Introduction
Shakespeare is widely regarded as the world’s greatest playwright, and there’s no real reason to dispute that. People are still seeing his plays 400 years after he wrote them, not because it’s “trendy” or “hip,” but because they’re so good. His insight into the human spirit has never been equaled. This paper is a brief biography of Shakespeare and a discussion of the times in which he lived.
Discussion
His life: It’s somewhat difficult to find factual information about Shakespeare, because the “first attempts at biographical research were not begun until over half a century after Shakespeare’s death” (Best, 2005). In addition, there were few biographies written of important persons at this time, especially dramatists, since plays were not considered “serious literature” (Best, 2005). In addition, the Puritans closed the theaters in 1642, and many manuscripts and other records were lost (Best, 2005). It also doesn’t help that there are numerous spellings of his name. Nevertheless, scholars have pieced together a fairly complete picture of his life, and where facts are not known, they have drawn reasonable inferences (Best, 2005). However, the fact remains that much of what we know is based on indirect information.
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon some time in April, 1564, the son of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden (Hanna - Life). Although there is no record of the exact date of his birth, there is a baptismal record at the church, so most scholars put his birthday as the 23rd of April, 1564 (Hanna - Life). John Shakespeare was a “prominent and prosperous alderman” in Stratford, and was “granted a coat of arms by the College of Heralds” (Hanna - Life). Little is known of Shakespeare’s boyhood but it is believed that he probably attended the “Stratford Grammar School” (Hanna - Life). There is no record of him having gone on to either Oxford or Cambridge, both of which were well established by his time (Hanna - Life).
Shakespeare’s name turns up next in 1582 when he marries Anne Hathaway, some eight years his senior (Hanna - Life). Their daughter Susanna was born in 1583 and twins, Judith and Hamnet, were born in 1585 (Hanna - Life). Once again Shakespeare disappears from the records and doesn’t turn up again for seven years, by which time he is “recognized as an actor, poet and playwright” (Hanna - Life). His recognition comes in the form of an insult from a rival, Robert Greene, who calls Shakespeare “an upstart crow” in his (Greene’s) play, A Groatsworth of Wit (Hanna - Life).
The famous writer, Shakespeare, was said to have been born in Stratford as the first son to John and Mary Shakespeare on either the 21st, 22nd, or 23rd of April 1564. Most assume that Shakespeare’s birth occurred on the 23rd where then; he was baptized three days later on April 26, 1564. When he was five years of age, Shakespeare attended King’s New School at Stratford. Around 1574 or 1574 Shakespeare graduated from the Lower school to the Upper. There is no record telling how long Shakespeare had spent at King’s New School. There is a chance that Shakespeare was also apprenticed at his father’s shop. In 1582 Shakespeare became associated with the eldest daughter of the Hathaway family. In November of that year, Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway were licensed to marry but the court of Worcester. The couple had approximately three children together: Susanna, Hamnet, and Judith. Susanna was born in 1583 and the twins were born two years after. The time after this, from 1585 -1592, became known as the lost years as there are little known about Shakespeare in that period of time. It is assumed that around 1590 Shakespeare left Stratford to London and began his play writing career. Shakespeare’s first play had been Henry VI, Part One. Then in 1593, the theatres became closed due to the bubonic plague and reopen the next year. During that ...
Whalen, Richard F. “Shakespeare’s biographical problems heat up”. Shakespeare Oxford Newsletter 47.2 (2011): 9t. Academic one file Web. 31 Oct 2013.
Greenhill, Wendy, and Wignall, Paul. Shakespeare: A Life. Chicago IL: Reed Educational & Professional Publishing, 2000. Print.
According to the William Shakespeare Biography website, it all began in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, April 26th, 1564, which is said to be the time and place where William Shakespeare was baptized. Although he was baptized on April 26, his assigned birth date was April 23, 1564. His father, John Shakespeare, was a leather merchant and his mother Mary Arden, was an heiress of local land. He had two older sisters named Joan and Judith. William was the third child of Mary and John and had three younger brothers as well: Gilbert, Richard, and Edmund. Referring back to William Shakespeare Biography, “Scant records exist of William's childhood, and virtually none regarding his education.” Like the website mentioned, there are not many records of Shakespeare's childhood or education, but there are some speculations that he attended The King's New school. This school taught reading, writing, and the classics, which would make William more than qualified to attend this school judging from his plays and sonnets.
Holland, Peter. English Shakespeare: Shakespeare on the English stage in the 1990s. Cambridge University Press. United Kingdom. 1997.
Shakespeare’s life span was during the time of the renaissance, a romantic era of art and music. This was believed to be strongly connected in helping him develop a career out of theater. He was genius with his business schemes, many thinking it ran through his blood and that he learned a great deal from his father. Shakespeare was a noted poet before being a playwright. London back in Shakespears time was a mecca of trade ships and new development of big buildings Being in the era, there were stricly divided social classes and order, although the one execption to these everyday customs was the theater. The thea...
William Shakespeare was born in the year 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, which is in the United Kingdom. William was the third born child in the Shakespeare family, son to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, and brother to Gilbert, Richard, Edmund, Joan and Judith. William’s father, John, was a successful merchant, however WIlliam’s birth seemed to impoverish the family, with John’s wealth decreased by a substantial amount. William attended a school for the underprivileged and received a basic education. By 1592, William had begun his career as actor and playwright and had his first few performances published. By 1597, he had 17 more of his plays published as public performances. By this time, Shakespeare was known as one of the richest people in England, as he bought the second largest house in Stratford-upon-Avon. In 1599, Shakespeare and his group built their own theatre near the Thames river. They decided to call the theatre The ‘Globe’. Shakespeare’s first plays performed at ‘The Globe’ were Richard II,Henry VI parts 1,2 and 3. These plays were all Histories and comedies and he did not begin to make tragedies until 1600. Shakespeare’s later plays, before his death were called tragicomedies. These, as from the title, were tragedies involved with some humour.
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.
Most biographies written about William Shakespeare attempt to explain his life chronologically from birth to death. These accounts aim to describe his life through discussing his works and accomplishments. The problem with this pattern is that there are only so many ways humans can rewrite the same facts about the same person. Contrary to most papers about Shakespeare, the essay titled “What Was He Really Like?”, written by Stanley Wells, focuses internally on who Shakespeare was as an ordinary person. Instead of discussing when Shakespeare got married or explaining his life in relation to his works, Wells delves into the personality of the famous playwright. Stanley Wells encourages the reader of “What Was He Really Like?” to look at William Shakespeare in a new light.
William Shakespeare was a writer who became famous for his plays. It was thus that his works were great entertainment for the Kingdom. Shakespeare was number 3 of 8 children and was also educated at one of the free schools in England. He studied Grammar, Arts and Sciences, his studies were so much difficult at his young age because he was forced to work with his father in the kingdom. And it was there that he met a woman named Ann who was 26 years of age who later became pregnant, and for that reason because of the moral question, she was forced at age 18 to get married after they announced her pregnancy.
Although William Shakespeare is considered to be one of the most revered and well-renowned authors of all time, controversy surrounds the belief that he actually produced his own literary works. Some rumors even go so far as to question the reality of such a one, William Shakespeare, brought on by paralleling the quality of his pieces with his personal background and education. With such farfetched allegations, it persuaded others to peek into the person we all are taught to learn as “Shakespeare”, but who is actually the person behind these genius works of literary promise and enlightenment? To some, Shakespeare is as much accredited to his works as frequently as you see his name placed. To others, Shakespeare is a complex enigma into which we the people are supposed to unravel; the true author behind a falsely-given pseudonym. The debate pertaining to the true authorship of William Shakespeare’s works are still questioned in today’s society.
“William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was and English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s preeminent dramatist” (vodppl.upm.edu 2). He was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK, he also passed away in his hometown. “When Shakespeare died in 1616 the event was barely noticed” (Epstein 7). “Shakespeare’s family was initially prosperous but began having financial difficulties in the 1570’s” (Allen 325). “Shakespeare gained his education by attending the local grammar school, King’s New School, where the curriculum stressed a classic education of Greek mythology and roman comedy”(shakespeareinamericancomunites.org 1). He never carried his educational career to a higher level as in a university. “William Shakespeare was not recognized as an actor, poet, and playwright until 1592” (Allen 346).
“William Shakespeare." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 14. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 142-145. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.
After overcoming the troubles of becoming an actor and a playwright, William Shakespeare has become well renowned. His works reach to people all around the world despite the language barriers and different races and cultures. For centuries, the popularity of his work...
William Shakespeare’s life has brought much curiosity to many. This is natural as he is considered to be the greatest figure of English Literature. William Shakespeare, in terms of his life and work, is the most written-about author in the history of Western civilization. His works include 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 epic narrative poems, the First of which was published after his death in 1623 by two of Shakespeare's acting companions, John Heminges and Henry Condell. Since then, the works of Shakespeare have been studied, analyzed, and enjoyed as some of the finest work of art in the English language.