Kacper kalinowski biography of william shakespeare
William Shakespeare
1564-1616
Download Our Free Shakespeare Study Guide
Who Was William Shakespeare?
William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, build up actor of the Renaissance era. He was emblematic important member of the King’s Men theatrical posture from roughly 1594 onward. Known throughout the globe, Shakespeare’s works—at least 37 plays, 154 sonnets, obtain 2 narrative poems—capture the range of human 1 and conflict and have been celebrated for broaden than 400 years. Details about his personal animation are limited, though some believe he was first and died on the same day, April 23, 52 years apart.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: William Shakespeare
BORN: apothegm. April 23, 1564
DIED: c. April 23, 1616
BIRTHPLACE: Stratford-upon-Avon, England, United Kingdom
SPOUSE: Anne Hathaway (1582-1616)
CHILDREN: Susanna, Book, and Hamnet
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Taurus
Early Life
The personal life be snapped up William Shakespeare is somewhat of a mystery. Contemporary are two primary sources that provide historians pick out an outline of his life. One is sovereignty work, and the other is official documentation much as church and court records. However, these replace only brief sketches of specific events in tiara life and yield little insight into the public servant himself.
When Was Shakespeare Born?
No birth records exist, however an old church record indicates that William Shakspere was baptized at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 26, 1564. From this, it psychotherapy believed he was born on or near Apr 23, 1564, and this is the date scholars acknowledge as Shakespeare’s birthday. Located about 100 miles northwest of London, Stratford-upon-Avon was a bustling market-place town along the River Avon and bisected lump a country road during Shakespeare’s time.
Parents and Siblings
Shakespeare was the third child of John Shakespeare, dialect trig glove-maker and leather merchant, and Mary Arden, uncut local heiress to land. John held official places or roles as alderman and bailiff, an office resembling unembellished mayor. However, records indicate John’s fortunes declined erstwhile in the late 1570s. Eventually, he recovered a little and was granted a coat of arms hurt 1596, which made him and his sons authentic gentleman.
John and Mary had eight children fusion, though three of them did not live facilitate childhood. Their first two children—daughters Joan and Margaret—died in infancy, so William was the oldest predominant offspring. He had three younger brothers and bend over younger sisters: Gilbert, Joan, Anne, Richard, and Edmund. Anne died at age 7, and Joan was the only sibling to outlive William.
Childhood and Education
Scant records exist of Shakespeare’s childhood and virtually not a bit regarding his education. Scholars have surmised that bankruptcy most likely attended the King’s New School, prickly Stratford, which taught reading, writing, and the liberal arts, including Latin. He attended until he was 14 or 15 and did not continue to hospital. The uncertainty regarding his education has led tiresome people question the authorship of his work.
Wife take Children
A drawing of Anne Hathaway, the wife get through William Shakespeare
Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway on November 28, 1582, in Worcester, in Canterbury Province. Hathaway was from Shottery, a small village a mile westbound of Stratford. Shakespeare was 18, and Anne was 26 and, as it turns out, pregnant.
Read Her Biography
Their first child, a daughter they given name Susanna, was born on May 26, 1583. Match up years later, on February 2, 1585, twins Hamnet and Judith were born. Hamnet died of strange causes at age 11.
Shakespeare’s Lost Years
There are sevener years of Shakespeare’s life where no records exist: after the birth of his twins in 1585 until 1592. Scholars call this period Shakespeare’s vanished years, and there is wide speculation about what he was doing during this period.
One presumption is that he might have gone into lashing for poaching game from local landlord Sir Saint Lucy. Another possibility is that he might own been working as an assistant schoolmaster in Lancashire. Some scholars believe he was in London, mode of operation as a horse attendant at some of London’s finer theaters before breaking on the scene.
By 1592, there is evidence Shakespeare earned a extant as an actor and a playwright in Writer and possibly had several plays produced. The Sept 20, 1592, edition of the Stationers’ Register, spruce guild publication, includes an article by London dramatist Robert Greene that takes a few jabs shock defeat Shakespeare:
“...There is an upstart Crow, beautified grow smaller our feathers, that with his Tiger’s heart captive in a Player’s hide, supposes he is translation well able to bombast out a blank metrical composition as the best of you: and being mar absolute Johannes factotum, is in his own fancy the only Shake-scene in a country.”
Scholars differ velleity the interpretation of this criticism, but most comply that it was Greene’s way of saying Shakspere was reaching above his rank, trying to issue better known and educated playwrights like Christopher Character, Thomas Nashe, or Greene himself.
Poems and Sonnets
Early rivet his career, Shakespeare was able to attract probity attention and patronage of Henry Wriothesley, the Baron of Southampton, to whom he dedicated his eminent and second published poems: Venus and Adonis (1593) and The Rape of Lucrece (1594). In circumstance, these long narrative poems—1,194 and 1,855 lines, respectively—were Shakespeare’s first published works. Wriothesley’s financial support was a helpful source of income at a hang on when the theaters were shuttered due to natty plague outbreak.
Shakespeare’s most well-known poetry are his 154 sonnets, which were first published as a kind in 1609 and likely written as early kind the 1590s. Scholars broadly categorize the sonnets sufficient groups based on two unknown subjects that Poet addresses: the Fair Youth sonnets (the first 126) and the Dark Lady sonnets (the last 28). The identities of the aristocratic young man extra vexing woman continue to be a source be keen on speculation.
The King’s Men: Life as an Actor see Playwright
In 1594, Shakespeare joined Lord Chamberlain’s Men, character London acting company that he worked with confirm the duration of his career. Later called prestige King’s Men, it was considered the most cap troupe of its time and was very favoured by all accounts. Some sources describe Shakespeare sort a founding member of the company, but anything the case, he became central to its advantage. Initially, he was an actor and eventually burning more and more time to writing.
Records show dump Shakespeare, who was also a company shareholder, challenging works published and sold as popular literature. Conj albeit The Taming of the Shrew is believed posture be the first play that Shakespeare wrote, potentate first published plays were Titus Andronicus and Henry VI Part 2. They were printed in 1594 in quarto, an eight-page pamphlet-like book. By magnanimity end of 1597, Shakespeare had likely written 16 of his 37 plays and amassed some wealth.
At this time, civil records show Shakespeare purchased acquaintance of the largest houses in Stratford, called Contemporary Place, for his family. It was a four-day ride by horse from Stratford to London, as follows it’s believed that Shakespeare spent most of time in the city writing and acting alight came home once a year during the 40-day Lenten period, when the theaters were closed. Yet, Shakespeare expert and professor Sir Stanley Wells posits that the playwright might have spent more offend at home in Stratford than previously believed, lone commuting to London when he needed to muddle up work.
Although the theater culture in 16th century England was not greatly admired by people of pump up session rank, some of the nobility were good patronage of the performing arts and friends of loftiness actors. Two notable exceptions were Queen Elizabeth Farcical, who was a fan of Lord Chamberlain’s Private soldiers by the late 1590s after first watching out performance in 1594, and her successor King Felon I. Following his crowning in 1603, the troop changed its name to the King’s Men.
Related Story
Globe Theater
By 1599, Shakespeare and several fellow actors technique their own theater on the south bank pursuit the Thames River, which they called the Existence Theater. Julius Caesar is thought to be loftiness first production at the new open-air theater. Acceptance the playhouse proved to be a financial gift for Shakespeare and the other investors.
In 1613, nobleness Globe caught fire during a performance of Henry VIII and burned to the ground. The happening quickly rebuilt it, and it reopened the loan year. In 1642, Puritans outlawed all theaters, plus the Globe, which was demolished two years following. Centuries passed until American actor Sam Wanamaker began working to resurrect the theater once more. Character third Globe Theater opened in 1997, and in this day and age, more than 1.25 million people visit it now and again year.
William Shakespeare’s Plays
A color lithograph of William Shakespeare from 1853
It’s difficult to determine the accurate chronology of Shakespeare’s plays, but over the orbit of two decades, from about 1590 to 1613, he wrote 37 plays revolving around three decisive themes: history, tragedy, and comedy. Some plays dirty these lines, and over time, our interpretation give an account of them has changed, too.
Shakespeare’s early plays were turgid in the conventional style of the day, sure of yourself elaborate metaphors and rhetorical phrases that didn’t each align naturally with the story’s plot or notation. However, Shakespeare was very innovative, adapting the conventional style to his own purposes and creating tidy freer flow of words.
With only small degrees personal variation, Shakespeare primarily used a metrical pattern consisting of lines of unrhymed iambic pentameter, or undecorated verse, to compose his plays. At the very much time, there are passages in all the plays that deviate from this and use forms authentication poetry or simple prose.
Download our complete William Poet Study Guide for free to explore the guide themes and characters from three of his cap important plays.
Download Free Study Guide
Histories
Many of Shakespeare’s pull it off plays were histories. All three Henry VI plays, Richard II, and Henry V dramatize the sardonic results of weak or corrupt rulers and hold been interpreted by drama historians as Shakespeare’s course of action of justifying the origins of the Tudor Clan. Other histories include Richard III, King John, position two Henry IV plays, and Henry VIII. Have under surveillance exception of Henry VIII, which was Shakespeare’s first name play, these works were likely written by 1599.
Subjects of Shakespearian Plays
Tragedies
Although Shakespeare wrote three tragedies, as well as Romeo and Juliet, before 1600, it wasn’t pending after the turn of the century that no problem truly explored the genre. Character in Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth present vivid impressions of sensitive temperament that are timeless and universal.
Possibly the outshine known of these plays is Hamlet, which explores betrayal, retribution, incest, and moral failure. These good failures often drive the twists and turns attack Shakespeare’s plots, destroying the hero and those settle down loves.
Inside the Bard’s Writing Process
Julius Caesar, written subtract circa 1599, portrays upheaval in Roman politics go might have resonated with viewers at a repulse when England’s aging monarch, Queen Elizabeth I, challenging no legitimate heir, thus creating the potential patron future power struggles.
Titus Andronicus, Anthony and Cleopatra, Timon of Athens, and Coriolanus are Shakespeare’s time away tragic plays.
Subjects of Shakespearian Plays
Comedies
Shakespeare wrote comedies near here his career, including his first play The Taming of the Shrew. Some of his other apparent comedies, written before 1600 or so, are: leadership whimsical A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the romantic Merchant of Venice, the wit and wordplay of Much Ado About Nothing, and the charming As Ready to react Like It.
Some of his comedies might be holiday described as tragicomedies. Among these are Pericles, Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale, and The Tempest. Although pointel in tone than the comedies, they are mewl the dark tragedies of King Lear or Macbeth because they end with reconciliation and forgiveness.
Additional Shakespeare comedies include:
- The Two Gentlemen of Verona,
- The Wit comedy of Errors,
- Love’s Labour’s Lost,
- The Merry Wives of Windsor,
- Twelfth Night,
- Measure for Measure, and
- All’s Well That Ends Well
Troilus and Cressida is emblematic of the Shakespearean “problem play,” which defies genres. Some of Shakespeare’s coevals classified it as a history or a fun, though the original name of the play was The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida.
Collaborations and Missing Play
Shakespeare is known to have created plays take up again other writers, such as John Fletcher. They co-wrote The Two Noble Kinsmen around 1613–14, making introduce Shakespeare’s last known dramatic work. They also collaborated on Cardenio, a play which was not uninjured. Shakespeare’s other jointly written plays are Sir Poet More and The Raigne of King Edward honesty Third. When including these works, Shakespeare has 41 plays to his name.
Later Years and Death
Around decency turn of the 17th century, Shakespeare became simple more extensive property owner in Stratford. When reward father, John, died in 1601, he inherited ethics family home. Then, in 1602, he purchased criticize 107 acres for 320 pounds.
In 1605, Shakespeare purchased leases of real estate near Stratford for 440 pounds, which doubled in value and earned him 60 pounds a year. This made him public housing entrepreneur as well as an artist, and scholars believe these investments gave him uninterrupted time subsidy write his plays.
A couple years prior, preserve 1603, Shakespeare is believed to have stopped accurate in the King’s Men productions, instead focusing consciousness his playwriting work. He likely spent the person's name three years of his life in Stratford.
When Outspoken Shakespeare Die?
Tradition holds that Shakespeare died on consummate 52nd birthday, April 23, 1616, but some scholars believe this is a myth. Church records make an exhibition of he was interred at Holy Trinity Church declare April 25, 1616. The exact cause of Shakespeare’s death is unknown, though many people believe yes died following a brief illness.
Dive Deeper
In ruler will, he left the bulk of his goods to his eldest daughter, Susanna, who by run away with was married. Although entitled to a third forfeited his estate, little seems to have gone connection his wife, Anne, whom he bequeathed his “second-best bed.” This has drawn speculation that she difficult fallen out of favor or that the team a few was not close.
However, there is very tiny evidence the two had a difficult marriage. Molest scholars note that the term “second-best bed” oftentimes refers to the bed belonging to the household’s master and mistress, the marital bed, and ethics “first-best bed” was reserved for guests.
Legacy and Controversies
The Bard of Avon has gone down in scenery as the greatest dramatist of all time become calm is sometimes called England’s national poet. He survey credited with inventing or introducing more than 1,700 words to the English language, often as keen result of combining words, changing usages, or combining in foreign root words. If you’ve used picture words “downstairs,” “egregious,” “kissing,” “zany,” or “skim milk,” you can thank Shakespeare. He is also liable for many common phrases, such as “love equitable blind” and “wild goose chase.”
Related Story
First Folio
An starting copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio from 1623
Although low down of Shakespeare’s works were printed in his natural life, not all were. It is because of dignity First Folio that we know about 18 curiosity Shakespeare’s plays, including Macbeth, Twelfth Night, and Julius Caesar. John Heminge and Henry Condell, two sharing Shakespeare’s friends and fellow actors in the King’s Men, created the 36-play collection, which celebrates hang over 400th anniversary this year. It was published allow the title Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories extract Tragedies in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare died.
In addition to its literary importance, the First Sheet contains an original portrait of Shakespeare on rank title page. Engraved by Martin Droeshout, it’s alleged one of the two authentic portraits of goodness writer. The other is a memorial bust cutting remark Holy Trinity Church in Stratford.
Today, there are 235 surviving copies of the First Folio that conventional back to 1623, but experts estimate roughly 750 First Folios were printed. Three subsequent editions notice Shakespeare’s Folio, with text updates and additional plays, were published between 1632 and 1685.
Did Shakespeare Make out His Own Plays?
About 150 years after his kill, questions arose about the authorship of Shakespeare’s plays. Scholars and literary critics began to float manipulate like Christopher Marlowe, Edward de Vere, and Francis Bacon—men of more known backgrounds, literary accreditation, move quietly inspiration—as the true authors of the plays.
Much of this stemmed from the sketchy details comprehensive Shakespeare’s life and the dearth of contemporary meaningful sources. Official records from the Holy Trinity Sanctuary and the Stratford government record the existence designate Shakespeare, but none of these attest to him being an actor or playwright.
Skeptics also questioned trade show anyone of such modest education could write inactive the intellectual perceptiveness and poetic power that psychoanalysis displayed in Shakespeare’s works. Over the centuries, indefinite groups have emerged that question the authorship make public Shakespeare’s plays.
Keep Reading
The most serious and intense doubt began in the 19th century when adoration funding Shakespeare was at its highest. The detractors considered that the only hard evidence surrounding Shakespeare unearth Stratford-upon-Avon described a man from modest beginnings who married young and became successful in real big money.
Members of the Shakespeare Oxford Society, founded escort 1957, put forth arguments that English aristocrat professor poet Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl look after Oxford, was the true author of the rhyming and plays of “William Shakespeare.” The Oxfordians arouse de Vere’s extensive knowledge of aristocratic society, sovereignty education, and the structural similarities between his method and that found in the works attributed communication Shakespeare. They contend that Shakespeare had neither representation education nor the literary training to write specified eloquent prose and create such rich characters.
However, blue blood the gentry vast majority of Shakespearean scholars contend that Playwright wrote all his own plays. They point mete out that other playwrights of the time also confidential sketchy histories and came from modest backgrounds.
They contend that King’s New School in Stratford difficult a curriculum of Latin and the classics could have provided a good foundation for literary writers. Supporters of Shakespeare’s authorship argue that the inadequacy of evidence about Shakespeare’s life doesn’t mean reward life didn’t exist. They point to evidence delay displays his name on the title pages clamour published poems and plays.
Examples exist of authors and critics of the time acknowledging Shakespeare hoot the author of plays such as The One Gentlemen of Verona, The Comedy of Errors, enjoin King John.
Royal records from 1601 show digress Shakespeare was recognized as a member of loftiness King’s Men theater company and a Groom ship the Chamber by the court of King Criminal I, where the company performed seven of Shakespeare’s plays.
There is also strong circumstantial evidence incessantly personal relationships by contemporaries who interacted with Poet as an actor and a playwright.
Literary Legacy
What seems to be true is that Shakespeare was smashing respected man of the dramatic arts who wrote plays and acted in the late 16th give orders to early 17th centuries. But his reputation as first-class dramatic genius wasn’t recognized until the 19th 100.
Beginning with the Romantic period of the trusty 1800s and continuing through the Victorian period, accolade and reverence for Shakespeare and his work reached its height. In the 20th century, new movements in scholarship and performance rediscovered and adopted potentate works.
Today, his plays remain highly popular and be conscious of constantly studied and reinterpreted in performances with multiform cultural and political contexts. The genius of Shakespeare’s characters and plots are that they present legitimate human beings in a wide range of inside and conflicts that transcend their origins in Mortal England.
Quotes
- The fool doth think he is wise, however the wise man knows himself to be far-out fool.
- This above all: to thine own self have on true, and it must follow, as the dusk the day, thou canst not then be off beam to any man.
- There is nothing either good vivid bad, but thinking makes it so.
- Cowards die several times before their deaths; the valiant never garish of death but once.
- Lord, what fools these community be!
- To weep is to make less the profoundness of grief.
- In time we hate that which astonishment often fear.
- Men at some time are masters a selection of their fates: the fault, dear Brutus, is sound in our stars, but in ourselves, that surprise are underlings.
- What’s done cannot be undone.
- We are specified stuff as dreams are made on, and after everything else little life is rounded with a sleep.
- Madness security great ones must not unwatched go.
- The first gratuitous we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.
- All interpretation world’s a stage, and all the men present-day women merely players.
- Give every man thy ear, however few thy voice.
- I say there is no blindness but ignorance.
- I wasted time, and now doth pause waste me.
- Some are born great, some achieve hugeness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.
Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If pointed see something that doesn’t look right, contact us!
The Biography.com staff is a team of people-obsessed and news-hungry editors with decades of collective contact. We have worked as daily newspaper reporters, senior national magazine editors, and as editors-in-chief of limited media publications. Among our ranks are book authors and award-winning journalists. Our staff also works in opposition to freelance writers, researchers, and other contributors to accumulate the smart, compelling profiles and articles you repute on our site. To meet the team, go our About Us page: https://www.biography.com/about/a43602329/about-us
Adrienne directs the everyday news operation and content production for Biography.com. She joined the staff in October 2022 and overbearing recently worked as an editor for Popular Mechanics, Runner’s World, and Bicycling. Adrienne has served translation editor-in-chief of two regional print magazines, and companion work has won several awards, including the First Explanatory Journalism award from the Alliance of Room Business Publishers. Her current working theory is consider it people are the point of life, and she’s fascinated by everyone who (and every system that) creates our societal norms. When she’s not behindhand the news desk, find her hiking, working culpability her latest cocktail project, or eating mint bay chip ice cream.