|
~ William Shakespeare was
born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, about 100 miles
northwest of London, England.
~ William was the third of eight
children--three of whom died in childhood.
~
His father John owned a successful leather business, and held
the offices of alderman and bailiff.
~
Little is known of Shakespeare's boyhood, but most historians
speculate he probably attended grammar school in Stratford,
where he would have been educated in the classics.
~
Shakespeare's writings show he was well acquainted with the poet
Ovid, and the plays of Latin authors.
~
In 1582 Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, who was eight years
older and pregnant. Together, they had three children.
~
After that, Shakespeare disappears from all records ("The
Lost Years") until 1592 when he turned up in London as a
playwright.
~
Some surmise he fled Stratford to avoid prosecution for stealing
deer or he joined a group of traveling players or he became a
country schoolteacher. None can be confirmed.
~
In 1594 Shakespeare became an actor and playwright for the Lord
Chamberlain's Men, the company that later became the King's Men
under James I.
|
~
Now entitled to call himself a gentleman, he bought a
substantial estate in Stratford for the sum of £60.
~ His defining moment occurred
in 1599 with the building of the Globe Theatre. For this
playhouse, one of the most splendid in London, Shakespeare wrote
some of his greatest plays.
~ The years from 1599 to 1608
were astonishing for the richness of Shakespeare's literary
output. The plays he wrote during this period included: Julius
Caesar, As You Like It, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Troilus and
Cressida, All's Well That Ends Well, Othello, Measure for
Measure, Timon of Athens, King Lear, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra
and Coriolanus.
~ The burning of the Globe
Theatre in 1613 signaled the end of Shakespeare's active career.
Although the theatre was rebuilt the following year, Shakespeare
ended his association with it.
~ He had hoped for a long and peaceful
retirement in Stratford, but after making his will, he died
within a month. The cause of his death is unknown.
~ Shakespeare was buried inside
the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford.
|
