William Shakespeare: His Life and Times

Early Life

• Birth: Born between April 21 and 23, 3rd April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.
• Parents: John Shakespeare (father), Mary Arden (mother).
• Family Background:
  • Richard Shakespeare (grandfather) was a farmer.
  • Mary Arden inherited property which boosted John Shakespeare's status.
  • John: Well-known glover, alderman, bailiff.
  • Financial decline in the 1570s.

Education

• Petty School: Enlisted at 5 years old.
• King’s New School: Attended local grammar school from age 7.
• Influences: Roman and Greek authors like Cicero, Virgil, Livy, Greek playwrights (Aeschylus, Sophocles), Roman playwrights (Plautus, Terence, Seneca).
• Theatre Exposure: Visiting travelling theatre groups in Stratford.

Family Life

• Siblings: Joan, Margaret, Gilbert, Joan (again), Anne, Richard, and Edmund.
• Marriage: Married Anne Hathaway on November 27, 1582.
  • Anne was pregnant at the time.
  • Children: Susanna, Hamnet and Judith (twins).
  • Hamnet died in 1596.
• Family Decline: John Shakespeare faced financial and legal troubles.

Early Career

• Lost Years: Speculated to be a teacher or actor from mid-1580s to 1592.
• 1592 Criticism: Critic Robert Greene called him an “upstart Crow”.
• Early Plays: Henry VI trilogy, early comedies and tragedies.

Shakespeare’s Works

• Inspirations: Historical works by Edward Hall, Raphael Holinshed, classical texts by Plutarch, Apuleius, Ovid.
• Genres: Historical dramas, comedies, tragedies. Notably:
  • "Henry VI Trilogy"
  • "The Two Gentlemen of Verona"
  • "The Taming of the Shrew"
  • "Titus Andronicus"
• Later Works:
  • "Romeo and Juliet"
  • "Richard II"
  • "A Midsummer Night’s Dream"
  • "The Merchant of Venice"
  • "Henry IV" and "Henry V"
  • "Much Ado About Nothing"
  • "Hamlet"
  • "Othello"
  • "King Lear"
  • "Macbeth"
  • "The Winter’s Tale"
  • "The Tempest"
• Collaborations: Thomas Middleton, John Fletcher.

Personal and Professional Life

• Shakespeare’s Theatre: Involvement with the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later the King’s Men.
• Residences: Stratford-upon-Avon and London.
• Property and Wealth: Bought New Place in Stratford, other properties.

Final Years and Death

• Legal and Financial Affairs: Legal disputes, extensive property portfolio.
• Death: Died on April 23, 1616. Burial at Holy Trinity Church, Stratford.
• Posthumous Publication: First Folio published in 1623.

Controversies

• Authorship Theories: Disputes over who authored Shakespeare’s work, involving figures like Christopher Marlowe, Sir Francis Bacon, and various nobles.
• Class Bias in Theories: Speculation partly fueled by class biases.

Legacy

• Importance: Considered the greatest writer in the English language.
• Continued Influence: Plays still widely performed, analyzed.
• National Shakespeare Day: Celebrated on April 23, Shakespeare’s probable birth and death date.