William Shakespeare Biography

"All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players." (www.ise.uvic.ca) This quote, written by William Shakespeare, illustrates that everybody is a little part of the big world, merely playing his or her "role" as a human. It very much describes the bard himself, being a little part of that "stage". Although his part was small, he still made an incredible impact. William Shakespeare was a fabulous playwright, writing great plays and putting forth ultimate effort.

Shakespeare's early life shaped him into what we know him as today. Scholars believe that the bard was born on April 23, 1564; this date is based on the date of his christening. Though Shakespeare hit it big, his family did not. They were only a middle class family, making just enough to get by. Being one of six children, the eldest, that was a lot of work for his parents to support them all. Nevertheless, his mother, Mary, had some inherited money and his father was one of Stratford's leading men.

Shakespeare's way of life in his early years was quite normal. He grew up in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon. It was a small, worldly market town in the middle of the country.

It was in Stratford that he began his education. The dramatist's schooling was probably a big factor in helping him to be so intelligent. At the age of four, the bard went to a small, local school. From about the age of six to around the age of fourteen, he attended a free grammar school where he learned Latin. Finally, at the age of sixteen he graduated with honors from Stratford Grammar. One of the most important parts of his education was that he studied many aspiring authors, such as Seneca.

Everybody knows Shakespeare for his plays. The dramatist produced three kinds of plays: tragedies, comedies, and histories. Tragedies were a type of play where the main character was doomed to death. Comedies are not the same as they are now. Back in the bard's time, comedies were silly complications that finally get resolved and end in a happy conclusion. Histories were true English stories that Shakespeare changed and elaborated into plays. It was not all black and white; he tied humor into tragedies, serious issues into comedies, and fake information into histories.