William Shakespeare

The name of William Shakespeare often comes in mind when talking about the greatest literary figures no matter where in the world this type of conversation is taking place. That must not come as a surprise as everyone has heard his name, since his works are studied in schools and universities all over the world. 

But what do we know about the man besides of his name and some of his plays or sonnets? Well, I'm here to provide you with some basic information about his life!

His parents 👪

His mother was Mary Arden, the daughter of a wealthy farmer. Mary married John Shakespeare, an illiterate man who managed to succeed in life by doing a number of jobs, like being a glover, owning land, selling wool and other agricultural goods. All these allowed him to become member of the local government in Stratford, where they lived. However, at some point he faced serious financial problems due to which he lost his post in the government. Hopefully, his economic and social status improved before his death. More significantly, in 1601, a year before his death, he was officially recognised as a gentleman, although that was a process that he had initiated years ago. It is said that William, who had made a name for himself by then, made the grant of the title of the gentleman to his father -and consequently to himself- possible. 

John and Mary had 8 children.

⤷ Joan (died at childhood)

⤷ Margaret (died few months after her birth)

⤷ William 

⤷ Gilbert (died at age 45)

⤷ Richard

⤷ Edmund (died at 28. He followed William to London and worked as an actor. William payed for a luxury funeral for his brother.)

⤷ Joan 

⤷ Anne (died at childhood)

Let me note here that it was common for newborns to die back then. 

And back to William. He was baptized on April 26, 1564 and because back then it was common to baptize little babies few days after their birth, his birthday is celebrated on April 23. Another reason why April 23 was chosen is because that is also the day that Saint George, patron saint of England, is celebrated, which enhances the idea of William as the country's national poet. 

His education 📚

He attended the King's New School, where students learned the alphabet, how to read and some cultural knowledge. After that he continued in the Grammar School. There they studied Latin. Physical punishment was a common means of teaching discipline. Thus, going to school was not a happy experience for the young William but the study of literary works written in Latin was useful for his career.

Marriage 👫

In November 1582, when he was 18 years old, William Shakespeare married the 26-year-old Anne Hathaway. 

Their children:

⤷ Susanna (she was baptized 6 months after William and Anne's wedding)

⤷ Hamnet and Judith (they were twins and they were baptized on February 2, 1585. Hamnet died when he was 11 years old.)

The playwright and theatre producer, William Davenant, implied that he was William Shakespeare's illegitimate son but there is no proof of that. 

The Lost Years

From 1585 until 1592 there are no records telling us what he was up to, and this is why this time period of William Shakespeare's life is called "lost years". There are, of course, a lot of theories about what he was doing. Some say that he was a schoolteacher, others that he was a butcher or that he was holding gentlemen's hourses outside London's theatres. What we do know is the fact that by 1594, he was living in London (meaning that he abandoned his family in Stratford), he made a name for himself as a playwright and was a member of the Chamberlain's Men. The Chamberlain's Men company was later renamed the King's Men, as King James was in favor with them and granted them with royals patronage. Shakespeare stayed with this company for the rest of his career. 

The Globe 🎫

The Chamberlain's Men usually performed in the playhouse The Theater until 1597, when their lease expired. Then, the company raised money and built their own playhouse, which they named The Globe. The Globe, which was on the south bank of Thames, opened in 1599 and Shakespeare was one of the principle investors. Around 1610, The Chamberlain's Men started using an indoor playhouse named Blackfriars and Shakespeare was again a major shareholder. 

His plays 🎭

The precise order and the exact date of the writing of the plays are unknown. 

There are many versions of his plays and that is because he did not write them in order to create the perfect play but he made changes, like adding or cutting lines or even rewriting sections, based on the occasion and the audience of each performance. His plays were performed not only at public theaters but also in court, as there are records of his plays entertaining Queen Elizabeth and later King James and his wife, Queen Anne. 

The main source of his works is the Folio volume of Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies that was published in 1623 and was edited by John Heminges and Henry Condell, who were actors and friends of William.  

His death ⚰     

He probably spent the last years of his life not in London but in his hometown, Stratford, with his wife and his two daughters. He died on April 23, 1616 (does that ring a bell? it's the same day that we celebrate his birthday). Cause of death? We can't be 100% sure, but it was probably fever due to excessive drinking for celebrating his daughter's, Judith's, marriage. 

What cannot go unnoticed is the fact that in his will he left to his wife, Anne, just his "second-best bed". That could be either an ironic or a romantic comment about their sexual relationship.

Conspiracy theory

There are people, the anti-Stratfordians as they are known, who believe that a more prestigious person from a higher social class and with a higher education is the real author of the works that we attribute to William Shakespeare. Some of the people that have been proposed over the years as the original writer of the works are Francis Bacon, the Earl of Oxford, the Earl of Southampton and Queen Elizabeth.   

Personally, I do not believe in that conspiracy theory, as William Shakespeare not only did have a good education but also his father's involvement with the government allowed him to see how institutions worked and how people with a higher status behaved, which were information that later were transformed into material for his work.

My favourite sonnet

I would like to end this post with my favourite sonnet written by William Shakespeare. 

SONNET 130

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red than her lips' red;

If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;

If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,

But no such roses see I in her cheeks; 

And in some perfumes is there more delight

Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

I love to hear her speak, yet well I know

That music hath a far more pleasing sound;

I grant I never saw a goddess go;

My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:

   And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

   As any she belied with false compare. 

Sources

Pressley, J. M. "Shakespeare's "Lost Years": The Mystery Between Stratford and London." Shakespeare Resource Center,

http://www.bardweb.net/content/ac/lostyears.html

Greenblatt, Stephen. "General Introduction." The Norton Shakespeare: Comedies, edited by Stephan Greenblatt, Walter Cohen, et al, 2016, pp. 1-74.

Κροντήρη, Τίνα. "Ζωή και καριέρα." Ο Σαίξπηρ, η Αναγέννηση κι εμείς, University Studio Press, 2002, pp. 13-30.

*I'm really sorry if I did not cite correctly the first two sources..