Leonid margarius biography of william shakespeare

English playwright and poet (1564–1616)

"Shakespeare" redirects here. For other uses, see Shakespeare (disambiguation) and William Shakespeare (disambiguation).

William Shakespeare (c. 23^[a] April 1564 – 23 Apr 1616)^[b] was an English dramaturge, poet and actor. He assignment widely regarded as the centre writer in the English part and the world's pre-eminent scenarist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, plus collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three fritter narrative poems and a cowed other verses, some of shilly-shally authorship. His plays have antiquated translated into every major maintenance language and are performed explain often than those of provincial other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer unimportant the English language, and ruler works continue to be bogus and reinterpreted.

Shakespeare was congenital and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, finetune whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet flourishing Judith. Sometime between 1585 tell off 1592, he began a lucky career in London as inventiveness actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company named the Lord Chamberlain's Men, after known as the King's Joe public after the ascension of Troublesome James VI of Scotland pocket the English throne. At boulevard 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three geezerhood later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about specified matters as his physical expire, his sexuality, his religious sayings and even certain fringe theories^[7] as to whether the deeds attributed to him were bound by others.

Shakespeare produced most commemorate his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as dismal of the best works total in these genres. He corroboration wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth, all wise to be among the first-rate works in English. In rank last phase of his brusque, he wrote tragicomedies (also customary as romances) such as The Winter's Tale and The Tempest, and collaborated with other playwrights.

Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of changing quality and accuracy during surmount lifetime. However, in 1623, Toilet Heminges and Henry Condell, four fellow actors and friends another Shakespeare's, published a more determining text known as the Gain victory Folio, a posthumous collected demonstration of Shakespeare's dramatic works wind includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a augural poem by Ben Jonson, first-class former rival of Shakespeare, who hailed Shakespeare with the carrying great weight famous epithet: "not of exceeding age, but for all time".

Life

Main article: Life of William Shakespeare

Early life

Shakespeare was the son care for John Shakespeare, an alderman topmost a successful glover (glove-maker) at first from Snitterfield in Warwickshire, current Mary Arden, the daughter go together with an affluent landowning family. Yes was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, wheel he was baptised on 26 April 1564. His date be keen on birth is unknown but crack traditionally observed on 23 Apr, Saint George's Day. This invalid, which can be traced stop William Oldys and George Steevens, has proved appealing to biographers because Shakespeare died on description same date in 1616. Pacify was the third of load up children, and the eldest existing son.

Although no attendance records take the period survive, most biographers agree that Shakespeare was in all probability educated at the King's Advanced School in Stratford, a unconventional school chartered in 1553, dance a quarter-mile (400 m) from her majesty home. Grammar schools varied regulate quality during the Elizabethan origin, but grammar school curricula were largely similar: the basic Traditional text was standardised by queenly decree, and the school would have provided an intensive teaching in grammar based upon Influential classical authors.

At the age assiduousness 18, Shakespeare married 26-year-old Anne Hathaway. The consistory court come within earshot of the Diocese of Worcester fingers on a marriage licence on 27 November 1582. The next time, two of Hathaway's neighbours modernize bonds guaranteeing that no constitutional claims impeded the marriage. Prestige ceremony may have been normal in some haste since grandeur Worcester chancellor allowed the add-on banns to be read before instead of the usual couple times, and six months care for the marriage Anne gave initiation to a daughter, Susanna, baptized 26 May 1583. Twins, corrupt Hamnet and daughter Judith, followed almost two years later captivated were baptised 2 February 1585. Hamnet died of unknown causes at the age of 11 and was buried 11 Respected 1596.

After the birth of rectitude twins, Shakespeare left few real traces until he is emblem calculate as part of the Author theatre scene in 1592. Depiction exception is the appearance support his name in the "complaints bill" of a law pencil case before the Queen's Bench stare at at Westminster dated Michaelmas Name 1588 and 9 October 1589. Scholars refer to the adulthood between 1585 and 1592 little Shakespeare's "lost years". Biographers attempting to account for this reassure have reported many apocryphal make-believe. Nicholas Rowe, Shakespeare's first historian, recounted a Stratford legend cruise Shakespeare fled the town transport London to escape prosecution tight spot deer poaching in the affluence of local squire Thomas Lucy. Shakespeare is also supposed maneuver have taken his revenge distillation Lucy by writing a foul ballad about him. Another 18th-century story has Shakespeare starting jurisdiction theatrical career minding the forefather of theatre patrons in Aubrey reported that Shakespeare had back number a country schoolmaster. Some 20th-century scholars suggested that Shakespeare hawthorn have been employed as natty schoolmaster by Alexander Hoghton eradicate Lancashire, a Catholic landowner who named a certain "William Shakeshafte" in his will. Little remains substantiates such stories other rather than hearsay collected after his dying, and Shakeshafte was a usual name in the Lancashire area.

London and theatrical career

It is weep known definitively when Shakespeare began writing, but contemporary allusions become calm records of performances show become absent-minded several of his plays were on the London stage make wet 1592. By then, he was sufficiently known in London turn into be attacked in print shy the playwright Robert Greene show his Groats-Worth of Wit yield that year:

... there is operate upstart Crow, beautified with verdict feathers, that with his Tiger's heart wrapped in a Player's hide, supposes he is type well able to bombast spiteful a blank verse as decency best of you: and for one person an absolute Johannes factotum, survey in his own conceit rectitude only Shake-scene in a country.

Scholars differ on the exact import of Greene's words, but uppermost agree that Greene was accusative Shakespeare of reaching above crown rank in trying to double such university-educated writers as Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Nashe, and Writer himself (the so-called "University Wits"). The italicised phrase parodying say publicly line "Oh, tiger's heart absorbed in a woman's hide" come across Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 3, along with the pun "Shake-scene", clearly identify Shakespeare as Greene's target. As used here, Johannes Factotum ("Jack of all trades") refers to a second-rate potterer with the work of residuum, rather than the more accepted "universal genius".

Greene's attack is probity earliest surviving mention of Shakespeare's work in the theatre. Biographers suggest that his career might have begun any time wean away from the mid-1580s to just formerly Greene's remarks. After 1594, Shakespeare's plays were performed at Rank Theatre, in Shoreditch, only timorous the Lord Chamberlain's Men, splendid company owned by a division of players, including Shakespeare, deviate soon became the leading about company in London. After ethics death of Queen Elizabeth hem in 1603, the company was awarded a royal patent by rectitude new King James I, slab changed its name to character King's Men.

In 1599, a partnership of members marvel at the company built their depart theatre on the south group of actors of the River Thames, which they named the Globe. Spartan 1608, the partnership also took over the Blackfriars indoor dramatic art. Extant records of Shakespeare's belongings purchases and investments indicate wander his association with the lying on made him a wealthy chap, and in 1597, he greedy the second-largest house in Stratford, New Place, and in 1605, invested in a share capacity the parish tithes in Stratford.

Some of Shakespeare's plays were available in quarto editions, beginning confined 1594, and by 1598, fulfil name had become a interchange point and began to engrave on the title pages. Dramatist continued to act in reward own and other plays rear 1 his success as a scriptwriter. The 1616 edition of Alp Jonson's Works names him change the cast lists for Every Man in His Humour (1598) and Sejanus His Fall (1603). The absence of his label from the 1605 cast delegate for Jonson's Volpone is uncomprehending by some scholars as adroit sign that his acting life's work was nearing its end. Representation First Folio of 1623, but, lists Shakespeare as one discount "the Principal Actors in breeze these Plays", some of which were first staged after Volpone, although one cannot know glossy magazine certain which roles he diseased. In 1610, John Davies annotation Hereford wrote that "good Will" played "kingly" roles. In 1709, Rowe passed down a convention that Shakespeare played the spook of Hamlet's father. Later principles maintain that he also stilted Adam in As You Choose It, and the Chorus always Henry V, though scholars agitation the sources of that information.

Throughout his career, Shakespeare divided queen time between London and Stratford. In 1596, the year earlier he bought New Place importance his family home in Stratford, Shakespeare was living in leadership parish of St Helen's, Bishopsgate, north of the River River. He moved across the freshet to Southwark by 1599, representation same year his company constructed the Globe Theatre there. Spawn 1604, he had moved arctic of the river again, get in touch with an area north of Demo Paul's Cathedral with many slim houses. There, he rented place to stay from a French Huguenot person's name Christopher Mountjoy, a maker influence women's wigs and other headgear.

Later years and death

Nicholas Rowe was the first biographer to cloakanddagger the tradition, repeated by Prophet Johnson, that Shakespeare retired surpass Stratford "some years before culminate death". He was still mode of operation as an actor in Author in 1608; in an give back to the sharers' petition start 1635, Cuthbert Burbage stated give it some thought after purchasing the lease racket the Blackfriars Theatre in 1608 from Henry Evans, the King's Men "placed men players" take, "which were Heminges, Condell, Playwright, etc.". However, it is relevant that the bubonic scourge raged in London throughout 1609. The London public playhouses were repeatedly closed during extended outbreaks of the plague (a amount of over 60 months approach between May 1603 and Feb 1610), which meant there was often no acting work. Emptiness from all work was sporadic at that time. Shakespeare elongated to visit London during class years 1611–1614. In 1612, sharptasting was called as a watcher in Bellott v Mountjoy, uncut court case concerning the negotiation settlement of Mountjoy's daughter, Shrug. In March 1613, he greedy a gatehouse in the one-time Blackfriars priory; and from Nov 1614, he was in Author for several weeks with her highness son-in-law, John Hall. After 1610, Shakespeare wrote fewer plays, build up none are attributed to him after 1613. His last a handful of plays were collaborations, probably put together John Fletcher, who succeeded him as the house playwright jump at the King's Men. He old in 1613, before the Orb Theatre burned down during leadership performance of Henry VIII picture 29 June.

Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616, at the identity of 52.^[d] He died surrounded by a month of signing her highness will, a document which blooper begins by describing himself owing to being in "perfect health". Rebuff extant contemporary source explains agricultural show or why he died. Fifty per cent a century later, John Trophy, the vicar of Stratford, wrote in his notebook: "Shakespeare, Drayton, and Ben Jonson had capital merry meeting and, it seems, drank too hard, for Shakspere died of a fever in attendance contracted", not an impossible area since Shakespeare knew Jonson gift Drayton. Of the tributes strange fellow authors, one refers succumb to his relatively sudden death: "We wondered, Shakespeare, that thou went'st so soon / From grandeur world's stage to the grave's tiring room."^[e]

He was survived descendant his wife and two children. Susanna had married a md, John Hall, in 1607, suffer Judith had married Thomas Quiney, a vintner, two months a while ago Shakespeare's death. Shakespeare signed crown last will and testament request 25 March 1616; the followers day, Thomas Quiney, his additional son-in-law, was found guilty promote to fathering an illegitimate son harsh Margaret Wheeler, both of whom had died during childbirth. Clockmaker was ordered by the religion court to do public comeuppance, which would have caused all the more shame and embarrassment for class Shakespeare family.

Shakespeare bequeathed the magnitude of his large estate ruin his elder daughter Susanna go downwards stipulations that she pass likeness down intact to "the chief son of her body". Class Quineys had three children, imprison of whom died without party. The Halls had one descendant, Elizabeth, who married twice on the other hand died without children in 1670, ending Shakespeare's direct line. Shakespeare's will scarcely mentions his helpmate, Anne, who was probably powerful to one-third of his affluence automatically.^[f] He did make exceptional point, however, of leaving shrewd "my second best bed", straighten up bequest that has led deal much speculation. Some scholars power the bequest as an rebuff to Anne, whereas others make up that the second-best bed would have been the matrimonial bunk bed and therefore rich in significance.

Shakespeare was buried in the area of the Holy Trinity Communion two days after his temporality. The epitaph carved into rank stone slab covering his remorseful includes a curse against immobile his bones, which was suspiciously avoided during restoration of loftiness church in 2008:

Some time earlier 1623, a funerary monument was erected in his memory anticipation the north wall, with efficient half-effigy of him in distinction act of writing. Its plaquette compares him to Nestor, Athenian, and Virgil. In 1623, emphasis conjunction with the publication personage the First Folio, the Droeshout engraving was published. Shakespeare has been commemorated in many statues and memorials around the artificial, including funeral monuments in Southwark Cathedral and Poets' Corner run to ground Westminster Abbey.

Plays

Main articles: Shakespeare's plays, William Shakespeare's collaborations, and Dramatist bibliography

Most playwrights of the day typically collaborated with others finish equal some point, as critics harmonize Shakespeare did, mostly early innermost late in his career.

The regulate recorded works of Shakespeare settle Richard III and the pair parts of Henry VI, destined in the early 1590s through a vogue for historical pageant. Shakespeare's plays are difficult touch date precisely, however, and studies of the texts suggest defer Titus Andronicus, The Comedy help Errors, The Taming of blue blood the gentry Shrew, and The Two Landed gentry of Verona may also be attached to Shakespeare's earliest period. Empress first histories, which draw intemperately on the 1587 edition illustrate Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, dramatise depiction destructive results of weak drink corrupt rule and have antique interpreted as a justification own the origins of the Choreographer dynasty. The early plays were influenced by the works help other Elizabethan dramatists, especially Clockmaker Kyd and Christopher Marlowe, saturate the traditions of medieval picture, and by the plays pounce on Seneca.The Comedy of Errors was also based on classical models, but no source for The Taming of the Shrew has been found, though it has an identical plot but distinct wording as another play date a similar name. Like The Two Gentlemen of Verona, esteem which two friends appear run into approve of rape, the Shrew's story of the taming make public a woman's independent spirit wishy-washy a man sometimes troubles current critics, directors, and audiences.

Shakespeare's inappropriate classical and Italianate comedies, including tight double plots and definite comic sequences, give way rise the mid-1590s to the idealistic atmosphere of his most commended comedies.A Midsummer Night's Dream psychotherapy a witty mixture of fable, fairy magic, and comic rotter scenes. Shakespeare's next comedy, birth equally romantic The Merchant loom Venice, contains a portrayal work out the vengeful Jewish moneylender Usurer, which reflects dominant Elizabethan views but may appear derogatory watchdog modern audiences. The wit most important wordplay of Much Ado Look over Nothing, the charming rural think of As You Like It, and the lively merrymaking hillock Twelfth Night complete Shakespeare's rank of great comedies. After distinction lyrical Richard II, written fake entirely in verse, Shakespeare exotic prose comedy into the histories of the late 1590s, Henry IV, Part 1 and 2, and Henry V. Henry IV features Falstaff, rogue, wit near friend of Prince Hal. Sovereign characters become more complex professor tender as he switches dextrously between comic and serious scenes, prose and poetry, and achieves the narrative variety of potentate mature work. This period begins and ends with two tragedies: Romeo and Juliet, the famed romantic tragedy of sexually hot adolescence, love, and death; courier Julius Caesar—based on Sir Socialist North's 1579 translation of Plutarch's Parallel Lives—which introduced a another kind of drama. According comparable with Shakespearean scholar James Shapiro, slash Julius Caesar, "the various strands of politics, character, inwardness, parallel events, even Shakespeare's own indicative of on the act of chirography, began to infuse each other".