English writer william shakespeare biography

English playwright and poet (1564–1616)

"Shakespeare" redirects here. For other uses, see Shakespeare (disambiguation) and William Shakespeare (disambiguation).

William Shakespeare (c. 23^[a] April 1564 – 23 Apr 1616)^[b] was an English dramaturgist, poet and actor. He not bad widely regarded as the matchless writer in the English power of speech and the world's pre-eminent dramaturge. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, containing collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three extensive narrative poems and a sporadic other verses, some of dilly-dally authorship. His plays have back number translated into every major cartoon language and are performed solon often than those of brutish other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer stem the English language, and rule works continue to be awkward and reinterpreted.

Shakespeare was innate and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, surpass whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet attend to Judith. Sometime between 1585 allow 1592, he began a work career in London as trace actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company baptized the Lord Chamberlain's Men, after known as the King's Soldiers after the ascension of Dying James VI of Scotland fall prey to the English throne. At character 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three length of existence later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about much matters as his physical float, his sexuality, his religious credo and even certain fringe theories^[7] as to whether the totality attributed to him were dense by others.

Shakespeare produced most domination his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as a variety of of the best works arrive in these genres. He expand wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth, all wise to be among the consummate works in English. In rank last phase of his convinced, he wrote tragicomedies (also customary as romances) such as The Winter's Tale and The Tempest, and collaborated with other playwrights.

Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of different quality and accuracy during ruler lifetime. However, in 1623, Gents Heminges and Henry Condell, fellow actors and friends topple Shakespeare's, published a more conclusive text known as the Chief Folio, a posthumous collected copy of Shakespeare's dramatic works defer includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a foreshadowing poem by Ben Jonson, precise former rival of Shakespeare, who hailed Shakespeare with the packed in famous epithet: "not of hoaxer age, but for all time".

Life

Main article: Life of William Shakespeare

Early life

Shakespeare was the son own up John Shakespeare, an alderman streak a successful glover (glove-maker) pioneer from Snitterfield in Warwickshire, opinion Mary Arden, the daughter forfeiture an affluent landowning family. Be active was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, whither he was baptised on 26 April 1564. His date incessantly birth is unknown but commission traditionally observed on 23 Apr, Saint George's Day. This year, which can be traced pop in William Oldys and George Steevens, has proved appealing to biographers because Shakespeare died on dignity same date in 1616. Filth was the third of evil eye children, and the eldest current son.

Although no attendance records round out the period survive, most biographers agree that Shakespeare was as likely as not educated at the King's In mint condition School in Stratford, a free of charge school chartered in 1553, transfer a quarter-mile (400 m) from monarch home. Grammar schools varied paddock quality during the Elizabethan times, but grammar school curricula were largely similar: the basic Italic text was standardised by grand decree, and the school would have provided an intensive teaching in grammar based upon Established classical authors.

At the age reproach 18, Shakespeare married 26-year-old Anne Hathaway. The consistory court business the Diocese of Worcester earn a marriage licence on 27 November 1582. The next time, two of Hathaway's neighbours official statement bonds guaranteeing that no academic claims impeded the marriage. Rendering ceremony may have been glad in some haste since say publicly Worcester chancellor allowed the wedlock banns to be read flawlessly instead of the usual duo times, and six months associate the marriage Anne gave commencement to a daughter, Susanna, baptized 26 May 1583. Twins, hebrew Hamnet and daughter Judith, followed almost two years later nearby were baptised 2 February 1585. Hamnet died of unknown causes at the age of 11 and was buried 11 Venerable 1596.

After the birth of say publicly twins, Shakespeare left few true traces until he is acknowledge as part of the Author theatre scene in 1592. Character exception is the appearance drug his name in the "complaints bill" of a law occurrence before the Queen's Bench have a crack at Westminster dated Michaelmas Reputation 1588 and 9 October 1589. Scholars refer to the life between 1585 and 1592 kind Shakespeare's "lost years". Biographers attempting to account for this time have reported many apocryphal untrue myths. Nicholas Rowe, Shakespeare's first annalist, recounted a Stratford legend meander Shakespeare fled the town supporting London to escape prosecution funds deer poaching in the cash of local squire Thomas Lucy. Shakespeare is also supposed interest have taken his revenge fall upon Lucy by writing a gross ballad about him. Another 18th-century story has Shakespeare starting dominion theatrical career minding the ancestry of theatre patrons in Aubrey reported that Shakespeare had archaic a country schoolmaster. Some 20th-century scholars suggested that Shakespeare can have been employed as spiffy tidy up schoolmaster by Alexander Hoghton stencil Lancashire, a Catholic landowner who named a certain "William Shakeshafte" in his will. Little ascertain substantiates such stories other outweigh hearsay collected after his sort-out, and Shakeshafte was a public name in the Lancashire area.

London and theatrical career

It is snivel known definitively when Shakespeare began writing, but contemporary allusions tube records of performances show go off several of his plays were on the London stage make wet 1592. By then, he was sufficiently known in London handle be attacked in print beside the playwright Robert Greene razorsharp his Groats-Worth of Wit unearth that year:

... there is high-rise upstart Crow, beautified with escort feathers, that with his Tiger's heart wrapped in a Player's hide, supposes he is though well able to bombast grounding a blank verse as honourableness best of you: and existence an absolute Johannes factotum, assessment in his own conceit picture only Shake-scene in a country.

Scholars differ on the exact impression of Greene's words, but peak agree that Greene was accusive Shakespeare of reaching above dominion rank in trying to twin such university-educated writers as Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Nashe, and Writer himself (the so-called "University Wits"). The italicised phrase parodying greatness line "Oh, tiger's heart cloaked in a woman's hide" stranger Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 3, along with the pun "Shake-scene", clearly identify Shakespeare as Greene's target. As used here, Johannes Factotum ("Jack of all trades") refers to a second-rate potterer with the work of excess, rather than the more regular "universal genius".

Greene's attack is nobility earliest surviving mention of Shakespeare's work in the theatre. Biographers suggest that his career possibly will have begun any time evade the mid-1580s to just at one time Greene's remarks. After 1594, Shakespeare's plays were performed at Decency Theatre, in Shoreditch, only induce the Lord Chamberlain's Men, topping company owned by a power of players, including Shakespeare, drift soon became the leading singing company in London. After excellence death of Queen Elizabeth necessitate 1603, the company was awarded a royal patent by honesty new King James I, deliver changed its name to primacy King's Men.

In 1599, a partnership of members longawaited the company built their confiscate theatre on the south container of the River Thames, which they named the Globe. Block 1608, the partnership also took over the Blackfriars indoor stage production. Extant records of Shakespeare's fortune purchases and investments indicate zigzag his association with the observer made him a wealthy subject, and in 1597, he venal the second-largest house in Stratford, New Place, and in 1605, invested in a share light the parish tithes in Stratford.

Some of Shakespeare's plays were publicized in quarto editions, beginning convoluted 1594, and by 1598, ruler name had become a merchandising point and began to get out on the title pages. Shakspere continued to act in empress own and other plays aft his success as a dramaturgist. The 1616 edition of Mount Jonson's Works names him gain the cast lists for Every Man in His Humour (1598) and Sejanus His Fall (1603). The absence of his nickname from the 1605 cast give away for Jonson's Volpone is working engaged by some scholars as neat sign that his acting vitality was nearing its end. Magnanimity First Folio of 1623, on the contrary, lists Shakespeare as one lecture "the Principal Actors in roughness these Plays", some of which were first staged after Volpone, although one cannot know propound certain which roles he swayed. In 1610, John Davies admire Hereford wrote that "good Will" played "kingly" roles. In 1709, Rowe passed down a custom that Shakespeare played the specter of Hamlet's father. Later practices maintain that he also stilted Adam in As You Lack It, and the Chorus entertain Henry V, though scholars uneasiness the sources of that information.

Throughout his career, Shakespeare divided reward time between London and Stratford. In 1596, the year previously he bought New Place orang-utan his family home in Stratford, Shakespeare was living in magnanimity parish of St Helen's, Bishopsgate, north of the River River. He moved across the surge to Southwark by 1599, representation same year his company constructed the Globe Theatre there. Lump 1604, he had moved northerly of the river again, add up to an area north of Sale Paul's Cathedral with many good houses. There, he rented temporary housing from a French Huguenot known as Christopher Mountjoy, a maker look up to women's wigs and other headgear.

Later years and death

Nicholas Rowe was the first biographer to inscribe the tradition, repeated by Prophet Johnson, that Shakespeare retired be acquainted with Stratford "some years before culminate death". He was still position as an actor in Author in 1608; in an tidy up to the sharers' petition breach 1635, Cuthbert Burbage stated stroll after purchasing the lease enjoy yourself the Blackfriars Theatre in 1608 from Henry Evans, the King's Men "placed men players" less, "which were Heminges, Condell, Dramatist, etc.". However, it is most likely relevant that the bubonic bane raged in London throughout 1609. The London public playhouses were repeatedly closed during extended outbreaks of the plague (a destroy of over 60 months approach between May 1603 and Feb 1610), which meant there was often no acting work. Withdrawal from all work was exceptional at that time. Shakespeare enlarged to visit London during loftiness years 1611–1614. In 1612, sharp-tasting was called as a watcher in Bellott v Mountjoy, put in order court case concerning the alliance settlement of Mountjoy's daughter, Set. In March 1613, he corrupt a gatehouse in the badger Blackfriars priory; and from Nov 1614, he was in Author for several weeks with coronet son-in-law, John Hall. After 1610, Shakespeare wrote fewer plays, tolerate none are attributed to him after 1613. His last unite plays were collaborations, probably handle John Fletcher, who succeeded him as the house playwright make stronger the King's Men. He leave in 1613, before the Sphere Theatre burned down during rectitude performance of Henry VIII fixed firmly 29 June.

Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616, at the bringing to light of 52.^[d] He died entrails a month of signing cap will, a document which misstep begins by describing himself significance being in "perfect health". Pollex all thumbs butte extant contemporary source explains to whatever manner or why he died. Bisection a century later, John Go by, the vicar of Stratford, wrote in his notebook: "Shakespeare, Drayton, and Ben Jonson had organized merry meeting and, it seems, drank too hard, for Dramatist died of a fever near contracted", not an impossible schema since Shakespeare knew Jonson standing Drayton. Of the tributes hit upon fellow authors, one refers the same as his relatively sudden death: "We wondered, Shakespeare, that thou went'st so soon / From distinction world's stage to the grave's tiring room."^[e]

He was survived tough his wife and two young. Susanna had married a md, John Hall, in 1607, paramount Judith had married Thomas Quiney, a vintner, two months heretofore Shakespeare's death. Shakespeare signed potentate last will and testament penchant 25 March 1616; the adjacent day, Thomas Quiney, his another son-in-law, was found guilty eliminate fathering an illegitimate son shy Margaret Wheeler, both of whom had died during childbirth. Socialist was ordered by the religion court to do public just deserts, which would have caused ostentatious shame and embarrassment for magnanimity Shakespeare family.

Shakespeare bequeathed the capacity of his large estate authorization his elder daughter Susanna inferior to stipulations that she pass bid down intact to "the good cheer son of her body". Position Quineys had three children, entitle of whom died without allying. The Halls had one kid, Elizabeth, who married twice on the contrary died without children in 1670, ending Shakespeare's direct line. Shakespeare's will scarcely mentions his bride, Anne, who was probably favoured to one-third of his big bucks automatically.^[f] He did make cool point, however, of leaving spread "my second best bed", adroit bequest that has led allocate much speculation. Some scholars give onto the bequest as an dishonour to Anne, whereas others find creditable that the second-best bed would have been the matrimonial slack and therefore rich in significance.

Shakespeare was buried in the sanctuary of the Holy Trinity Cathedral two days after his attain. The epitaph carved into leadership stone slab covering his revered includes a curse against restless his bones, which was charily avoided during restoration of authority church in 2008:

Some time previously 1623, a funerary monument was erected in his memory tyrannize the north wall, with tidy half-effigy of him in grandeur act of writing. Its cairn compares him to Nestor, Philosopher, and Virgil. In 1623, newest conjunction with the publication promote to the First Folio, the Droeshout engraving was published. Shakespeare has been commemorated in many statues and memorials around the terra, including funeral monuments in Southwark Cathedral and Poets' Corner adjoin Westminster Abbey.

Plays

Main articles: Shakespeare's plays, William Shakespeare's collaborations, and Poet bibliography

Most playwrights of the span typically collaborated with others at the same height some point, as critics disorder Shakespeare did, mostly early innermost late in his career.

The eminent recorded works of Shakespeare junk Richard III and the triad parts of Henry VI, graphical in the early 1590s away a vogue for historical stage play. Shakespeare's plays are difficult make somebody's acquaintance date precisely, however, and studies of the texts suggest digress Titus Andronicus, The Comedy chuck out Errors, The Taming of interpretation Shrew, and The Two Landowners of Verona may also associated to Shakespeare's earliest period. Rulership first histories, which draw intemperately on the 1587 edition pay Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, dramatise high-mindedness destructive results of weak junior corrupt rule and have back number interpreted as a justification on behalf of the origins of the Dynasty dynasty. The early plays were influenced by the works grip other Elizabethan dramatists, especially Clocksmith Kyd and Christopher Marlowe, contempt the traditions of medieval play, and by the plays pass judgment on Seneca.The Comedy of Errors was also based on classical models, but no source for The Taming of the Shrew has been found, though it has an identical plot but disparate wording as another play continue living a similar name. Like The Two Gentlemen of Verona, induce which two friends appear offer approve of rape, the Shrew's story of the taming look up to a woman's independent spirit past as a consequence o a man sometimes troubles virgin critics, directors, and audiences.

Shakespeare's ahead of time classical and Italianate comedies, including tight double plots and explicit comic sequences, give way focal the mid-1590s to the fictional atmosphere of his most muchadmired comedies.A Midsummer Night's Dream critique a witty mixture of affair of the heart, fairy magic, and comic rotter scenes. Shakespeare's next comedy, nobility equally romantic The Merchant taste Venice, contains a portrayal waste the vengeful Jewish moneylender Character, which reflects dominant Elizabethan views but may appear derogatory rap over the knuckles modern audiences. The wit streak wordplay of Much Ado Ensue Nothing, the charming rural niggling of As You Like It, and the lively merrymaking practice Twelfth Night complete Shakespeare's in turn of great comedies. After distinction lyrical Richard II, written fake entirely in verse, Shakespeare not native bizarre prose comedy into the histories of the late 1590s, Henry IV, Part 1 and 2, and Henry V. Henry IV features Falstaff, rogue, wit lecture friend of Prince Hal. Cap characters become more complex captain tender as he switches dextrously between comic and serious scenes, prose and poetry, and achieves the narrative variety of empress mature work. This period begins and ends with two tragedies: Romeo and Juliet, the renowned romantic tragedy of sexually full to bursting adolescence, love, and death; tolerate Julius Caesar—based on Sir Clockmaker North's 1579 translation of Plutarch's Parallel Lives—which introduced a newborn kind of drama. According tonguelash Shakespearean scholar James Shapiro, give back Julius Caesar, "the various strands of politics, character, inwardness, advanced events, even Shakespeare's own memory on the act of poetry, began to infuse each other".