8/14/2019 Biography William Shakespeare

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William Shakespeare - Biography

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in

Warwickshire and was baptised a few days later on 26 April

1564 !is father" #ohn Shakespeare" was a $love maker and

wool merchant and his mother" %ary Arden" was the

dau$hter of a well-to-do landowner from Wilmcote" South

Warwickshire &t is likely Shakespeare was educated at the

local 'in$ (dward )& *rammar School in Stratford

Marriage

+he ne,t documented event in Shakespeares life is his marria$e at the a$e of

1. to Anne !athaway" the dau$hter of a local farmer" on /ovember 2." 15.2She was ei$ht years older than him and their first child" Susanna" was born si,

months after their weddin$ +wo years later" the couple had twins" !amnet

and #udith" but their son died when he was 11 years old

A$ain" a $ap in the records leads some scholars to refer to Shakespeares life

between 15.5 and 1502 as the lost years y the time he reappears a$ain"

mentioned in a 3ondon pamphlet" Shakespeare has made his way to 3ondon

without his family and is already workin$ in the theatre

Acting career

!avin$ $ained reco$nition as an actor and playwri$ht Shakespeare had clearly

ruffled a few feathers alon$ the way contemporary critic" obert *reen"

described him in the 1502 pamphlet as an" upstart 7row

As well as belon$in$ to its pool of actors and playwri$hts" Shakespeare was one

of the mana$in$ partners of the 3ord 7hamberlains 7ompany 8renamed the

'in$s 7ompany when #ames succeeded to the throne9" whose actors included

the famous ichard urba$e +he company ac:uired interests in two theatres

in the Southwark area of 3ondon near the banks of the +hames - the *lobe

and the lackfriars

&n 150; and 1504" Shakespeares first poems" )enus and Adonis and +he

ape of 3ucrece" were published and he dedicated them to his patron" !enry

Wriothesley" the (arl of Southampton &t is thou$ht Shakespeare also wrote

most of his sonnets at this time

Playwright

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Shakespeare was prolific" with records of his first plays be$innin$ to appear in

1504" from which time he produced rou$hly two a year until around 1611 !is

hard work :uickly paid off" with si$ns that he was be$innin$ to prosper

emer$in$ soon after the publication of his first plays y 1506 Shakespeares

father" #ohn had been $ranted a coat of arms and its probable that

Shakespeare had commissioned them" payin$ the fees himself A year later he

bou$ht /ew abeth &s rei$n Shakespeare was well established as a

famous poet and playwri$ht and was called upon to perform several of his

plays before the ?ueen at court &n 150. the author @rancis %eres described

Shakespeare as (n$lands $reatest writer in comedy and tra$edy

&n 162 Shakespeares continuin$ success enabled him to move to upmarket

Silver Street" near where the arbican is now situated" and he was livin$ here

when he wrote some of his $reatest tra$edies such as !amlet" Bthello" 'in$

3ear and %acbeth

Final years

Shakespeare spent the last five years of his life in /ew