William Shakespeare is one of the most famous writers in the history of the world. A dramatist and poet, Shakespeare was putting pen to paper centuries before today’s authors are printing out their own manuscripts. Known as the Bard, he spent most of his life writing and producing plays in London to crowds of thousands.
1564: Birth and early years
William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. His parents were
John, who made and sold leather goods, and Mary. He was the third of 8 children, the first boy born. Not much is known about his early schooling.
1582: Marriage
On November 27, 1582, 18-year-old William married 26-year-old
Anne Hathaway. The marriage seemed to be very rushed and Anne gave birth to a daughter, Susanna, only six months after they married, in 1583. In 1585, twins Hamnet and Judith were also born. In 1596, Hamnet would die of unknown causes at the age of 11. Those were the couple’s
only children.
1586: The lost years
From the birth of his twins until 1592, there is very little evidence of what Shakespeare did so these years are referred to as “the lost years.” There are many rumors and stories made up about this period in Shakespeare’s life. The most common is a story from Nicholas Rowe’s
Account of the Life which claims that Shakespeare left Stratford because he illegally poached deer and was fleeing prosecution. None of these stories have ever been proven. It’s believed he arrived in London
sometime around 1588.
From 1589 to 1593, Shakespeare is believed to have written
The Comedy of Errors, The Two Gentleman of Verona,
King John, Henry VI, and Venus and Adonis.
1594: Lord Chamberlain's Men
Although his plays had already been being performed on stage in 1952, in 1954, the playing company
Lord Chamberlain’s Men and Shakespeare were performing his plays in London. The company was extremely popular and it was eventually renamed King’s Men after Queen Elizabeth’s death. This helped Shakespeare establish himself and he managed to invest in the Chamberlain’s Men which made him financially secure for the rest of his life.
It’s believed that he wrote The Taming of the Shrew, Titus Andronicus,
Romeo and Juliet, Love’s Labours Lost, The Sonnets, Richard II,
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Henry IV, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It,
Julius Caesar, Henry V,
and
Hamlet all during this period, his most prolific.
1600: Great Tragedies
This is the period in which Shakespeare seemed to write mostly tragedies. They are considered some of his best works –
King Lear, Othello, and
Macbeth were all written during this time. However, some of these works are considered “problem plays” because they confused both audiences and critics, making little sense. Among them were All’s Well That Ends Well and Measure For Measure.
In
1600 to 1608 he wrote Trilus and Cressida,
Twelfth Night, Timon of Athens, Pericles, and
Antony and Cleopatra.
1609: Romances
By 1609, the tone of plays in England had become more upbeat, which coincided with Shakespeare’s writing of three major plays: Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale, and The Tempest. These plays experimented with the form of poetry and favored reconciliation and romance.
1612: Retirement
After reaching the greatest heights of success, Shakespeare retired. He wrote three final works: Henry VIII in 1613, Two Noble Kinsmen around 1613, and Cardenio, now lost. These plays were a mix of his previous styles.
In the summer of 1614, Shakespeare was back in Stratford with his family. His daughters were married. It’s unknown what Shakespeare died from but on April 23, 1616, he passed away. Unlike today's authors that can become easily published at home simply by using
printer ink from a home computer, Shakespeare had to wait until after his death to have a book published. The first book containing his published works,
The First Folio was
published in 1623.
Up to this day, Shakespeare’s plays and poems remain to be some of the richest works ever written in the English language.
Popular Searches