The Life Of 1564 to 1623 William Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s Time Line 1564 He was born on April 23 in Stratford- on-Avon.  1582 He married Anne Hathaway when he was 18 years old. Anne was 26! When she married the young Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s Childhood Home-Strattford

 1583 The Shakespeares had their first child, Susanna.  1584 The twins were born- Hamnet, a boy and Judith  1586 At Age 22, he left for London to seek his fortune

1594 Age 30 Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet based on The Tragical Historye of Romeus and Juliet (1562) He published his Sonnets 1616 Shakespeare died at the age of 52 after having written 14 comedies, eleven histories, and twelve tragedies - a total of thirty-seven plays Completed works were published 7 years after his death. This was known a the First Folio.

Sample of Shakespeare’s original manuscripts.

Family background He was born to a middle class family. His father, John, was a prosperous glove maker. He later became the mayor of Stratford. Mother was Mary Arden, who was of a socially prominent family. Both parents were illiterate

His Education Attended Strattford Grammar School. Studied Latin and the ancients. He was not unlike any other child of the times! He was never discovered by any of his teachers. All of the teachers of his school were Oxford graduates.

His Love Life 1582 at 18 he married Anne Hathaway who was 26 at the time. She was the daughter of a local farmer. The Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, died at the age of eleven. He was Shakespeare’s only son for unclear reasons he left his family to live in London.

Life of a Playwright During Shakespeare’s days, the life of a playwright was hardly deemed worthy! The years between his marriage and departure for London are called the “Lost Years.” Little known about what he did. First gained status when he performed for Queen Elizabeth I (with whom he was very popular) By 1594 six of his plays were written and produced.

Originally, his plays were not written to be read as literature, but as consumable materials. Manuscripts were not circulated due to the fact that the content could be stolen and this was their livelihood. It is a known fact that Shakespeare borrowed widely from many sources He performed and wrote for a group of actors called the Lord Chamerlain’s Men. Most of his performances were done for royalty.

Retirement/Demise 1612 at age 48, Shakespeare returned to Stratford, in partial retirement. He divided his time between Stratford and London. He died in 1616, at he relatively young age of 52. He is buried inside Stratford’s Holy Trinity Church. Outside the church stands the only statue with an accurate likeness.

London 1600 Open gutters, raw sewage, and rotting garbage was the case in most major cities of the time. Conditions caused the outbreak of the Bubonic plague (black death) Bubonic was ramant from 1563 to the plague hit London hard and the theatres were closed down. During this time is when Shakespeare wrote most of his poetry.

The Theatre Theatres were a considerable source of concern for the authorities due to the fact that those who attended the theatre were not of favorable stature. Called the groundlings - stood in the dirt of the main floor. They were immoral and used profanity.

Original Old Globe Theatre

Authorities were constantly afraid of subversion and propaganda in the actors’ speeches which might cause a state of tension or even revolt. Theatres were thus located on the outskirts of the city in the slums. This area was called the liberties- paradise for thieves and pickpockets. People often left their jobs early lured by the diversions of the Liberties.