright and suggest that he was
indeed a playwright, poet and an actor.
Born:
Well, that’s kind of a mystery. He
was baptized on April 26, 1564.
That, we know. However, there is
no proof of birth. Since it was
customary to baptize a baby three
days after birth, his birthday is
recognized on April 23, 1564.
Home:
His home was in a small
English town called
Stratford-upon-Avon. It lies
about a two-hour car ride
northwest of London.
He was the third of eight
children.
Family:
William’s
father,
John,
was
a
Dad
Moderately successful
businessman/trader-of-goods
who dabbled in tanning,
leatherwork and whittawering
which is working with white
leather to make items like purses
Convicted of ‘usury’ (the illegal action or practice of lending money at unreasonably high rates of interest)
in 1576.
Abruptly retired from public life
This info was only found in 1983
John also dealt in grain and
sometimes was described as
A glover by trade. Respected
in his community, John was
even a town official for a
while, but never wealthy.
Family: Mom
Mary Arden was the daughter
of a substantial landowner
(and John’s landlord). She
married John in 1557, while
he was still working his way
up the political ladder.
Schooling:
There is no record of a “William
Shakespeare” attending the prestigious
local grammar
school, King’s
New School,
but it is
assumed that
he did.
Link
William gets married:
Will married Anne Hathaway
(who was 8 years older than he
was) on
November 28,1582.
Now… Anne bore a child,
Susanna, in May of 1583.
QUICK… Do the math!!!
Twins!!!:
Anne bore fraternal twins in
February of 1585,
Hamnet (a boy) & Judith.
The Lost Years:
It is unfortunate, but we have no
information about the next 10
years of Shakespeare’s life.
There are, of course several
Myths regarding how he finally
Appeared in the London theatrical
scene in 1592.
William in London:
What we do know, is that by
1592, Shakespeare had made a
big enough name for himself as
both an actor and writer that he
was attacked (in writing) after
the premiere of his first play,
Henry VI, by an envious
dramatist.
The Plague:
Just as William was beginning
to make a name for himself as
a playwright, the plague
struck London. The theaters
were shut down during most
of the months between 1593
and 1594.
William as Poet:
During these “plague” months,
William was forced to shift his
focus from the theater to poetry.
He wrote all (or at least most) of his
150+ sonnets and two narrative
poems, Venus and Adonis &
The Rape of Lucrece, during this
period.
Poetic Patron
It is believed that the young
earl of Southampton,
Henry Wriothesley, may have
become Shakespeare’s patron
at this time
The theatres reopen:
After the theatres reopen in
1594, it is apparent that
Shakespeare became principal
playwright for (and possibly
part-owner of) a theatrical
company called
Lord Chamberlain’s Men
“Come see Will!!”:
After 1598, Shakespeare’s name
commonly appeared on printed
plays (some of which weren’t
even his). This was unique and
was probably done to attract
customers.
$$$$$$$:
Shakespeare was no dummy.
As early as 1597, he bought
New Place, the 2nd largest
house in Stratford. This is where
Anne and the kids lived. It
remained in the family until the
death of a granddaughter in
1670.
Elizabethan Entertainment
• Elizabethan entertainment included
public executions, cock fighting and
bear bating.
Early Theatres:
Because of certain laws and
conditions that made the
performance of plays within the
city of London near impossible,
theatres were built beyond the
city limits.
London’s First Theater
London’s first theater was built by James
Burbage in 1576 and was simply called
The Theater.
It was
located just
beyond the
city limits in
Shoreditch
Other public playhouses
included the Curtain and the
Fortune, also north of London,
and the Rose, the Swan, and
the Hope, all on the Bankside
just across the Thames south
of London.
The Globe:
After the success of early
theatres, Shakespeare’s
company built the Globe Theater
in 1599. It, like the theatres
before it, laid just outside the city
limits across the Thames River.
Run, Richard, Run!!!
James Burbage’s son Richard and
his men actually dismantled The
Theater board by board and
transported them south of the
Thames River to rebuild it into
what we know as The Globe.
The Queen Dies:
On March 23,1603 Queen
Elizabeth I died. She had taken
the throne in 1558, six years
before Shakespeare’s birth.
Elizabeth was the first unmarried
Queen to hold the throne.
During her reign, London became
the cultural and commercial center
where learning and literature
thrived. Her death was definitely
felt by the theater.
HERES………James!
Queen Elizabeth, unmarried &
:
childless, named James VI of
Scotland as her successor. He
became James I of England.
William, being no dummy, changed
the name of his performing
company to The King’s Men and he
became their patron.
Time to Retire…:
Sometime between 1610 and1613,
Shakespeare retired back to Stratford,
His family, and his home, New Place
having written 37 (disputable)
plays,154 Sonnets, and two
narrative poems over his last 20 years.
Got Insurance?:
In 1613, fire, from a cannon
during a performance of
Henry VIII, set the thatched
(straw) roof on fire.
The Globe burnt to the ground.
It was rebuilt & remained until
1642.
Death:
After a night of heavy drinking
and a walk home in the rain,
Shakespeare died in Stratford,
on April 23, 1616.
Coincidence?:
It was his 52nd birthday.
Burial…
Shakespeare is buried in
the chancel of Holy
Trinity Church in
Stratford-upon-Avon.
What is the inscription on Shakespeare’s
grave?
GOOD FREND FOR JESUS SAKE
FORBEARE,
TO DIGG THE DUST ENCLOASED
HEARE:
BLESTE BE Ye MAN Yt [that] SPARES
THES STONES,
AND CURST BE HE Yt MOVES MY
BONES.
His Will…
Shakespeare
WOW: made his will less
than a month before his death.
Most of his belongings went to
his daughter, Susanna. Hamnet,
his son, had died in 1596.
But
The interesting part is what
William left his wife…
The 2nd best bed...
That’s it!!!!
How would you like your
husband leaving you that in his
will ladies?
Last Interesting
18 Note:
of Shakespeare’s plays were
published in his lifetime in
quartos. Few were big sellers.
Few even had Shakespeare’s
name on them, and nothing
Suggests he took any interest in
their publication.
In 1623, two of Shakespeare’s
friends and fellow actors,
John Heminge & Henry Condell,
published his works in a single
volume known as the First Folio.
233 of the believed 800 copies
still exist.
Today, it’s valued at over $6,000,000.00
Quartos Vs. Folio
Ongoing scholarly debate
over which is more “accurate”
continues. Greatest
collection of both was by
Henry Clay Folger.
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Library in Washington
36 of his 37 plays (18 of which
had never been printed before)
now thought to have been written
by Shakespeare appeared in a
single book. It is believed to
have sold for £1.
Earring indicating a
bohemian lifestyle
Dark clothes
signifying wealth
The
End