William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon (picture of his birthplace and family home below), England in April of 1564. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but is celebrated on April 23rd--which is also believed to be the date of his death. In fact, his baptism is denoted in the Parish Register at Holy Trinity Church on Wednesday, April 26, 1564.
One of the most prolific writers of the Jacobean and Elizabethean periods, Shakespeare is perhaps most known for his plays; however, his poetry is also of great renown--both enduring to this day.
Shakespeare married his wife, Anne Hathaway, when he turned 18-years old--she was 26. The wedding was rushed because Anne was already pregnant with William's child. William moved into Anne's cottage (pictured below). They had three children together--Susanna and twins, Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet later died (at age 11).
As for Shakespeare's theatrical career, it is believed to have started during what is called "The Lost Years." The twins were baptized in 1585 and by 1592 his reputation was established in London. Very little if anything is known of the events in his life during these seven years. Many speculate that was a tutor for a wealthy family, according to Alexander Houghton's will dated August 3, 1581--an instruction to be friendly to one "William Shakeshafte." Another speculation was that Shakespeare was enamored with one of the many well-established theater groups that visited Stratford such as Lord Strange's Men in 1579, the Earl of Essex's Men in 1584, and the Queen's Men in 1587; many scholars speculate that Shakespeare might have joined one of these troupes (like the one pictured below) and made his way to London.
In the Summer of 1592, the plague had broken out in London causing the theater troupes to resume tours around the provinces. Shakespeare decided not to go, and he focused on his poetry. He found a patron, Henry Wriothesley (the 3rd Earl of Southampton), and quickly published two well-known poems--Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. By 1593 the plague had abated. London welcomed a new Lord Chamberlain, Henry Carey (1st Baron Hundson), and quickly thereafter the Lord Chamberlain's Men was founded--of which Shakespeare was a shareholder. Throughout the 1590s, Shakespeare focused on writing to history plays and comedies. It was also during this time that Hamnet, Shakespeare's son, died (in 1596). Shakespeare's plays continued to grow interest, filling the performances slots at the Rose--until 1599. The Globe opened its doors in 1599, near the Rose and Swan theaters, and quickly became recognized as London's best playhouse--probably due in part to Shakespeare's works now being performed primarily at the Globe.
Below are images detailing the information in the paragraph above: artwork surrounding the plague in England; Henry Carey, the new Lord Chamberlain that took founded the Lord Chamberlain's Men; the Rose theatre which several of Shakespeare's works premiered at; and the Globe theatre.
In 1603 Queen Elizabeth died and was suceeded by James VI of Scotland--later James I of England. Just days after he acceded to the throne, he adopted the Lord Chamberlain's Men and changed the name to the King's Men--appearing before James more than triple the amount they performed for Queen Elizabeth. During this year, there was another outbreak of the plague, closing theaters for most of the year. However, Shakespeare kept writing plays, producing about 2 every year. With his monumental play, Hamlet (1601--02), Shakespeare turned to tragedies. During the short time of 1604--07, Shakespeare wrote Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. These early years of the 1600s were the height of fame and fortune for Shakespeare, yet there was still little record of his life.
In 1608, the King's Men were able to recover the lease for the main hall at the old Dominican monastery at Blackfriars (pictured below) which offered new exciting staging possibilities just in time for some of Shakespeare's most notable romances such as The Winter's Tale and The Tempest. In 1611, The Tempest was performed in front of King James (and Macbeth made its public debut, having been performed for James in 1605), and it was thought to be the last play Shakespeare wrote on his own. Property records and lawsuits put Shakespeare in Stratford from 1612, although he still frequented London. He collaborated with the King's Men's new chief playwright, John Fletcher, to write Cardenio (now lost), Henry VIII, and The Two Noble Kinsmen. Henry VII, of course, is most notable for being the play that set fire to and destroyed the Globe on June 29, 1613.
The Globe was rebuilt, but the fire marked Shakespeare's conclusive break from the King's Men. Shakespeare made Stratford his home, seeing his daughter (Susanna) married to a local doctor (John Hall) and then the welcoming of his first grandchild, Elizabeth. Then his other daughter, Judith, married Thomas Quiney in 1616. Just ten weeks later, on April 23, 1616, Shakespeare died (his grave in Holy Trinity Church pictured below). It is suggested that Shakespeare caught a fever at the celebration of Judith's wedding, drinking too much with Ben Johnson and Michael Drayton, from which he was unable to recover.
Source: Downer, Leslie Dunton and Alan Riding. Shakespeare: his life and works. DK Publishing, 2021, pgs. 8-15.
Comments