William Shakespeare biography

William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in a half-timbered house in Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon. His father was John Shakespeare, a glove maker and wool dealer, and his mother was Mary Arden, daughter of a farmer from Wilmcote.

Young William attended Stratford Grammar School from the age of 7 until he was 14. The grammar school was held on the upper floor of the old Guildhall, and here the classes were held in Latin, concentrating on grammar and the ancient classics of Greece and Rome.

Shakespeare was withdrawn from school due to his familiy's financial difficulties, and never completed his education, which makes his subsequent accomplishments all the more remarkable.

At the age of 18 Shakespeare married, to Anne Hathaway, daughter of a yeoman farmer from Shottery, close to Stratford. The marriage may have been forced, as Anne was already 3 months pregnant with a daughter, Susanna. This first child was followed by twins Hamnet and Judith in 1585.

The next 7 years of Shakespeare's life are a mystery, though he is rumoured to have worked as a school teacher. Sometime before 1592 Shakespeare fled his home and family to follow the life of an actor in London.

London's theatres were closed in January 1593 due to an outbreak of the plague, and many players left the capital to tour the provinces. Shakespeare preferred to stay in London, and it was during this time of plague that he began to gain recognition as a writer, notably of long poems, such as Venus and Adonius, and Rape of Lucrece.

He was fortunate to find a patron, Henry Wriothsley, Earl of Southampton, to support him in his writing. Venus and Adonius was wildly successful, and it was this work that first brought the young writer widespread recognition.

Apart from his longer poetry, Shakespeare also began writing his sonnets during this period, perhaps at the behest of Southampton's mother, who hoped to induce her son to marry.

When the theatres reopened in late 1594, Shakespeare was no longer a simple actor, but a playwright as well, writing and performing for the theatre company called "Lord Chamberlain's Men", which later became "The King's Men".

Shakespeare became an investor in the company, perhaps with money granted him by his patron, Southampton. It was this financial stake in his theatre company that made Shakespeare's fortune. For the next 17 years he produced an average of 2 plays a year for The King's Men.

The early plays were held at The Theatre, to the north of the city. In 1597 the company's lease on The Theatre expired, and negotiations with the landlord proved fruitless. Taking advantage of a clause in the lease that allowed them to dismantle the building, the company took apart the place board by board and transported the material across the Thames to Bankside.

There they constructed a new circular theatre, the grandest yet seen, called The Globe. The Globe remained London's premier theatre until it burned down in 1613 during a performance of Shakespeare's Henry VIII.

Shakespeare held a share in the profits from the Globe, which netted him a princely yearly income of £200-£250. His financial success enabled Shakespeare to purchase New Place, the second largest house in Stratford. It was here that he retired around 1611.

When he died in 1616, William Shakespeare divided up his considerable property amongst his daughters (his son Hamnet had died in childhood), but left only his second best bed to his wife, Anne. Shakespeare was buried in the chancel of Holy Trinity church.

Shakespeare's Major Works
1588-93 1588-92 1592-93 1592-94 1593-94 1593-94 1593-94 1593-1600 1588-95 1594-96 1595 1594-96 1590-97 1592 1596-97 1597 1597-98 1598-1600 1598-99 1599 1599-1600 1600-02 1600-O1 1597-1601 1600-O1 160I-02 1602-04 1603-04 1604 1604-09 1605-06 1605-06 1606-07 1607-09 1608-09 1609-1O 16IO-11 16II 16I2-I3 16I3	The Comedy of Errors Henry VI (three parts) Richard III Titus Andronicus The Taming of the Shrew The Two Gentlemen of Verona "The Rape of Lucrece" "Sonnets" Love's Labor's Lost Romeo and Juliet Richard II A Midsummer Night's Dream King John "Venus and Adonis" The Merchant of Venice Henry IV (Part I) Henry IV (Part II) Much Ado About Nothing Henry V Julius Caesar As You Like It Twelfth Night Hamlet The Merry Wives of Windsor "The Phoenix and the Turtle" Troilus and Cressida All's Well That Ends Well Othello Measure for Measure Timon of Athens King Lear Macbeth Antony and Cleopatra Coriolanus Pericles Cymbeline The Winter's Tale The Tempest Henry VIII The Two Noble Kinsmen
Note: Some dates are estimates - many works were not officially published until long after Shakespeare's death.

What to see:
London:
The New Globe Theatre on Bankside is a replica of the original theatre.

Stratford upon Avon:
Shakespeare's Birthplace - exactly what it sounds like
Stratford Grammar School - where Shakespeare was educated
Anne Hathaway's Cottage - the childhood home of Shakespeare's wife, a lovely thatched cottage
New Place - the Bard's final home
Hall's Croft - Susanna Shakespeare's home after she married
Mary Arden's House - the home of Shakespeare's mother
Royal Shakespeare Theatre - holds regular performances of Shakespeare's works.

External Resources:
Mr William Shakespeare and the Internet
Shakespeare's Stratford
Stratford.co.uk

History
Prehistory - Roman Britain - Dark Ages - Medieval Britain - The Tudor Era - The Stuarts - Georgian Britain - The Victorian Age

Contents © David Ross and Britain Express