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History of william shakespeare 5 pages
History of william shakespeare 5 pages
A brief biography of william shakespeare
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William Shakespeare is undoubtedly one of England's most well-known and treasured authors. His plays were exceedingly popular during his life, and according to legend, they brought him and his family much fame and affluence. Since his death, however, evidence has been uncovered which suggests that the William Shakespeare of
playwright fame may not have been the same individual documented in the historical
records of Stratford-upon-Avon. According to The Shakespeare Conspiracy, a book by
Graham Phillips and Martin Keatman, the actual documentation of Shakespeare's life is
meager at best.
Of all his contemporary poets and dramatists-- such as Christopher Marlowe, Edmund Spenser, Gabriel Harvery, Thomas Nashe, John Donnes, John Fletcher, Thomas Lodge, Robert Greene, Philip Sidney, George Chapman, Thomas Heywood, Francis Beaumont, John Lyly, Ben Johnson, Thomas Kyd, George Peele, Thomas Dekker, Thomas Middleton, and John Webster-- Webster is the only playwright of whom we know less, but, unlike Shakespeare, Webster was not recognized in his day.
An examination of the few existing historical details of Shakespeare's life raises more
questions than it provides answers. According to the evidence available in our time, it
appears as if there may have been two Shakespeare's: one a grain merchant from
Stratford-upon-Avon, and the other a famous actor and playwright from London,
working under an assumed name.
Popular legend tells us that on April 23, 1564, a male child was born to Johnand Mary Shakespeare at Stratford. Of course, nobody is certain if this was the exact date on which William Shakespeare was born. The historical records of Stratford's parishshow that a child by the name of Gulielmus [fr. for William] Shakspeare was christened on
April 26th of the same year, but no birth date was ever reported (Phillips and Keatman 9). John Shakespeare was a fairly prosperous glover in the town of Stratford, and his family lived in relative comfort for the formative years of [young Guile lumps Shakespeare's] life. Because his parents were comparatively high-standing members of
Stratford society, William Shakespeare would have been able to attend the local grammar school. Most people assume that this is where Shakespeare received the formal education that is so apparent in his plays. According to Phillips and Keatman, however, there is no historical record of Shakspeare's attendance at Stratford's grammar school.
Participation was not compulsory by any means, and whether or not a child was educated depended
mainly upon the whims of his father. Irving Leigh Matus' book, Shakespeare: In Fact, states that records show Shaksper's father had not been formally educated.
“William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564” (Fandel 8) in the small English town known as Stratford-upon-Avon. William
William Shakespeare was born in 1564, and was one of eight children. William's father was a glove-maker, who also held a number of public offices, ranging from Borough Ale-Taster to alderman to bailiff, the highest public office in Stratford ("Shakespeare's Family", par. 1). His mother was born Mary Arden, who was the daughter of a well-to-do landowner of a lesser aristocratic family ("Shakespeare's Family", par. 3). Interestingly, the family gave its name to the nearby Forest of Arden, which turns up in As You Like It ("Shakespeare's Family", par. 3).
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford on Avon, England, in April of 1564 to Mary and John Shakespeare. He was the third child and the eldest son. His father was a tanner, glove-maker, and trader in wool and other precious commodities. William attended the Stratford Grammar school where he studied and received substantial training in Latin. He was married on November 27, 1582, to a woman named Anne Hathaway, who was eight years older than he was. In May of 1583, the couple's first daughter, Susanna was born. The couple had twins in February of 1585, Hamnet and Judith. Throughout his life, Shakespeare wrote thirty-seven plays, and several poems and sonnets. He was also an actor for a short while. Several of Shakespears plays were performed at the famous Globe Theater in England. On April 23, 1616 Shakespeare died, he was buried at the church of Stratford on April 25, 1616.
“William Shakespeare, the third of eight children and the first boy, was born in 1564 and baptized on 26 April in Holy Trinity Church” (Alexander 12). He was born and raised in the countryside known as Stratford, England and it is also where he was later buried when he died (Cousins 18).
When education is concerned, no one truly knew whether or not Shakespeare wrote his plays. According to the article “The Education of William Shakespeare”, “William Shakespeare would have attended King Edwards VI Grammar school in Stratford-Upon-Avon.” ("The Education Of William Shakespeare” sec. 1). On the contrary, an article written by Dutch Steven states, “Shakespeare was not educated enough and Stratford- Upon-Avon was too backward of a place to have produced a play write of such caliber.” (Dutch, Steven para. 1). Needless to say, the true education of William Shakespeare cannot be determined because the evidence proving his schooling contradicts itself. If the true records of Shakespeare’s education were found, would it prove he wrote the plays? Why are the records of his education scrambled and inconclusive? This leads readers to believe different stories that may or may not be valid. Therefore, there is not solid evidence that Shakespeare had a strong enough education to author such elaborate plays. To conclude, there is not solid evidence that Shakespeare authored the plays.
Doubts about the true composer of Shakespeare’s works generally arise from the fact that there is no logical match between the working-class William Shaksper of Stratford and the work, and the absence of proper documentation that connect him to any of the works. According to Volker Multhopp in his essay “Why I am not a Stratfordian,” “This man achieved the absolute pinnacle of English literature in an era when class was paramount, yet his own origin was absolutely ordinary-- middle class” (1). According to the Oxford Society in the “Shakespeare Authorship FAQ,” “Nothing about the Stratford man rings true: his character, his background, his education, his family, his friends, his behavior towards his debtors and his neighbors, his recorded conversation and his attitude to money and property” (1). With all of the evidence pointed against the Stratford man as being the author of the world’s greatest literature, Stratfordians claim that the consequential details of his life pointing against him merely make him an unmitigated genius.
William Shakespeare is clouded with mystery. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England in 1564. "Although his exact birth date is not know, there is a record of his baptism on April 26, 1954" (Kay 13). "His date of birth would have fallen shortly before that day is traditionally considered to be April 23, 1954" (Campbell and Quinn 755). He was born to John Shakespeare and his wife, Mary Arden and was the oldest of three sons. He also had four sisters. "Little is known of Shakespeare's early life, although it is likely that he received an education at the good local grammar school" (Lawall 2110). Other than that, there really is not much known about Shakespeare's youth. The next concrete piece of evidence about Shakespeare's life is his marriage to Anne Hathaway in November 1582, when he was just eighteen years old. It was a marriage of inconvenience. Anne was eight years older than he was and pregnant at the time so they had no choice but to marry. Their first daughter, Susanna, was born in 1583 and twins Hamnet and Judith were born in 1585. Sha...
Due to the confusion of a minor mistake from Shakespeare’s time, his true birth date, along with where his education took place remains a mystery. The only things that biographers have to hold onto are suspicions as to where these events could’ve been observed. His suspected is birthday is observed by the public as Saint George’s Day, April 23rd. With only a day given, his exact birth year remains a questionable theory. It is believed that Shakespeare actually attended the school closest to his home in Stratford, known as the “King’s New School”, where he studies grammar. He didn’t choose to continue his studies by going forward into a university. Since there is hardly any factual information about Shakespeare, due to a slight “error”, suspicion arises. ...
William Shakespeare was educated at the local school in Stratford. Ironically, William never attended a university although virtually every English speaking universities studies his works. Bioghrapher a man educated in " the university of life." (Bender 14). His plays and other works display Shakespeare's vast knowledge of the entertainment, social mores, and culture of his native Warwickshire. William married Anne Hathaway in 1582. He was 18 and she was 26. They had twin daughters Hamnet and Judith and later their third daughter Susanna. (Bender 15). Shakespeare lived in an England that was overwhelmingly rural and had virtually no mechanized industry. It was a society very different from the one we enjoy in the U.S. today. Death and disease were the common experiences of all families during this era in England. (Andrews 67). This society was one in which a vigorous and youthful population was growing with unusual rapidity. The resulting economic development. (Andrews 72).
William Shakespeare’s intellectual use of the English language is what brought him prosperity throughout his lifetime, and what brings us to tears and laughter in the modern world. The life of Shakespeare is of great importance to English literature because of his many contributions including poetry, stories, and plays. However, many people do not know that he also owned a business. “William Shakespeare was a professional actor, a businessman, and a playwright. Today, nearly four hundred years after his death his plays are still performed” (Greenhill and Wignall 4).
“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).
In the biography “William Shakespeare: a Compact Documentary Life”, Samuel Schoenbaum is able to use diction, rhetoric, and authorial intrusion to establish a timeline of Shakespeare’s life in detail despite having so little accurate information of Shakespeare. As one of the most remarkable playwrights in the world, Shakespeare is highly influential in modern literature and in the modern world.
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...
Throughout the United States and the entire world people are aware of Shakespeare; however, many people wonder why society wants their citizens to continue to read William Shakespeare’s plays and poems. Shakespeare continues to influence today’s environment and brings people together by speaking of a common author that most people know. All across the world, students must read at least one of Shakespeare’s works; which often develop those children who read his works into better writers. During the Elizabethan Era, William Shakespeare experienced an uneventful childhood and had a basic education; however, his life still seems to be shrouded with mystery and raises the argument that he was not only the most successful, but also the most mysterious playwright, actor, and poet from that time period.
In his time, Shakespeare was the most popular playwright of London. As time passed, his smartness covers all others of his age; Jonson, Marlowe, Kyd, Greene, Dekker, Heywood—none had the craft or the kindness of character. He was the master of poetry writing and he did it well. He created the most vivid characters of the Elizabethan stage. His usage of language, both high and low, shows a remarkable fun and insight. His themes fit all generation even to this day.