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William Shakespeare Biography
Who was William Shakespeare?
An Introduction
William Shakespeare was a renowned English poet, playwright, and actor born in
1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. His birthday is most commonly celebrated on 23 April
(see When was Shakespeare born), which is also believed to be the date he died in
1616.
Shakespeare was a prolific writer during the Elizabethan and Jacobean ages of
British theatre (sometimes called the English Renaissance or the Early Modern
Period). Shakespeare’s plays are perhaps his most enduring legacy, but they are not
all he wrote. Shakespeare’s poems also remain popular to this day.
Shakespeare's Family Life
Records survive relating to William Shakespeare’s family that offer an understanding
of the context of Shakespeare's early life and the lives of his family members. John
Shakespeare married Mary Arden, and together they had eight children. John and
Mary lost two daughters as infants, so William became their eldest child. John
Shakespeare worked as a glove-maker, but he also became an important figure in
the town of Stratford by fulfilling civic positions. His elevated status meant that he
was even more likely to have sent his children, including William, to the local
grammar school.
William Shakespeare would have lived with his family in their house on Henley Street
until he turned eighteen. When he was eighteen, Shakespeare married Anne
Hathaway, who was twenty-six. It was a rushed marriage because Anne was already
pregnant at the time of the ceremony. Together they had three children. Their first
daughter, Susanna, was born six months after the wedding and was later followed by
twins Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet died when he was just 11 years old.
Shakespeare in London
Shakespeare's career jump-started in London, but when did he go there? We know
Shakespeare's twins were baptised in 1585, and that by 1592 his reputation was
established in London, but the intervening years are considered a mystery. Scholars
generally refer to these years as ‘The Lost Years’.
During his time in London, Shakespeare’s first printed works were published. They
were two long poems, 'Venus and Adonis' (1593) and 'The Rape of Lucrece' (1594).
He also became a founding member of The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, a company of
actors. Shakespeare was the company's regular dramatist, producing on average two
plays a year, for almost twenty years.
He remained with the company for the rest of his career, during which time it evolved
into The King’s Men under the patronage of King James I (from 1603). During his
time in the company Shakespeare wrote many of his most famous tragedies, such
as King Lear and Macbeth, as well as great romances, like The Winter’s
Tale and The Tempest.
Shakespeare's Works
Altogether Shakespeare's works include 38 plays, 2 narrative poems, 154 sonnets,
and a variety of other poems. No original manuscripts of Shakespeare's plays are
known to exist today. It is actually thanks to a group of actors from Shakespeare's
company that we have about half of the plays at all. They collected them for
publication after Shakespeare died, preserving the plays. These writings were
brought together in what is known as the First Folio ('Folio' refers to the size of the
paper used). It contained 36 of his plays, but none of his poetry.
Shakespeare’s legacy is as rich and diverse as his work; his plays have spawned
countless adaptations across multiple genres and cultures. His plays have had an
enduring presence on stage and film. His writings have been compiled in various
iterations of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, which include all of his
plays, sonnets, and other poems. William Shakespeare continues to be one of the
most important literary figures of the English language.
New Place; a home in Stratford-upon-Avon
Shakespeare’s success in the London theatres made him considerably wealthy, and
by 1597 he was able to purchase New Place, the largest house in the borough
of Stratford-upon-Avon. Although his professional career was spent in London, he
maintained close links with his native town.
Recent archaeological evidence discovered on the site of Shakespeare’s New
Place shows that Shakespeare was only ever an intermittent lodger in London. This
suggests he divided his time between Stratford and London (a two or three-day
commute). In his later years, he may have spent more time in Stratford-upon-Avon
than scholars previously thought.
On his father's death in 1601, William Shakespeare inherited the old family home in
Henley Street part of which was then leased to tenants. Further property investments
in Stratford followed, including the purchase of 107 acres of land in 1602.
Shakespeare died in Stratford-upon-Avon on 23 April 1616 at the age of 52. He is
buried in the sanctuary of the parish church, Holy Trinity.
All the world's a stage /And all the men and women merely players. /
They have their exits and their entrances, / And one man in his time
plays many parts.
— AS YOU LIKE IT, ACT 2 SCENE 7
