Biography of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564. He was baptized on April 24, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. He was the third of eight children born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, three of whom died in childhood. John was a well-known merchant and Mary was the daughter of a Roman Catholic member of the gentry, or high social position. The house where Shakespeare spent his childhood stood adjacent to he wool shop in which his father plied a successful trade as a glover and dealer in leather goods and other commodities. Before moving to Stratford sometime prior to 1552 John Shakespeare had been a farmer in the neighboring village of Snitterfield. Whether he was able to read and write is uncertain. By marrying Mary Arden, the daughter of his father's landlord, he acquired the benefits of a better social standing and a lucrative inheritance, much of which he invested in property such as houses. And by involving himself in public service, he rose by sure degrees to the highest municipal positions Stratford had to offer such as: chamberlain in 1561, alderman in 1565, and bailiff ,or mayor, and justice of the peace in 1568.
Shakespeare was educated at the local grammar school. According to history, because Shakespeare was the eldest son, he should have been the apprentice to his father's shop so that he could be taught everything his father knew and soon take over the business. But instead he was the apprentice to a butcher because of the trouble in his father's financial situation. Just what happened to alter John Shakespeare's financial and social position after the mid 1570s is not clear. Shakespeare was still allowed a lot of free time when he was young. This was suggested by his...
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...kes the pharmacist's swiftly acting potion and dies. Just then, Friar Laurence appears: trying to run to the tomb of the Capulets, the priest tripped and stumbled over tombstones and arrived too late to save Romeo from his misguided suicide. He then enters the tomb just as Juliet wakes from her slumber. Friar Laurence tells Juliet that Romeo is dead. She takes Romeo's dagger and stabs herself to death when Friar Laurence is distracted. The Prince, the Capulets, and the Montagues then enter. Friar Laurence tells the Prince and the others about the failed plan to bring Romeo and Juliet together and of their tragic, mistaken suicides. The Prince chastises the heads of the families, declaring that it is their fault that this catastrophe has occurred. Old Montague and Old Capulet join hands; the feud is over, and they agree to erect golden statutes of Romeo and Juliet.
The play, Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, is about a tragedy of two star crossed lovers who want nothing more than to be together forever. “…Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.” (2.2.35-36) Romeo, a Montague, who is young and passionate, meets Juliet at a Capulet party. When they meet, it’s love at first sight. Juliet, a Capulet, is a beautiful young lady tired of being controlled by her father, Lord Capulet. The two families are in a never ending feud that comes between Romeo and Juliet’s love. In the course of four and a half days, Romeo and Juliet plan their marriage with the help of Priest Friar Laurence and Juliet’s Nurse. After the couple is married, Romeo is banished from the city of Verona, causing an issue for their ideal fate together. Lord Capulet forced Juliet to marry Count Paris after she married Romeo, leaving Friar to structure a plan to avoid a second marriage for Juliet. Juliet takes a sleeping potion that makes her believably dead for forty-two hours – during this time, Romeo was to be told that she is still alive; however he was not, so he purchased illegal poison so that he did not have to live without Juliet. Juliet wakes up only to find her true love lying dead next to her, thinking it necessary to stab herself with a dagger. After the couple dies, there leaves one question; Who should be pardoned, and who should be punished? The Nurse should be pardoned, while Friar Laurence and Count Paris should be punished.
Juliet, desperate to avoid wedding Paris, visits him, with a dagger in hand. In order to avoid her death in that moment, Friar Laurence promises to give her a potion that will allow her to appear dead long enough so that Romeo may be able to return from Mantua. Thus, the two will be able to escape Verona together. He explains “And this distilling liquor drink thou off/When presently through all thy veins shall run/A cold and drowsy humor; for no pulse/No warmth, no breath shall testify thou livest” (4.1.94-96). Friar Laurence describes his plan, saying that the potion Juliet will drink will make her appear deceased. It will give Romeo time to get to the Capulet tomb, and they will be able to live together for the rest of their lives. Although he explains his plan somewhat thoroughly, Friar Laurence goes on to say he will deliver a letter to Romeo, that of which is never delivered by Friar John. Romeo hears news of Juliet's so called passing by his companion, Balthasar. He tells Romeo “Her body sleeps in Capels’ monument/And her immortal part with angels lives/I saw her laid low in her kindred’s vault/And presently took post to tell it to you” (5.1.18-21) Due to how the citizens of Verona believe that Juliet has really passed away, Balthasar truly believes that she is deceased. He explains that he has seen her laid to rest in the
While Romeo flees to Mantua Juliet is forced to marry Paris. With desperation Juliet goes to Friar Lawrence to create a plan to stop the marriage. Friar Lawrence comes up with a plan that Juliet will take a potion that will make Juliet appear to be dead and then she is to be buried in the Capulet tomb. While this happens Friar Lawrence will send Friar John, with a letter with all the information, to Romeo in Mantua. The plan is then set in place, but something goes terribly wrong. Friar John never makes it to Romeo, but Romeo has received false information that Juliet is actually dead. Romeo struck with grief he decides that life is not worth living without his Juliet. Romeo returns to Mantua to lie with his wife, but runs into Paris. Pairs tries to arrest Romeo, so Romeo just kills him. After slaying Paris Romeo enters the Capulet tomb, kisses his wife then he takes his life. Juliet wakes up just after Romeo has killed himself and the law is coming so she has to think fast. Under the pressure Juliet uses Romeo's knife to end her life. When the law shows up they send for the rulers of the house of the Montagues and the Capulets. After they have seen the sight of their dead children they end the feud giving the hero his ultimate
... when Romeo is banished for the murder of Tybalt, the antagonist, and Capulet plans to marry Juliet to the County Paris in two days time, bringing the story to its climax. The news brings Juliet to the brink of, ironically, suicide. In order to avoid this, Friar Laurence devises an ingenious plan, however, bit by bit it unravels. Romeo never receives the letter, and this leads to a spiral of poor luck. Paris is killed by Romeo, and after Romeo kills himself, Juliet sees him there and kills herself. The dramatic irony of the entire plot is that Friar Laurence was aiming to join the two families in love with the marriage of Romeo and Juliet, which he did, but only through their death. The two lovers, Romeo being a mania lover and Juliet being a ludus lover, also shared a tragic flaw; they believed in love more than they did in taking responsibility for their actions.
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.
Shakespeare is believed to have been born on April 23, 1564 and baptized three days later on April 26, 1564 at the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon. He started school at the age of five and there William Shakespeare learned how to read and write. By the age of eight he was enrolled at the Stratford's Grammar School where he was taught by well paid Oxford men. Shakespeare learned Latin text, that fired his imagination, and Greek from the Greek New Testament.
In the course of the play, Romeo and Juliet immediately fall in love. Also, they know they are meant for each other and therefore decide to get married. After this marriage, there was a brief moment in time where everything was perfect. They are married, in love and there is nothing stopping them from being together. This however quickly changes after a fight that leads to death. Once Romeo is banished from Verona for the penalty of murder, love grows tremendously between the couple and drives the need to be together. The marriage between Romeo and Juliet is hidden from their parents, so Montague decides to arrange a marriage between her and Paris. With all the conflict arising between Juliet’s family, Friar Lawrence creates a plan that unfortunately does not succeed. His plan for Juliet is to tell her father she will marry Paris then go to bed with no one, not even the nurse. After, she will drink a potion to make her seem dead for forty two hours and then have a messenger tell Romeo about it. He will have her put in a vault to wait for Friar to bring her out so she and Romeo can elope. The plan was perfect until tragedy occurs, Benvolio had seen Juliet dead and immediately tells Romeo about it. The result is Romeo and Juliet murdering themselves and the play had a tragic ending. Overall, young, innocent lovers die, through no fault of their own but a simple mistake. “How oft when men are at the
From baptism records, we know William's father was a John Shakespeare, said to be a town official of Stratford and a local businessman who dabbled in tanning, leatherwork and whittawering which is working with white leather to make items like purses and gloves. John also dealt in grain and sometimes was described as a glover by trade.
William’s father, John Shakespeare married Mary Arden in the year 1557. “John and Mary Shakespeare’s first two children, Joan and Margaret, died as babies. Such early death was not unusual because there was no protection against childhood illnesses . It is remarkable that their next child, William, survived” (Greenhill and Wignall 5). It is estimated that William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564. William was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon. Stratford-upon-Avon is a famous tourist attraction today. Hundreds of thousands of people visit Stratford every year to view William’s birthplace, death place, and grave. “William was born when the plague was raging in Stratford. That year nearly fifteen percent of the town’s population died of the killer disease” (Greenhill and Wignall 5). When William was about six he was sent to the King’s New School. The King’s New School was a grammar school. “The school day in the 1500s was long and hard” (Greenhill and Wignall 5). School began as early as six in the morning and ended at five in the afternoon. There were eight hours of teaching in a day and the school day began and ended with prayers. “Schoolwork at the g...
“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).
When the friar hears of this, he devises a plan so that the two lovers can be together. The major climax of the play comes when the friar gives Juliet a potion that will make it seem as though she has died, when in fact she is alive the whole time. While in Mantua, Romeo mistakenly hears that Juliet has actually died and he goes to lay by her side. Just as he takes a vile poison and dies, Juliet awakens to find her love lying dead at her side. She cannot fathom living in a world without Romeo, so she takes his sword and ends her own life.
England's most talented and well know poet and dramatist was born on April 23, 1564, at Stratford-upon-Avon, located in the cetre of England. His father, John, was a glove-maker and wool dealer involved with money lending. His mother Mary Arden was the daughter of a Farmer. William was the third out of eight children whom all died young. His father became Mayor in 1568, after serving on the town council for many years.
William Shakespeare was a very talented man known for his various works of literature. His works include poems, plays, and sonnets. His works are then broken down into tragedies, comedies, and histories. Shakespeare left this world centuries ago, but his writings continue to live throughout the world today. He has greatly impacted the world of literature and his existence will forever be remembered.
Shakespeare’s childhood impacted him greatly into becoming who he was. Shakespeare’s childhood was neither exceptional nor dreadful; therefore, he had an uneventful childhood. William Shakespeare was evidently born on April 23, 1564, which is commonly known as St. George’s Day. The records from Holy Trinity Church attested that he was baptized there on April 26, 1564 (Pressley). Traditionally in the Elizabethan era, three days after birth of a child it would be baptized. This led many people to believe that Shakespeare was born on the 23 of April due to his baptism date. Shakespeare was born to Mary Arden and John Shakespeare in the quaint yet wealthy town of Stratford. His father was a glove maker, and Mary was from a higher social class; she was a daughter of a landowner (“Shakespeare, William.” 197-207). Shakespeare’s parents were well respected in the town, even though the family was not royalty. Shakespeare’s home in Stratford was no...
He was born in Stratford-on-Avon on April 23rd, 1564. Shakespeare never attended a university and was thought to have been educated at a local school in Stratford. The purpose of this minor school was to prepare scholars for the hard toil of the grammar school. No history, geography, music, handicrafts or physical training was taught. It is evident no doubt that William gained something from the Latin texts he read at school. He loved Ovid and was overjoyed when towards the end of the century Francis Meres wrote: ‘As the soule of Euphorbus was thought to live in Pythagoras: so the sweete wittie soule of Ovis lives in mellifluous an...