William Shakespeare was an Englishman who wrote poems and plays. According to many he was labeled as one of the greatest dramatists the world has ever known and the finest poets who wrote in the English language. No other writers plays have been produced so many times or read so widely in so many countries (Wadsworth 342). On April 26, 1564, John Shakespeare and Mary Ardens son, William, was baptized at the Stratford Parish Church. No one knows for certain when his birthday was. However, since most baptisms take place three days after birth, Shakespeares alleged birthday is April 23.
He was the third of eight children (Biography. com). It was thought that young Shakespeare began attending a local grammar school at the age 7, in Stratford. He attended the school with other boys of his social class. Students spent nine hours a day in school and attended classes year round, except for brief holiday periods. In spite of his long hours spent in school, Shakespeares childhood was not likely boring. Stratford was a lively town, and for you William is could have been an exciting place to live (www. gale. com/freresrc/poets_cn/shakebio. htm). William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway at the age of 18.
Anne was at least 8 years her husbands senior. The marriage record dates November 27, 1582 in an Episcopal register found in Worchester (Brown 45). The custom in Stratford after the eldest son married, was for the new couple to live in the house of the grooms father. In all likelihood, Shakespeare obeyed the customary procedure (Wright 24). Arden gave birth only 6 months after they were legally wed to Shakespeares first child, Susanna. Early in 1585, Anne gave birth to twins- a boy, Hamnet and a girl, Judith. Hamnet was only 11 years old when he died (Wadsworth 345).
Shakespeare lived in the Elizabethan Period in England, the time of Elizabeth Is reign. This time saw England emerge as the leading naval and commercial power of the Western World. England consolidated its position with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 and established the Church of England (www. gale. com/freresrc/poets_cn/shakebio. htm). England was characterized as a hierarchy and everyone lived under a strong feudal system (Singman 10). The quote by Thomas Nashe, 1593, sums up the system of rank: Unfortunate is the man who does not have someone to look down upon. (Davis 20). Queen Elizabeth was a fan of literature and theatre.
Her interest in the arts was great and possibly influenced Shakespeare, among others, in their choice of the arts as a career. She made certain that writers and actors were paid generous amounts for their efforts (Singman 39). In the Elizabethan Period, leisure was equally as important as work was. Elizabethan boys were schooled in Latin grammar, as well as mathematic and geographic studies. As schooling was, it was important that all people in society attended the theatre on a regular basis. Sports- such as fencing, hunting, and fishing, were popular. Another thing in the Elizabethan time was public festivals.
These displayed events such as jousting and live musical performance that included loud, obtrusive instruments to which spectators danced (Singman 150). The cultural environment was an extraordinary one for a great dramatist, such as Shakespeare, to be living in. Between 1585 and 1592, there was no account of a man named William Shakespeare. Typically referred to as the lost years. There were no records of his life. Some scholars believe he was living in London serving as an apprentice. Others believe he retreated and wrote under a fake name (Wadsworth 345). It is recognized that Shakespeare appeared in London in 1951.
After Shakespeare went to London, he joined an acting group. He had no experience. He was merely a performer (Wright 43). Shakespeare was an important part of a troupe called the Lord Chamberlains Men. He eventually became an honored senior member. (11) Writing plays soon became a demanding business. Companies were always looking for new material. With few new plays, companies began paying for the plays. Once a play was sold it became the property of the company. (44-45) Shakespeare wrote 37 plays. The plays were separated into three basic categories: comedy, tragedy, and history. (Wadsworth 342).
Shakespeares first extant play was The Comedy of Errors, in 1590. His first tragedy was Titus Androneus, written in 1593. When theatres closed during a plague from 1593-94, Shakespeare turned to poetry. His debut poem was Venus and Adonis, which he chased the following year with The Rape of Lucrece. From 1954 to 1608, Shakespeare was engulfed in the world of London theatre. He wrote an average of almost two plays per year for his company. Already, Shakespeare was ranked as Londons most popular playwright. By the late 1590s, he had not only become an established writer, but he had also gained prosperity.
In 1957, he bought New Palace, one of the two largest houses in Stratford (Wadsworth 351). His famous productions for Lord Chamberlains Men include The Taming of the Shrew and A Midsummer Nights Dream. The Temptest is regarded as Shakespeares final production and farewell the arts. Following it, he retired to his hometown of Stratford c. 1610. It is here that he died, on the same date as his supposed birth, April 23,1616. He was buried in the chancel of Trinity Church in Stratford (Wadsworth 356). All together, he wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 epic narrative poems.
The popularity today of Shakespeare is perhaps owed to two of his fellow actors. The two men gathered his plays and published them in a collected called The Folio Edition. Being as Shakespeare was uninterested in publication, without the efforts of these men, the plays would not have survived (Rabkin 18) Shakespeares entire life was committed to public theatre. With the quality of his plays, it is hard to believe that one could acquire such mastery with schooling no higher than grade school. (Rabkin 13) The legacy of the great dramatist, William Shakespeare still lives on.
