Introduction To Shakespeare

Social Background

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. John was a glove maker and Mary was the daughters of a gentry. His date of birth is 23rd April 1504 and was baptized on the 26th April 1564. Shakespeare parents had eight children: Joanah (born 1558, died in infancy), Margret (1562-1563), William (himself, 1564-1616), Joan (1569-1646), Anne (1571-1579), Richard (1574-1613) and Edmund (1580-1607). William Shakespeare was the third child and the eldest son. He attended King Edward VI Grammar School in central Stratford. The school had been established since the 15th century. In the year 1582 on November 29th William married Anne Hathaway. He was 18 at the time and his wife was 26 years old. Six month later his wife gave birth to their first child Susanna (1583-1649). In February 1585, the twin Hamnet and Judith were born. Hamnet died at the age of eleven and Judith lived to seventy-seven. Between 1585 and the early 1590s there are little records of what William Shakespeare was up to. There are many speculations made about what happened during those periods. The only thing that is for certain during these “lost years” is that he went to London and eventually became an actor and playwright.

His theatrical career begins in the year 1592 when he was a playwright in London. By late 1594, Shakespeare was a writer, actor and part owner of a playing company called “The Chamberlain’s Men”. It was later renamed “The King’s Men” in honor of King James I when he becomes king. He performs most of his play at The Globes Theater. By the year 1598, he was famous for writing plays and poetry. In 1597 he was rich enough to buy the second largest house in Stratford “New Place” and in the 1600s he bought a couple of land around the area. He stayed with the Chamberlain’s Men until the day he retired from the stage.

In the year 1613 Shakespeare had retired to Stratford. He died on 23rd April 1616 at the age of 52. He was married to Anne Hathaway until his death and survived by two daughters, Susanna and Judith. Susana married Dr John Hall, and his last living descendant was their daughter Elizabeth Hall. There are no direct descendents of William Shakespeare alive today. But the diarist John Aubrey recalls in his “Brief Lives” that Shakespeare was the real father of his god son the poet William Davenant. Shakespeare was buried in the chancel of Holy trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon. A bust of Shakespeare posed in the act of writing. Each year on his birthday, a new quill pen is placed in the writing hand of the bust. It is believed that he has written the epitaph on his tombstone:

“Good Friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear,
To dig the dust enclosed here.
Blest be the man that spares these stones,
And cursed be he that moves my bones.”

Until this day nobody ever disturbed Shakespeare's grave.