William Shakespeare1564-1616

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His life• Born in Stratford-on-Avon, England.• The son of John Shakespeare and Mary

Arden (3rd child of 8).• Probably educated at King’s New School

in Stratford.• Married at age 18 to Anne Hathaway, a

woman 7 or 8 years his senior.• Their first daughter, Susanna, was born

6 months later.• Twins Judith and Hamnet followed 2

years later. Hamnet died at age 11.

London• Shakespeare moved from Stratford to

London in the late 1580s or very early 1590s. (In fact, the period from about 1585 to 1592 are referred to as Shakespeare’s “lost years” because scholars and historians don’t know where exactly he lived.)

• In addition to writing plays, Shakespeare acted (usually minor roles), and became part owner of a theater company and a theater itself. This makes him an entrepreneur.

• It is not thought that he ever traveled outside England.

His writing• He wrote 38 plays.

– Histories (Henry V, King John, Richard II)– Tragedies (Romeo and Juliet, Othello,

Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear)– Comedies (As You Like It, Much Ado About

Nothing, The Tempest, Taming of the Shrew)

• He wrote 154 sonnets.• He wrote 2 long narrative poems.

His reputation• Shakespeare was considered a good

playwright during his time, but his reputation did not rise to its present level until the 19th century (1800s).

• His plays are performed all around the world in many different languages. Many of his themes are universal.

Questions and contradictions

• There are many contradictions and uncertainties about events during Shakespeare’s time.

• Were the plays published or not?• Is Shakespeare the real author?• Why did he leave his wife the

“second-best bed” in his will?

Retirement• He retired to Stratford in 1611 or

1613 as a wealthy man. • He had already purchased the

second largest house in the town for his family to live in.

• He applied for and received a coat of arms. He died a gentleman.

Elizabethan times• From which monarch do we get the

word “Elizabethan”?• Who was she the daughter of?• What major events were occurring

in England before and during her reign?

• Who succeeded her?

Marriage• During Shakespeare’s time, boys as young

as 14 and girls as young as 12 were allowed to get married (with parental permission).

• This was rare among the working classes, however, as people could not afford to set up housekeeping or have children until they were older. Average age of women when they married (1566-1837) ranged from 25 to 29.

• Women from wealthier families often married younger. Why?

More interesting information

• The poorer you were, the more likely you had a choice in who your spouse was. Why?

• The family of the girl or woman usually paid for the wedding.

• The woman’s family often paid a dowry to the man or his family.

• Women and children were considered the property of their husband and father.

Shakespeare’s children

• Both of Shakespeare’s daughters were illiterate.

• The older daughter married a doctor and had one child, Elizabeth, who married but didn’t have children. The younger married a vintner. There was scandal. They had three children. One died in childhood; the other two died in their late teens (within a few months of each other).

• Shakespeare therefore has no direct descendants.