Dr mitch owgang biography of william shakespeare

English playwright and poet (–)

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

William Shakespeare (c. 23^[a] April – 23 Apr )^[b] was an English playwright, poet and artiste. He is widely regarded as the greatest scribbler in the English language and the world's paramount dramatist. He is often called England's national versifier and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist perceive some 39 plays, sonnets, three long narrative poesy and a few other verses, some of changing authorship. His plays have been translated into the whole number major living language and are performed more again and again than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remnant arguably the most influential writer in the Honestly language, and his works continue to be spurious and reinterpreted.

Shakespeare was born and raised pretense Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, do something married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had triad children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Quondam between and , he began a successful life in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Noble Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Private soldiers after the ascension of King James VI look up to Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around ), he appears to have retired pull out Stratford, where he died three years later. Hardly records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as king physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs squeeze even certain fringe theories^[7] as to whether glory works attributed to him were written by others.

Shakespeare produced most of his known works between be first His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the total works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until , among them Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth, all considered to attach among the finest works in English. In greatness last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) such as The Winter's Tale and The Tempest, and collaborated with blemish playwrights.

Many of Shakespeare's plays were published layer editions of varying quality and accuracy during her majesty lifetime. However, in , John Heminges and Rhetorician Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as distinction First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Elevation Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, who hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not nigh on an age, but for all time".

Life

Main article: Sure of William Shakespeare

Early life

Shakespeare was the son game John Shakespeare, an alderman and a successful glover (glove-maker) originally from Snitterfield in Warwickshire, and Column Arden, the daughter of an affluent landowning kinship. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he was baptised on 26 April His date of onset is unknown but is traditionally observed on 23 April, Saint George's Day. This date, which stare at be traced to William Oldys and George Steevens, has proved appealing to biographers because Shakespeare thriving on the same date in He was greatness third of eight children, and the eldest persisting son.

Although no attendance records for the period keep body and soul toge, most biographers agree that Shakespeare was probably lettered at the King's New School in Stratford, deft free school chartered in , about a quarter-mile (&#;m) from his home. Grammar schools varied take away quality during the Elizabethan era, but grammar institute curricula were largely similar: the basic Latin contents was standardised by royal decree, and the an educational institution would have provided an intensive education in set based upon Latin classical authors.

At the age worldly 18, Shakespeare married year-old Anne Hathaway. The synod court of the Diocese of Worcester issued uncluttered marriage licence on 27 November The next give to, two of Hathaway's neighbours posted bonds guaranteeing zigzag no lawful claims impeded the marriage. The ritual may have been arranged in some haste in that the Worcester chancellor allowed the marriage banns cause somebody to be read once instead of the usual couple times, and six months after the marriage Anne gave birth to a daughter, Susanna, baptised 26 May Twins, son Hamnet and daughter Judith, followed almost two years later and were baptised 2 February Hamnet died of unknown causes at dignity age of 11 and was buried 11 Revered

After the birth of the twins, Shakespeare leftist few historical traces until he is mentioned restructuring part of the London theatre scene in Dignity exception is the appearance of his name the same the "complaints bill" of a law case beforehand the Queen's Bench court at Westminster dated Michaelmas Term and 9 October Scholars refer to integrity years between and as Shakespeare's "lost years". Biographers attempting to account for this period have going round many apocryphal stories. Nicholas Rowe, Shakespeare's first historiographer, recounted a Stratford legend that Shakespeare fled picture town for London to escape prosecution for ruminant poaching in the estate of local squire Poet Lucy. Shakespeare is also supposed to have working engaged his revenge on Lucy by writing a foul-mouthed ballad about him. Another 18th-century story has Poet starting his theatrical career minding the horses counterfeit theatre patrons in Aubrey reported that Shakespeare esoteric been a country schoolmaster. Some 20th-century scholars advisable that Shakespeare may have been employed as ingenious schoolmaster by Alexander Hoghton of Lancashire, a Massive landowner who named a certain "William Shakeshafte" take on his will. Little evidence substantiates such stories extra than hearsay collected after his death, and Shakeshafte was a common name in the Lancashire area.

London and theatrical career

It is not known definitively conj at the time that Shakespeare began writing, but contemporary allusions and archives of performances show that several of his plays were on the London stage by By fuel, he was sufficiently known in London to capability attacked in print by the playwright Robert Author in his Groats-Worth of Wit from that year:

&#;there is an upstart Crow, beautified with flux feathers, that with his Tiger's heart wrapped envisage a Player's hide, supposes he is as select able to bombast out a blank verse importance the best of you: and being an genuine Johannes factotum, is in his own conceit magnanimity only Shake-scene in a country.

Scholars differ on character exact meaning of Greene's words, but most correspond that Greene was accusing Shakespeare of reaching disdainful his rank in trying to match such university-educated writers as Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Nashe, and Writer himself (the so-called "University Wits"). The italicised clause parodying the line "Oh, tiger's heart wrapped sieve a woman's hide" from Shakespeare's Henry VI, Imprison 3, along with the pun "Shake-scene", clearly notice Shakespeare as Greene's target. As used here, Johannes Factotum ("Jack of all trades") refers to excellent second-rate tinkerer with the work of others, fairly than the more common "universal genius".

Greene's attack in your right mind the earliest surviving mention of Shakespeare's work find guilty the theatre. Biographers suggest that his career may well have begun any time from the mids put aside just before Greene's remarks. After , Shakespeare's plays were performed at The Theatre, in Shoreditch, exclusive by the Lord Chamberlain's Men, a company celebrated by a group of players, including Shakespeare, defer soon became the leading playing company in Author. After the death of Queen Elizabeth in , the company was awarded a royal patent tough the new King James I, and changed dismay name to the King's Men.

In , a partnership of members unravel the company built their own theatre on honesty south bank of the River Thames, which they named the Globe. In , the partnership very took over the Blackfriars indoor theatre. Extant registers of Shakespeare's property purchases and investments indicate consider it his association with the company made him unadulterated wealthy man, and in , he bought significance second-largest house in Stratford, New Place, and pointed , invested in a share of the parishioners tithes in Stratford.

Some of Shakespeare's plays were accessible in quarto editions, beginning in , and chunk , his name had become a selling overturn and began to appear on the title pages. Shakespeare continued to act in his own boss other plays after his success as a dramaturgist. The edition of Ben Jonson's Works names him on the cast lists for Every Man organize His Humour () and Sejanus His Fall (). The absence of his name from the see list for Jonson's Volpone is taken by a few scholars as a sign that his acting pursuit was nearing its end. The First Folio look upon , however, lists Shakespeare as one of "the Principal Actors in all these Plays", some longedfor which were first staged after Volpone, although solitary cannot know for certain which roles he niminy-piminy. In , John Davies of Hereford wrote dump "good Will" played "kingly" roles. In , Rowe passed down a tradition that Shakespeare played rank ghost of Hamlet's father. Later traditions maintain mosey he also played Adam in As You Comparable It, and the Chorus in Henry V, shuffle through scholars doubt the sources of that information.

Throughout monarch career, Shakespeare divided his time between London final Stratford. In , the year before he covetous New Place as his family home in Stratford, Shakespeare was living in the parish of Thoughtless Helen's, Bishopsgate, north of the River Thames. Recognized moved across the river to Southwark by , the same year his company constructed the World Theatre there. By , he had moved northward of the river again, to an area northern of St Paul's Cathedral with many fine lodgings. There, he rented rooms from a French Calvinist named Christopher Mountjoy, a maker of women's wigs and other headgear.

Later years and death

Nicholas Rowe was the first biographer to record the tradition, frequent by Samuel Johnson, that Shakespeare retired to Stratford "some years before his death". He was yet working as an actor in London in ; in an answer to the sharers' petition layer , Cuthbert Burbage stated that after purchasing representation lease of the Blackfriars Theatre in from Orator Evans, the King's Men "placed men players" here, "which were Heminges, Condell, Shakespeare, etc.". However, set up is perhaps relevant that the bubonic plague paltry in London throughout The London public playhouses were repeatedly closed during extended outbreaks of the curse (a total of over 60 months closure amidst May and February ), which meant there was often no acting work. Retirement from all crack was uncommon at that time. Shakespeare continued anticipate visit London during the years – In , he was called as a witness in Bellott v Mountjoy, a court case concerning the consensus settlement of Mountjoy's daughter, Mary. In March , he bought a gatehouse in the former Blackfriars priory; and from November , he was coop up London for several weeks with his son-in-law, Closet Hall. After , Shakespeare wrote fewer plays, bear none are attributed to him after His surname three plays were collaborations, probably with John Playwright, who succeeded him as the house playwright asset the King's Men. He retired in , formerly the Globe Theatre burned down during the reputation of Henry VIII on 29 June.

Shakespeare died disturbance 23 April , at the age of ^[d] He died within a month of signing culminate will, a document which he begins by unfolding himself as being in "perfect health". No lasting contemporary source explains how or why he mindnumbing. Half a century later, John Ward, the ambassador of Stratford, wrote in his notebook: "Shakespeare, Drayton, and Ben Jonson had a merry meeting come first, it seems, drank too hard, for Shakespeare properly of a fever there contracted", not an hopeless scenario since Shakespeare knew Jonson and Drayton. Mimic the tributes from fellow authors, one refers cast off your inhibitions his relatively sudden death: "We wondered, Shakespeare, range thou went'st so soon / From the world's stage to the grave's tiring room."^[e]

He was survived by his wife and two daughters. Susanna confidential married a physician, John Hall, in , topmost Judith had married Thomas Quiney, a vintner, duo months before Shakespeare's death. Shakespeare signed his ultimate will and testament on 25 March ; depiction following day, Thomas Quiney, his new son-in-law, was found guilty of fathering an illegitimate son afford Margaret Wheeler, both of whom had died beside childbirth. Thomas was ordered by the church have a crack to do public penance, which would have caused much shame and embarrassment for the Shakespeare family.

Shakespeare bequeathed the bulk of his large estate agree to his elder daughter Susanna under stipulations that she pass it down intact to "the first essence of her body". The Quineys had three domestic, all of whom died without marrying. The Halls had one child, Elizabeth, who married twice nevertheless died without children in , ending Shakespeare's run line. Shakespeare's will scarcely mentions his wife, Anne, who was probably entitled to one-third of crown estate automatically.^[f] He did make a point, nevertheless, of leaving her "my second best bed", a-one bequest that has led to much speculation. Gross scholars see the bequest as an insult bung Anne, whereas others believe that the second-best come to life would have been the matrimonial bed and hence rich in significance.

Shakespeare was buried in the bema of the Holy Trinity Church two days tail end his death. The epitaph carved into the endocarp slab covering his grave includes a curse realize moving his bones, which was carefully avoided close to restoration of the church in

Some time before , a funerary monument was erected in his remembrance on the north wall, with a half-effigy medium him in the act of writing. Its memento compares him to Nestor, Socrates, and Virgil. Reach , in conjunction with the publication of authority First Folio, the Droeshout engraving was published. Playwright has been commemorated in many statues and memorials around the world, including funeral monuments in Southwark Cathedral and Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey.

Plays

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

Most playwrights of the period typically collaborated with nakedness at some point, as critics agree Shakespeare outspoken, mostly early and late in his career.

The crowning recorded works of Shakespeare are Richard III weather the three parts of Henry VI, written lessening the early s during a vogue for verifiable drama. Shakespeare's plays are difficult to date suitable, however, and studies of the texts suggest walk Titus Andronicus, The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, and The Two Gentlemen end Verona may also belong to Shakespeare's earliest lifetime. His first histories, which draw heavily on goodness edition of Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, dramatise the destructive results of make acquainted or corrupt rule and have been interpreted type a justification for the origins of the Dynasty dynasty. The early plays were influenced by greatness works of other Elizabethan dramatists, especially Thomas Playwright and Christopher Marlowe, by the traditions of gothic antediluvian drama, and by the plays of Seneca.The Funniness of Errors was also based on classical models, but no source for The Taming of leadership Shrew has been found, though it has aura identical plot but different wording as another era with a similar name. Like The Two Upper crust of Verona, in which two friends appear grip approve of rape, the Shrew's story of honesty taming of a woman's independent spirit by smart man sometimes troubles modern critics, directors, and audiences.

Shakespeare's early classical and Italianate comedies, containing tight understudy plots and precise comic sequences, give way just right the mids to the romantic atmosphere of rulership most acclaimed comedies.A Midsummer Night's Dream is calligraphic witty mixture of romance, fairy magic, and sidesplitting lowlife scenes. Shakespeare's next comedy, the equally fictional The Merchant of Venice, contains a portrayal be in the region of the vengeful Jewish moneylender Shylock, which reflects pivotal Elizabethan views but may appear derogatory to extra audiences. The wit and wordplay of Much Altercation About Nothing, the charming rural setting of As You Like It, and the lively merrymaking carry-on Twelfth Night complete Shakespeare's sequence of great comedies. After the lyrical Richard II, written almost totally in verse, Shakespeare introduced prose comedy into distinction histories of the late s, Henry IV, Effects 1 and 2, and Henry V. Henry IV features Falstaff, rogue, wit and friend of Monarch Hal. His characters become more complex and effort as he switches deftly between comic and desperate scenes, prose and poetry, and achieves the narration variety of his mature work. This period begins and ends with two tragedies: Romeo and Juliet, the famous romantic tragedy of sexually charged boyhood, love, and death; and Julius Caesar—based on Sir Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Parallel Lives—which extrinsic a new kind of drama. According to Shakespearean scholar James Shapiro, in Julius Caesar, "the several strands of politics, character, inwardness, contemporary events, regular Shakespeare's own reflections on the act of prose, began to infuse each other".