Shakespeare's Life

Shakespeare's Life

Early Life

William Shakespeare was a poet and Playwright,born in (around) 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Shakespeare was baptised in Holy Trinity church in stratford-Upon-Avon,15th April 1624.

William was a blessing to his Mother Mary and Father Mary as he was the first of their children to survive as they had already lost two daughters.

The Shakesperes were country folk and this was reflected in Williams dialect.

It is very likely that Shakespeare was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford

His Fathers and Mothers occupation

His father,John Shakespere was a glove maker,wool merchant and held a position as alderman ( an offic resembling a mayor.It was found that John's fortunes declined sometime in the late 1570s.His mother ,Mary Arden was the daughter of a well-to-do landowner from Wilmcote,South Warwickshire.

Williams father was ambitious to make it as a middle class.

(Notes from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/william_shakespeare/)

Marriage

The next documented event in Shakespeare’s life is his marriage at the age of 18 to Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a local farmer, on November 28, 1582. She was eight years older than him and their first child, Susanna, was born six months after their wedding. Two years later, the couple had twins, Hamnet and Judith, but their son died when he was 11 years old.
Again, a gap in the records leads some scholars to refer to Shakespeare’s life between 1585 and 1592 as 'the lost years'. By the time he reappears again, mentioned in a London pamphlet, Shakespeare has made his way to London without his family and is already working in the theatre.

Anne in poems 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Hathaway_%28Shakespeare%27s_wife%29

Shakespeare's sonnets[edit]

One of Shakespeare's sonnets, number 145, has been claimed to make reference to Anne Hathaway; the words 'hate away' may be a pun (in Elizabethan pronunciation) on 'Hathaway'. It has also been suggested that the next words, "And saved my life", would have been indistinguishable in pronunciation from "Anne saved my life".^[16] The sonnet differs from all the others in the length of the lines. Its fairly simple language and syntax have led to suggestions that it was written much earlier than the other, more mature, sonnets.

Those lips that Love's own hand did make
Breathed forth the sound that said 'I hate'
To me that languish'd for her sake;
But when she saw my woeful state
Straight in her heart did mercy come,
Chiding that tongue that ever sweet
Was used in giving gentle doom,
And taught it thus anew to greet:
'I hate' she alter'd with an end,
That follow'd it as gentle day
Doth follow night, who like a fiend
From heaven to hell is flown away;
'I hate' from hate away she threw,
And saved my life, saying 'not you.'

The above text is from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/william_shakespeare/

My timeline of Shakespere as playwright.

My research below comes from wikipedia and absolute Shakespeare. Some dates contradict eachother as the information is from different sites and there are no certified dates for the following events.

.Some time during 1586 William moved to London.

• .The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1589–1591)
• 3.2 The Taming of the Shrew (1590–1591)
• .experimental period starting around 1591 and ending around 1593 which includes Titus Andronicus, Love's Labour's Lost, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Comedy of Errors and The Taming of the Shrew.
• 3.3 Henry VI, Part 2 (1591)
• 3.4 Henry VI, Part 3 (1591)
• 3.5 Henry VI, Part 1 (1591-1592)
• 3.6 Titus Andronicus (1591–1592)
• 3.7 Richard III (1592-1593)
• 3.8 Edward III (1592–1593)
• .In 1594 records of his first play began to appear,from this time he began to produce two a year until around 1611
• .Signs that he was beginning prosper emerging soon after the publication of his first plays.
• 3.9 The Comedy of Errors (1594)
• 3.10 Love's Labour's Lost (1594–1595)
• ..By 1595, Shakespeare was named as one of the more senior members of the Lord Chamberlain's men, an acting company that performed frequently before court. This  prominent theatre company later became the royal company called the King's Men, making Shakespeare an official playwright to the King of England.
• 3.11 Love's Labour's Won (1595–1596)
• 3.12 Richard II (1595)
• 3.13 Romeo and Juliet (1595)
• 3.14 A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595)
• .In 1596 Shakespeare's family was granted a Coat of arms because of how successful Shakespere was becoming which meant William had the honour of calling himself a "gentlemen"
• 3.15 King John (1596)
• .1597 he bought the second largest house in stratford  which he called New place.
• .One year later, Shakespeare became a ten percent owner of the new purpose built theatre in London, the famous Globe Theatre
• 3.16 The Merchant of Venice (1596-1597)
• 3.17 Henry IV, Part 1 (1596–1597)
• 3.18 The Merry Wives of Windsor (1597)
• 3.19 Henry IV, Part 2 (1597-1598)
• 3.20 Much Ado About Nothing (1598–1599)
• 3.21 Henry V (1599)
• 3.22 Julius Caesar (1599)
• 3.23 As You Like It (1599–1600)
• 1601, marks the establishment of Shakespeare and includes the tragedy Romeo and Juliet, the comedies, The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer-Night's Dream, Much Ado about Nothing, The Merry Wives of Windsor and the history plays, Henry IV, Parts I and II, Henry V, Richard II, King John andJulius Caesar.
• 3.24 Hamlet (1599–1601)
• 3.25 Twelfth Night (1601)
• 3.26 Troilus and Cressida (1600-1602)
• 3.27 Sir Thomas More (1592-1595; Shakespeare's involvement, 1603-1604)
• 3.28 Measure for Measure (1603–1604)
• 3.29 Othello (1603–1604)
• 3.30 All's Well That Ends Well (1604–1605)
• 3.31 King Lear (1605–1606)
• 3.32 Timon of Athens (1605-1606)
• 3.33 Macbeth (1606)
• 3.34 Antony and Cleopatra (1606)
• 3.35 Pericles, Prince of Tyre (1607-1608)
• 3.36 Coriolanus (1608)
• 3.37 The Winter's Tale (1609–1611)
• .Ending around 1610 marks perhaps the apex of Shakespeare's work with the tragedies, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear but also comedies such asTwelfth Night, All's Well that Ends Well and the epic history play, Antony and Cleopatra.
• 3.38 Cymbeline (1610)
• 3.39 The Tempest (1610–1611)
• 3.40 Cardenio (1612–1613)
• 3.41 Henry VIII (1612-1613)
• 3.42 The Two Noble Kinsmen (1613-1614)

Shakespeare was prolific, with records of his first plays beginning to appear in 1594, from which time he produced roughly two a year until around 1611. His hard work quickly paid off, with signs that he was beginning to prosper emerging soon after the publication of his first plays. By 1596 Shakespeare’s father, John had been granted a coat of arms and it’s probable that Shakespeare had commissioned them, paying the fees himself. A year later he bought New Place, a large house in Stratford.

His earlier plays were mainly histories and comedies such as 'Henry VI', 'Titus Andronicus', 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', 'The Merchant of Venice' and 'Richard II'. The tragedy, 'Romeo and Juliet', was also published in this period. By the last years of Elizabeth I's reign Shakespeare was well established as a famous poet and playwright and was called upon to perform several of his plays before the Queen at court. In 1598 the author Francis Meres described Shakespeare as England’s greatest writer in comedy and tragedy.

In 1602 Shakespeare's continuing success enabled him to move to upmarket Silver Street, near where the Barbican is now situated, and he was living here when he wrote some of his greatest tragedies such as 'Hamlet', 'Othello', 'King Lear' and 'Macbeth'.

Final years

It is believed Shakespeare died April 23rd 1616 on his birthday.He is buried at Holy Trinity Chruch,Stratford-upon-Avon,Warwickshire,England.On his grave stone it reads 

'Good friend, for Jesus' sake forebeare

To digg the dust enclosed heare;
 Bleste be the man that spares thes stones, 
And curst be he that moves my bones'  

His grave is still there and i think that is because people are scared they will be cursed or another reason is because he work is so well known and loved by many that through respect it hasn't been moved.

He had the honour of being buried within the Holy Trinity church chancel, because he was a lay-rector of the parish and not because he was a famous playwright. His wife and several other members of his family were buried alongside him. -http://www.poetsgraves.co.uk/shakespeare.htm

It was rumoured that Shakespeare,Drayton and Ben Johnson met up and drank too hard that Shakespeare died of a fever there contracted.

THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF SHAKESPEARE - HIS SISTER, JOAN

• Shakespeare left £30 to his sister Joan Hart
• And he gave permission for her to stay on, for a nominal rent, in the house on Henley Street

THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF SHAKESPEARE - HIS NEPHEWS, JOAN'S SONS

• William Shakespeare left each of Joan's three sons the sum of £5

THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF SHAKESPEARE - HIS GRANDDAUGHTER, ELIZABETH

• William Shakespeare left all of his silver plate, except the silver bowl left to his daughter Judith, to his granddaughter Elizabeth - the daughter of Susanna

THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF SHAKESPEARE - POOR PEOPLE OF STRATFORD

• William Shakespeare left all  £10 to the poor of Stratford

THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF SHAKESPEARE - HIS FRIENDS

• William Shakespeare left his sword and various small bequests to friends and neighbours who lived in Stratford
• His lifelong friend Hamnet Sadler was specifically mentioned and left money to enable him to buy a memorial ring
• His London friends and fellow actors "my fellows John Hemynges Richard Burbage & Henry Cundell," were named leaving them 26s..8d to "buy them Ringes."

THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF SHAKESPEARE - HIS WIFE ANNE

William Shakespeare's will is famous because the only mention that Shakespeare specifically makes of his wife was to leave her his "second best bed" - hence the picture at the top of the page! This sounds terrible but is, however, understood that she would have had the right, through English Common Law, to one-third of his estate as well as residence for life at New Place

THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF SHAKESPEARE - HIS DAUGHTER, SUSANNA

• To his Daughter, Susanna and Son-in-Law, Dr John Hall left:

"All the Rest of my Goods, Chattels, Leases, Plate, Jewels & Household stuff whatsoever
after my debts and Legacies paid & my funeral expenses discarded"

• Susanna was clearly Shakespeare's favourite, his other daughter Judith disgraced through her marriage to Quiney

http://www.literarygenius.info/william-shakespeare-last-will-testament.htm