Early life
William Shakespeare was one of the greatest poets and dramatists of the world. He was born on the 23rd April 1564in the small village of Stratford on Avon. His father john Shakespeare was a farmer’s son who came to Stratford about 1531. He went to his mother Mary Arden who was also a daughter of a prosperous farmer. He was the third child of eight and the eldest surviving son. When he was 14 his father lost his little property and fell into debt.
Married
In 1582, Shakespeare marred Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a peasant family. At the age of 18, Shakespeare married the 26-years-old. She was eight years elder than he. The consistory court of the diocese of Worcester issued a married license on 27november 1582. The next day two of Hathaway’s neighbors posted bonds guaranteeing that no lawful claims impeded marriage.
Child birth
The ceremony may have been arranged in some haste since the Worcester chancellor allowed the married banns to be read once instead of the usual three times and six months after the marriage Anne gave birth to a daughter Susanna baptized 26 may 1583. Twine son hamnet and daughter Judith followed almost two years later and were baptized 2 February 1585. hamnet died of unknown causes at the age of 11 and was buried 11 august 1596.
Theatrical career
Shakespeare went to London in about 1587 and joined burg ages company of actors. When Shakespeare began writing but contemporary allusions and records of performances show that several of his plays were on the London by then to be attacked in print by the playwright Robert Greene in his grouts-worth of wit. Scholars differ on the exact meaning of these words but most agree that greens is accusing Shakespeare of reaching above his rank in trying to match university educated writers such as Christopher Marlowe Thomas Nashe and Greene himself. His real teachers were the men and woman and the natural influences which surrounded him in Stratford.
Written
Shakespeare was associated with the theatre companies for which he wrote plays. He was interested in theatre and very soon became an actor. He composed both tragedies and comedies. Hamlet, Othellow, Macbeth and the tempest are some of his great plays. By 1592 he established himself as a leading dramatist of the age. In the next two years Shakespeare wrote two long poems entitled ‘Venus and Adonis’ and ‘pope of lucre’. In 1594 he became a member of the newly formed lucre chamberlains company. By 1598 he was ranked the greatest dramatist.
Death
Shakespeare retired sometime before 1613. His last three plays were collaborations probably with John Flercher who succeeded him as the house playwright for the king’s men. He died in 1616 in Paris.
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