William Shakespeare: A Short Biography

William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He was born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, a glover/leather merchant and local land heiress, respectively.

Shakespeare's father owned many houses in Stratford around the time of Shakespeare's birth, so the exact location of his birth cannot be known for sure (Mabillard 7). William allegedly attended the free grammar school in Stratford, where he attained the majority of his sparse education. While "Latin was the primary language of learning", Shakespeare undoubtedly received "some lessons in English" (Mabillard 16). Latin authors and composition would have been the bulk of Shakespeare's literary training, however, and it is obvious that he "absorbed much that was taught in his grammar school, for he had an impressive familiarity with the stories by Latin authors, as is evident when examining his plays and their sources" (Mabillard 16). He married Anne Hathaway, a local farmer's daughter, on November 28, 1582, and six months later their first daughter, Susanna, was born. Anne later gave birth to twins, Hamnet and Judith, although Hamnet died in childhood at the age of 11 (Fields 26). Information about Shakespeare during his first seven years of fatherhood is nonexistent, a period known as the "Lost Years." There are many speculations as to why this is, such as that he had to leave after being caught poaching a neighbor's animals, or that he was working as an assistant schoolmaster in Lancashire, England ("Shakespeare's Bio" 1; Miller 37).

Around 1588 Shakespeare reappears in London, England and started to become a notable actor and playwright. He worked for "Pembroke's Men, as well as numerous others, in particular Strange's Men, which later became the Chamberlain's Men, with whom he remained for the rest of his career" (Miller 74). During his career Shakespeare completed 37 known plays, of which 36 were compiled and published by two of his close friends soon after Shakespeare death. These friends, John Heminges and Henry Condell, said they published the plays "only to keep the memory of so worthy a friend and fellow alive as was our Shakespeare" (qtd. in Miller 86-87). Shakespeare also wrote some book-length narrative poetry in 1592-1594, when the Black Plague closed London theaters down. The most memorable of these writings "Venus and Adonis" and "The Rape of Lucrece" (Fields 56). It is through the dedication of these longer works to Earl of Southampton that causes many scholars to believe that the Earl must have not only been Shakespeare's friend but also his benefactor, although there is no written proof of this claim (Miller 82). Shakespeare also composed many sonnets during this two year period, which "were published without his consent in 1609" (Miller 82).

Shakespeare did not explode on the London scene without criticism. One of the most notable of his critics was "Robert Greene, a London playwright" ("Shakespeare's Bio" 1) who in 1592 wrote that Shakespeare was "...an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tiger's heart wrapped in a player's hide, supposes he is as well to bombast our a blank verse as the best of you: and being an absolute Johnnes fac totum, is in his own conceit the only Shake-scene in a country" ("Shakespeare's Bio" 1-2). Despite the criticism (or some believe jealousy) he received in London, Shakespeare prospered into not only a famous playwright, but also an owner of substantial property and partner of the theatrical company The Globe, which was "the most successful [company] in London in his day" ("Shakespeare's Bio" 2). His success allowed him to purchase a comfortable home and retire in Stratford-Upon-Avon in 1611.

Shakespeare wrote his Last Will and Testament in 1611, leaving the vast majority of his numerous assets to his daughter Susanna. In "Shakespeare's Last Will & Testament" Shakespeare leaves Susanna "all my barnes, stables, Orchardes, gardens, landes, tenements and herediaments ...within the townes and Hamletts, villages, ffieldes and groundes of Stratford upon Avon, Oldstratford, Bushopton and Welcombe or in anie of them in the saied countie of warr" (2). It is said that Shakespeare only left his daughter Judith £300, mainly due to the fact that "Judith's new husband, Thomas Quiney, ...ran afoul of church doctrine and public esteem before and after the marriage" (qtd. in Miller 1). In his will he states "and the stock not to be paied unto her soe long as she shalbe marryed" ("Last Will" 1). To his wife Anne, Shakespeare left "my second best bed with the furniture" ("Last Will" 2). He also left things to nieces and nephews, his sister Johane Hart, some close friends, and Susanna's husband John Hall ("Last Will" 1-3).

Shakespeare allegedly died on his birthday in 1616, although some references say 1619 (Miller 164; Mabillard 42). On April 25, 1616 (or 1619), Shakespeare "was buried...in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church where he had been baptized exactly 52 [or 55] years earlier" (Miller 165).

Works Cited

Fields, Michael H. The Life of Shakespeare. New York: Random House Publishing, 2006.

Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford. Chicago: Raven-Scott Publishers, 2002.

Miller, Joanne K. William Shakespeare: Shakespeare Biography. New York: Parrish House Publishing, 2006.

"Shakespeare's Biography." Shakespeare Resource Center. 17 October 2007. .

"Shakespeare's Last Will & Testament." Shakespeare Resource Center. 17 October 2007. .