William Shakespeare was a man who lived a very interesting life. Most people may not realize all the hard work he went through, to become so renowned and still be remembered today after hundreds of years. Although some of the happenings in his life are unknown or lost, there are portions that scholars been able to piece together. First, his birth and family are important, as well as his schooling and childhood, and finally his married life.
First, Williams birth and family. It is said that William Shakespeare was born around April 23, 1564, in Stratford on Avon. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but people say around the 23 of April because he was baptized at the Holy Trinity church on April 26. Back then most baptisms took place about three days after a child was born.
William was the son of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. John Shakespeare made gloves, owned a general store and held high town offices such as mayor for a few years. Not much information is known about his mother Mary Arden other than that she’s from a farming family and is a higher class than John. His parents were married around 1557. Shakespeare was the third of 8 children. He had three brothers and four sisters. In 1558 John and Mary had their first child, a girl named Joan. Unfortunately, Joan only lived for about two months and then died from the Black Death plague that struck the town. Four years later, they had another daughter named Margaret. She lived for a year, but supposedly also died from the plague, although no one knows for sure. After Joan came William. He was their first son and the first of Mary and John’s children that survived to adulthood. After William came Gilbert, another son who lived to adulthood. In 1569, Mary...
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... of school early to help his father in the store. It’s astounding that he is still known today for all his accomplishments when he didn’t even finish school. Now, hopefully, a little more light has been shed on Shakespeare’s family, school and his married life.
Works Cited
Adams, Michael. Othello. Barron’s. 2004. eLibrary. Web. 20 Nov. 2013
Mabillard, Amanda. “Shakespeare’s Brothers and Sisters.” Shakespeare’s Brothers and Sisters. N.P. N.D. Web. 10 Dec. 2013
“Shakespeare, William.” British Authors Before 1800, Print.
“Stratford-upon-Avon.” A History of William Shakespeare’s Life in Stratford-upon-Avon. N.P. N.D. Web. 19 Nov. 2013
“William Shakespeare Biography.” Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, Web. 24. Nov. 2013
“William Shakespeare.” World Book 2002. 2002 ed.
Wright, Louis B. Shakespeare’s England. New York, NY: American Heritage Pub. 1964. Print.
Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespeare. Edited Stephen Greenblatt et al. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997.
“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).
* Shakespeare, William. The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans, et al. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1974.
Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespeare. Edited Stephen Greenblatt et al. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997.
Although William Shakespeare is considered to be one of the most revered and well-renowned authors of all time, controversy surrounds the belief that he actually produced his own literary works. Some rumors even go so far as to question the reality of such a one, William Shakespeare, brought on by paralleling the quality of his pieces with his personal background and education. With such farfetched allegations, it persuaded others to peek into the person we all are taught to learn as “Shakespeare”, but who is actually the person behind these genius works of literary promise and enlightenment? To some, Shakespeare is as much accredited to his works as frequently as you see his name placed. To others, Shakespeare is a complex enigma into which we the people are supposed to unravel; the true author behind a falsely-given pseudonym. The debate pertaining to the true authorship of William Shakespeare’s works are still questioned in today’s society.
Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespeare. Edited Stephen Greenblatt et al. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997.
...G. B. (2003). Shakespeare, William. Retrieved April 8, 2011, from Gale Virtual Reference Library database.
William was the third child of John and Mary Shakespeare. The first two were daughters and William was himself followed by Gilbert who died in 1612 and Richard who died in 1613. Edmund (1580-1607), sixth in the line was baptized on May the third, 1580 and William's oldest living sister was Joan who outlived her famous playwright brother. Of William's seven siblings, only Judith and four of his brothers survived to adulthood.
Shakespeare’s life in Elizabethan England was rather secretive. Education was taken very seriously, but he dropped out of school at age 14 to become his father’s apprentice. Due to his parents not having enough money, he did not attend university. Anne Hathaway became his wife when he was 18 because she was pregnant with his child. Little is known about Shakespeare’s marriage and his life during his early adult years, but he began working in London when he was around 28 years old. At first, Shakespeare was an actor, but eventually he became a playwright. He lived away from his wife and three children, visiting only during Lent when performances were prohibited in London.
Perhaps one of the most well-known authors, William Shakespeare, has created many popular works, which students read and discuss in schools all over the world. Nearly everyone in western culture has heard of him yet his life remains a mystery. For example no one is certain of his date of birth and death, what killed him, or where he went to school. On top of that, for a solid seven years he simple disappeared from all records. Knowing Shakespeare’s real life story will help one understand the man who created such classics like “Romeo and Juliet” and “Hamlet”. By looking into his early years, the start of his career, and his later year’s one can truly understand this literary legend.
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...
William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 in Statford-on-Aivone. Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright who wrote plays such as Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caser and many more. He married Anne Hathaway in 1582 and bore three children. He began his career in London as an actor, writer, and a part owner of a playing company. He also worked as an assistant schoolmaster in Lancashire, working with someone would teach him to write better and get a better feel for work. Shakespeare became such a successful playwright that his family was granted with having
William Shakespeare was born in the year of 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. His exact birth date is unknown but it is traditionally celebrated on April 23. In England this day is known as the feast of St. George. He was the third of eight children born to John and Mary Arden Shakespeare. John Shakespeare was a tanner, and a glove maker. He served a term as the mayor of Stratford, a town council man, a justice of peace, and an ale-taster. Unfortunately John could not write. John Shakespeare died in 1601. Since William was his eldest son he received what little land his father owned. Little is known about his mother's life. It is known that she came from a wealthy family. Her family also paid her husband a handsome dowry.
"Shakespeare, William." Elizabethan World Reference Library. Ed. Sonia G. Benson and Jennifer York Stock. Vol. 2: Biographies. Detroit: UXL, 2007. 197-207. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.
William Shakespeare a man of mystery who burst and lacerated through all boundaries and barriers to reach the zenith of writing. Shakespeare was surmised to be born on April 23 1564. Scholars theorize and debate if Shakespeare obtained education at the age of six or seven at the school of Stratford Grammar School , 200 yards off of his birth place and adjacent to his home. Shakespeare had been expunged of the Stratford facility due to his fathers financial problems and obligations. There was notoriety that Shakespeare worked for a municipal butcher to support his fathers financial problems. Once Shakespeare was relived from his duty at the local butcher he sauté to be a literary virtuoso by cogitating consistently. From this sentence on Shakespeare became a locomotive transitioning to a period in his life established as the “Lost Years.”