Why does this man look worried?
Although Shakespeare is a very famous playwright there is still
much we do not know about him. A few
official records exist that provide us with some information about his life,
but little else remains to tell us what he was really like. The following are some of the important
details of Shakespeare's life.
• Shakespeare was born in
Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, (approximately 120 kilometres north-west
of London).
• Shakespeare's mother,
Mary Arden, was from a well-to-do, well-connected, Catholic, farming
family. William's parents had eight
children of whom William was the third.
His father, John Shakespeare, seemed to be moderately wealthy at the
time of William's birth. John
Shakespeare's commercial interests included farming and dealing in various farm
products such as meat, skins and wool.
He was also involved in glove-making.
Shakespeare's father also seemed influential at a local level holding a
number of municipal offices in Stratford, until about 1578, when he began
experiencing economic difficulties.
William was about fifteen when his father had business problems. (It has
been suggested that John Shakespeare's business problems may have been caused
by his connection with the Arden family and by issues concerning religion. In Shakespeare's time there was a great deal
of ill-feeling between Protestants and Catholics.)
• William is believed to
have attended the grammar school at Stratford,
although no actual record of his attendance exists. (Grammar schools in
Shakespeare's time were essentially for middle class children. Their main aim was the teaching of Latin
grammar, a necessary prerequisite for anyone entering a profession such as
medicine, law, the church, or government.)
It is at the local grammar school that Shakespeare also may have been
exposed to the works of some of the classical writers (for example, Cicero,
Ovid and Virgil). Such exposure to these
writers and others was important to Shakespeare as a writer, because they acquainted
him with some of the themes, plots and allusions that he was to use later in
his own plays and poetry. There is some
doubt, however, as to whether Shakespeare ever finished school (because of his
father's business problems).
Furthermore, Shakespeare never went on to attend university and was
sometimes criticised for this by his contemporaries. (Many other contemporary
playwrights had been university educated and were envious of the success of
this "uneducated" person.)
• We do not know if
Shakespeare travelled much in his life, but he displays an awareness and
understanding of other countries in his plays.
Such information, however, could have been obtained from the many
foreign visitors who came to London.
• In 1582, at the age of
eighteen, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a well-to-do
farmer. Anne was twenty-six at the
time. Except for a few facts, we know
very little about Shakespeare's wife and family. Anne and William had three children. One child, Susannah, was born six months
after their marriage. Two years later,
twins, Judith and Hamnet, were born.
• Between 1585 and 1592
little is known about Shakespeare, his activities and how he supported his
family, although some reseachers have suggested that for a time he may have
been a country schoolteacher. We do
know, however, that by 1592 he had left Stratford for London and was acting and
writing plays there. In fact, by this
time he seems to have already become relatively well-known and successful in
his theatrical activities.
• From 1594 to 1608 Shakespeare was very active
in theatre and his popularity as a playwright grew. By 1594 Shakespeare had become a member and
part-owner of the theatrical company known as the Lord Chamberlain's Men; a
company for whom he not only wrote plays, but performed in them as well. As Shakespeare became wealthier he purchased
New Place, one of the largest houses in Stratford, where he also seemed to have
maintained strong business interests. It
was also during the later part of this period that Shakespeare became part
owner of the Globe and Blackfriars Theatres in London. Shakespeare was also well-known and popular
with both Queen Elizabeth I and King James I; his poetry and plays were read
and performed at court. In 1603, James
I increased his level of patronage and made Shakespeare and his company members
of the King's Men.
• In 1596, personal tragedy
struck with the death of his son, Hamnet.
• In 1609, Thomas Thorpe, a
London publisher, published more than 150 of Shakespeare's sonnets. Other important writings by Shakespeare
include two long poems, The Rape of Lucrece and Venus and Adonis.
• Shakespeare retired to
Stratford in 1611. He still maintained
some business activities in London, however.
He also continued writing plays. Henry VIII was Shakespeare's last play.
• Shakespeare died in
Stratford on 23 April, 1616. He was
fifty-two years old. Shakespeare was
survived by his wife and daughters.
• In all, Shakespeare is believed to have written about 37 plays. These include chronicle or history plays, comedies and tragedies.
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