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Shakespeare\'s early days
Shakespeare Prospers
Death and Burial
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Birth and Boyhood of Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, in England in 1564. While his exact birthdate is unknown, it is most often celebrated on April 23, the feast of St. George, and also the date upon which he would die. He was the third of seven children born to John and Mary Arden Shakespeare. Shakespeare\'s father was a tanner and glovemaker. He was a fairly prominent political figure as well, being an alderman of Stratford for years, and serving a term as \"high bailiff\" (what we would call a mayor). He died in 1616, leaving little land to William, his eldest son. Not much is known of Mary Shakespeare, except that she had a wealthier family than John.
William Shakespeare attended a very good grammar school in Stratford-upon- Avon, though the time period during which he attended school is not known. His instructors were all Oxford graduates, and his studies were probably primarily in Latin. Little else is known of his boyhood.
Shakespeare\'s Marriage and Life in London
In 1582 at 18 years of age, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, a lady seven or eight years older than he from Shottery, a villiage a mile from Stratford. Their first daughter, Susanna, was born in 1583, followed by twins in 1585, Hamnet and Judith. By 1592, Shakespeare was an established playwright in London; however, the plague kept the theaters closed most of the time, and it was during this time that Shakespeare wrote his earliest sonnets and poems.
Shakespeare Prospers
Shakespeare did most of his theater work in a district northeast of London, in two theaters owned by James Burbage, called the Theatre and the Curtain. In 1598, Burbage moved to Bankside and built the famous Globe Theatre, in which Shakespeare owned stock and made quite a bit of money on. Around this time, Shakespeare applied for and got a coat of arms, with the motto: Non sanz droict (not without right). This gave him the standing of a gentleman, something that was not generally associated with actors, who were considered to be in the same class with vagrants and criminals.
In 1603, Shakespeare\'s theatrical company was taken under the patronage of King James I, and became known as the King\'s Company. In 1608, the company aquired the Blackfriars Theatre. Around this time, Shakespeare joined the group of the now-famous writers who gathered at Mermaid Tavern, located on Bread Street in Cheapside. Among others, some of the writers who frequented the Tavern were Sir Walter Raleigh (the founder), and Ben Jonson.
Death and Burial
Shakespeare retired from theatre in 1610 and returned to Stratford. He lost much money in 1613 when the Globe Theatre burned, but remained quite wealthy and contributed to the building of the new Globe Theatre . Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616 (Old Style Calendar--May 3, 1616 Gregorian) and was buried in the chancel of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Stratford. A monument to Shakespeare was set up on the north wall of the chancel, with a bust of Shakespeare. (Note: the bust and the engraving by Droeshout that prefixed the First Folio are the only renderings of Shakeshpeare that are considered to be accurate.) Shakespeare\'s will left most of his property to Susanna and her daughter, except for his \"second-best bed,\" which he left to his wife. |
