Biography of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was born in 1564, supposedly on 22 or 23 April, in
Stratford-upon-Avon. His father, John, who was a prosperous glover there, preparing and selling soft leather, became alderman and later high bailiff.
Shakespeare was educated at Stratford Grammar School. When he was eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway - eight years older than he and already, she was pregnant.
Six months later their daughter Susanna was born. They had twins, a boy Hamnet and a girl named Judith, two years later.
There are no records of Shakespeare's life during the seven years that followed, ‘the lost years'. But by 1592 he was already an established actor and playwright in London. He joined the Lord Chamberlain's Men in 1594, working as a leading actor and dramatist. By 1599 this all-male company of experienced and talented players - no women appeared on the stage until the Restoration - had built their own theatre, the Globe. Its owners were seven member of the company, including Shakespeare himself, who shared in its profits. For the next decade the Globe, on the Thames at Bankside, was to be London's chief theatre, and the home of Shakespeare's work. Many of his greatest plays were written during these ten years, and were acted there. Both Queen Elizabeth, and after her
James I, showed the company many favors.
In 1613, during a performance of Henry VIII, the Globe was destroyed by fire. But the Lord Chamberlain's men, by now called the King's Men, had four years earlier leased a second, smaller playhouse, the Blackfriars. This was an indoor theatre, unlike the Globe which was open to the sky, and it had the technical facilities for scenic effects - a fact which probably accounts for the spectacular element in Shakespeare's late plays.
In 1612, Shakespeare, it seems, went home. His son Hamnet had died when only eleven, but his two daughters were in Stratford-upon-avon with his wife
Anne. He was now a wealthy man and had, as long before as 1597, bought a
The stage was in proscenium form so it allowed most audience members to have the same amount of viewing as others throughout the theater. Due to the theatre space being so small and intimate, it created the relevant atmosphere of everything on stage happening to be small.
Shakespeare’s shows have been performed throughout the world including Great Britain. They have been seen in the Globe Theatre in London since the Elizabethan times.
The idea to honor Shakespeare and his plays by reconstructing the Globe was by an American actor and director, Sam Wanamaker. This had been a 27-year epic adventure of the dreams of Wanamaker (Smithsonian Magazine, November 1997). To his content of his trials and tribulations, he “wheedled and cajoled” the British into rebuilding the Bard’s theater (Smithsonian Magazine, November 1997). He began formal fundraising efforts in 1970. He founded the Shakespeare Globe Trust to start the reconstruction that was nearly 400 years late. It would be built from scratch on its original site in Southwark, London, on the South Bank of the Thames River (Smithsonian Magazine, November 1997). Wanamaker died in 1993, and Globe architect Theo Crosby passed away the following year, before the project could be finished.
The Globe Theater was built around 1598 in London’s Bankside district. It was one of four major
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).
... the people of the Renaissance would have during the fifteenth and sixteenth century. It continues to affect, inform, and inspire its audiences in London. The Globe Theater will always be “All the World’s Stage” ("Fun Facts on the Globe theater”).
The original Globe theater, built in 1576, was actually just called "The Theater" and was
So to conclude, we can safely agree with most academics that William Shakespeare did exist and that he did indeed write the 37 plays and 154 sonnets credited to him.
The Globe Theatre was where Shakespeare had most of his plays performed. It had many decorations to make it look appealing and to try and to make it seem expensive and luxurious. The Globe Theatre was built in just 6 months between 1597 and 1598 just outside central London. The Thames River separated it from St Paul’s cathedral. The Globe was made in a round circular shape. This meant that at least one actor would have their back to the audience, however, this would not have mattered because the audience came mainly to hear the play – not to see it. When you were buying a seat for the theatre, the most expensive seats would not be the ones with the best view, they would be the closest ones in order to hear better. Also, these seats would be facing towards the audience, which means that everyone would see them, meaning fame. The Globe would usually be packed with decorations and ornaments. These would have nothing to do with the play, it was used to make the theatre look more attractive/expensive. Lots of people would come to see the plays. They would do this because Shakespeare’s plays were not published at that time so the public would want to see it...
There was a gap in his life where no one had any evidence of him or his wife. Between 1585 and 1592. All people know, is that he left Stratford for London either in 1586 or 87.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live during the Elizabethan Era? To see the works of great playwrights such as William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson firsthand? The theater was one of the cornerstones of Elizabethan life, and many people knew the works of Shakespeare and Jonson. While Shakespeare was arguably the greatest of the time, many other playwrights, including Jonson, flourished during this time period.
William Shakespeare, poet and playwright, utilized humor and irony as he developed specific language for his plays, thereby influencing literature forever. “Shakespeare became popular in the eighteenth century” (Epstein 8). He was the best all around. “Shakespeare was a classic” (8). William Shakespeare is a very known and popular man that has many works, techniques and ways. Shakespeare is the writer of many famous works of literature. His comedies include humor while his plays and poems include irony. Shakespeare sets himself apart by using his own language and word choice. Shakespeare uses certain types of allusions that people always remember, as in the phrase from Romeo and Juliet, “star-crossed lovers”.
First off, the Globe Theater was located in Southwark, London. It was next to the Bear Garden, which was a facility for bear-baiting. In the text of The History of Globe Theater it stated, “In Christmas 1598 the company sought a drastic solution: they released a plot near the rose, a rival theater in Southwark, demolished the theater and carried its timbers across the river”(History of the Globe). James Burbage was the man who came up with the idea to build the theater. When the year 1599 was finally here, the Globe Theater was up and running.
When theaters first stated they weren’t very popular. Authoritarians didn’t approve of them; in 1574 having theaters in the city limits were banned. Many people said that it was bad for the youth and lead to prostitution. Queen Elizabeth I loved the art of theater and enjoyed watching performances. She helped theaters become popular in the cities and with the cities citizens. Shakespeare’s Theater was full of life and was different from today. During the plays people wouldn’t just sit and watch; people would talk, eat, and drink. They cheered at the parts they liked and booed at the parts they didn’t like. The audience would even sometimes throw objects at the actors.
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.