William Shakespeare Biography
Fast Facts
William Shakespeare was a poet, playwright and actor. He was England's greatest writer.
In the 16th century there were many families with the name Shakespeare in and around the Stratford area. The spelling varied from Shagspere to Chacsper.
William Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564 and was probably born on April 23 of the same year.
He died 52 years later on April 23, 1616.
He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England.
He had 3 children; Susanna (baptized on May 26, 1583) and twins, Hamnet and Judith (baptized February 2, 1585)
Tragically Hamnet died of an unknown cause when he was only 11 years old.
William Shakespeare Biography
"I am not of that feather, to
shake off my friend when he must need me"
Tim of Ath, Act i, Sc.1
William Shakespeare was born to John and Mary (Arden). His father came to Stratford from Snitterfield working as an apprentice glover and tanner of leather. He prospered in Stratford as he was elected to various civic positions and worked his way up to High Bailiff (similar to Mayor). This position ensured a good education for William and his siblings. As a child, William's biggest fear was getting the Plague which was killing people all around him, including his own brothers and sisters. Indeed he was lucky to beat the odds and survive the pestilence that killed so many children.
But survive he did and he became one of the world's greatest playwrights ever. He began his education at the Stratford Grammar School when he was 6 or 7 years of age. This school is still in existence, standing near his house on Henley Street. He learned to read and write from an ABC, or horn book. Robert Speaight in his book, Shakespeare: The Man and His Achievement, describes this book as "a primer framed in wood and covered with a thin plate of transparent horn. It included the alphabet in small letters and in capitals, with combinations of the five vowels with b ,c, and d and the Lord's Prayer."
When Shakespeare was 18 he married Anne Hathaway, who was 26 years of age and several months pregnant. Their first child, Susanna, was born in May 1583, and she was followed by twins two years later. Shakespeare named the twins after his very close friends Hamnet and Judith, who were also the twins' Godparents.
By 1592 Shakespeare was
an established actor in London with a network of influential friends and
connections. Some of his plays were enjoying popularity, including Henry
VI, The Comedy of Errors and Titus Andronicus usually performed by the
company known as Pembroke's Men (so named because this company was sponsored
by the Earl of Pembroke).
Shakespeare's career took a dramatic turn for the better when in 1593 he caught the attention of the Earl of Southampton. Southampton became Shakespeare's advocate and saw to it that his poetic works were published. It is believed they became fast friends and of course such an influential benefactor advanced Shakespeare's career greatly in many ways.
In 1594 Shakespeare became a leading member of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, during which time he wrote many plays including Romeo and Juliet, Richard II, King John, and Love's Labour's Lost. Shakespeare was unique among his colleagues because he was not only a great playwright and acted in performances, but also was part-owner of the theatre itself.
It is often theorized that Shakespeare neglected his family while seeking success in London, but it is just as possible that he made frequent trips back home to be with his family during this time. After his son tragically died at only 11 years of age, Shakespeare spent even more time at home in Stratford. The deep sorrow that the sensitive poet must have felt at his great loss is expressed when he writes this passage in his play King John...
Young
Arthur is my son, and he is lost:
I am not mad: I would to heaven I were!
For then, 'tis like I should forget myself:
O, if I could, what grief should
I forget!
Preach some philosophy to make me mad,
And thou shalt be
canonized, cardinal;
For being not mad but sensible of grief,
My reasonable
part produces reason
How may I be deliver'd of these woes,
And teaches me to
kill or hang myself;
If I were mad, I should forget my son
Or madly think a
babe of clouts were he;
I am not mad ; too well, too well I feel....
...never, never Must I behold my pretty Arthur more. (III.iv.45-91)
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Resources: Mabillard, Amanda. "Shakespeare of Stratford" Shakespeare Online, 2000.
William Shakespeare Biography: A Life of Drama DVD
