Biography of William Shakespeare Essay

In the mid-sixteenth century, William Shakespeares father, fundament Shakespeare, moved to the perfect township of Stratford-upon-Avon. There, he became a productive landowner, m one and only if(a)ylender, glove-maker, and dealer of wool and agricultural near(a)s. In 1557, he married Mary Arden. John Shakespeare lived during a fourth dimension when the middle come apart was expanding in both size and wealth, every last(predicate)(prenominal)owing its phalluss much freedoms and luxuries as wholesome as a louder voice in local government. He took advant sequence of the change in generation and in 1557 became a member of the Stratford Council. This return marked the beginning of his illustrious policy-making career.By 1561, he was elected one of the towns fourteen burgesses and by and by served successively as constable, one of two chamberlains, and alderman. In these positions, he administered borough property and revenues. In 1567, he became bailiffthe highest electe d office in Stratford and the equivalent of a modern-day mayor. townspeople records indicate that William Shakespeare was John and Marys third child. His bring forth is unregistered, but figment pins it on April 23, 1564, possibly because it is known that April 23 is the day on which he died 52 historic period later.In any event, his baptism was registered with the town on April 26, 1564. Little is known active his childhood, although it is generally assumed that he go to the local grammar school day, the nances rude(a) School. The school was staffed by Oxford-educated faculty who taught the students mathematics, raw(a) sciences, logic, Christian ethics, and classical language and literature. Shakespeare did non attend university, which was not at all unusual for the time. University teaching method was reserved for flush sons of the elite, mostly those who wanted to become clergymen.The legion(predicate) classical and literary references in Shakespeares plays are a tes tament, however, to the excellent education he received in grammar school (and to his ability as an autodidact). His early plays in particular draw on the workings of Seneca and Plautus. Even more impressive than his lump education is the wealth of general friendship exhibited in his works. His vocabulary exceeds that of any opposite English writer by a wide margin. In 1582, at the age of eighteen, William Shakespeare married the twenty-six-year-old Anne Hathaway.Their start-off daughter, Susanna, was name only six months latera occurrence that has given rise to speculation c one timerning the circumstances surrounding their marriage. In 1585, Anne bore twins, baptized Hamnet and Judith Shakespeare. Hamnet died at the age of eleven, by which time Shakespeare was already a successful dramatist. slightly 1589, Shakespeare wrote his supposed first off play, Henry VI, plowshare 1. Sometime between his marriage and physical composition this play, he moved to London, where he move a career as a playwright and actor.Although many records of Shakespeares life sentence as a citizen of Stratfordincluding marriage and birth certificateshave survived, very little teaching exists about his life as a young playwright. Legend characterizes Shakespeare as a roguish young man who was once forced to flee London down the stairs suspect circumstances perhaps having to do with his love life. But the little scripted information we have of his early years does not necessarily confirm this characterization. In any case, young Will was not an immediate and universal success.The earliest scripted record of Shakespeares life in London comes from a statement by the rival playwright Robert Greene. In his Groatsworth of Witte (1592), Greene calls Shakespeare an novel crow who supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blank verse as the beat out of you. While this is hardly high praise, it does educe that Shakespeare rattled the London theatrical pecking order even at the beginning of his career. It is natural, in retrospect, to attribute Greenes complaint to jealousy of Shakespeares ability, but of course we plentyt be sure.With Richard III, Henry VI, The waggery of Errors, and Titus Andronicus under his belt, Shakespeare was a popular playwright by 1590. * The year 1593, however, marked a major leap forward in his career. By the end of that year, he secured a prominent patron in the Earl of Southampton and his genus Venus and Adonis was published. It re main(prenominal)s one of the first of his known works to be printed and was a huge success. Next came The Rape of Lucrece. Shakespeare had as well made his mark as a poet and most scholars agree that the majority of Shakespeares sonnets were probably written in the 1590s.In 1594, Shakespeare returned to the theater and became a charter member of the Lord Chamberlains Mena group of actors who changed their name to the Kings Men when James I ascended to the throne. By 1598, he was the principa l comedian for the ships company by 1603, he was principal tragedian. He remained associated with the organization until his death. Although acting and playwriting were not considered horrible professions at the time, successful and prosperous actors were relatively well respected. Shakespeares success left-hand(a) him with a fair amount of money, which he nvested in Stratford real estate.In 1597, he purchased the second largest house in Stratfordthe revolutionary Placefor his parents. In 1596, Shakespeare applied for a coat of arms for his family, in transaction making himself a gentleman. Consequently, his daughters made good matches, marrying wealthy men. The same year that he joined the Lord Chamberlains Men, Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet, on with Loves Labours Lost, The Taming of the Shrew, and several other plays. Two of his superior tragedies, Hamlet and Julius Caesar, followed around 1600.Hamlet is wide considered the first modern play for its multi-faceted mai n character and unprecedented depiction of his psyche. The first decade of the seventeenth century witnessed the launching performances of many of Shakespeares most notable works, including many of his so-called history plays Othello in 1604 or 1605, Antony and Cleopatra in 1606 or 1607, and King Lear in 1608. The last play of his to be performed was probably King Henry octad in either 1612 or 1613. William Shakespeare lived until 1616. His married woman Anna died in 1623 at the age of 67.He was buried in the chancel of his church service at Stratford. The lines above his tomballegedly written by Shakespeare himselfread skillful friend, for Jesus sake forbear To spear the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones And cursed be he that moves my bones. *The dates of composition and performance of almost all of Shakespeares plays remain uncertain. The dates used in this note are widely hold upon by scholars, but there is mum significant debate around when and where he wrote most of his plays.