|
Dromo's Den
|
|
[Up] [Dromo's Den] William Shakespeare Biography SHAKESPEARE, William, eminent poet and dramatist, born in Stratford-on Avon. England, April 26, 1564; died April 23, 1616. Though the most famous writer in English literature, his authentic biography is very brief. His parents John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, daughter of Robert Arden of Wilmecote had eight children, four sons and four daughters, of whom he was the third child. His father was high bailiff of Stratford, where William probably attended the grammar school, but his early education was necessarily limited, for the reason that his parents had little education and his father was obliged to take him out of school because of having failed financially. He was soon after apprenticed to a butcher, and worked as a lawyer's clerk a short time, and in 1582 married Anna Hathaway, the daughter of a yeoman in the town of Shottery, near Stratford. Shakespeare was then only eighteen years of age and his wife was eight years older, this fact being ascertained from the date on her tombstone. Three children were born to this union, a son and two daughters. Susanna was born in 1583. They had twins in 1585, the son being named Hamnet and the other daughter Judith. The son died in his thirteenth year, and the two daughters outlived their father. Little is known of the early married life of Shakespeare and no definite reason has been assigned why he abruptly left Stratford in 1586 to take up his residence in London, but there is a legend that he and several young companions had at one time robbed the deer park of Sir Thomas Lucy of Charlecote. For this he was seized, brought before the esquire and punished, and in retaliation he wrote a satirical ballad and attached it to a gate of Charlecote. Matters were made decidedly worse by this conduct, and Shakespeare sought refuge in London, where he earned his livelihood by holding horses at the doors of theaters, but his wit attracted the notice of actors and led to his employment as a player and dramatist. However, it is more probable that he developed considerable skill as a writer and formed the acquaintance of players from London who visited Stratford, and was induced by them and by the necessity to provide for the support of his family to seek his fortune in the city. He rose rapidly as a favorite member of the dramatic company, which was the most respectable and the most prosperous of that time. The most authentic account of his early success is secured from the attacks of disappointed rivals, the most noted being a pamphlet written by Robert Greene in 1592, and soon after published by Henry Chettle. In this he was accused of weakness and plagiarism, but it provoked such criticism that Chettle made an apology for publishing it, using these words: "I am as sorry as if the originall fault beene my fault, because myself have scene his demeanor no less civill than his exclent in the quality he professes: besides: divers of worship have reported his uprightnes of dealing which argues his honesty, and his felicitous grace in writing that approves his art." Shakespeare is much more eminent as a playwright than as an actor, though he played successfully before the nobles and Queen Elizabeth, complimenting the latter in his "Midsummer Night's Dream." His first poetic production was published in 1593, entitled "Venus and Adonis," which he dedicated to Henry Wriothesly, earl of Southampton, whom he called "the first heir of my invention." The following year he published the "Rape of Lucrece," and from that time his fame and fortune were assured. He soon became a shareholder in the theater, bought a substantial house for $300 in 1597, and in 1602 purchased 107 acres of arable land at Stratford for $1,600. The acquisition of this and other valuable property brought him the style and title of William Shakespeare, Gentleman of Stratfordon-Avon, but it is certain that he did not leave the stage of London until after 1603, for in that year he occupied a place in the list of actors in Ben Jonson's play, entitled "Sejanus." He was a man of fine form and features, and enjoyed the intimate friendship of many eminent men of letters and high rank, among them Queen Elizabeth, James I., and Ben Jonson. His writings show a remarkable acquaintance with nature and human character, and have had a wide influence upon the English language. He stands as a central sun among the authors of England, and his writings have been translated freely into many languages. The writings of Shakespeare may be divided into three classes, historical, semi-historical, and fictitious. His historical productions include "Henry VI.;" "Richard II.;" "Richard III;" "King John;" "Henry IV.;" "Henry V.," and "Henry VIII." The semi-historical embrace "Titus Andronicus;" "Hamlet;" "King Lear;" "Macbeth;" "Julius Caesar;" "Anthony and Cleopatra;" "Coriolanus," and "Cymbeline." Among his fictitious writings are "Love's Labor's Lost;" "Comedy of Errors;" "Two Gentlemen of Verona;" "A Midsummer Night's Dream;" "Merchant of Venice;" "Romeo and Juliet;" "Much Ado About Nothing;" "Twelfth night;" "As You Like It;" "Taming of the Shrew;"" Pericles;" "Merry Wives of Windsor;" "Measure for Measure;" "All's Well that Ends Well;" "Timon of Athens;" "Troilus and Cressida;" "Othello;" "Winter's Tale," and "The Tempest." The Teachers' and Pupils' Cyclopædia, Vol. IV. (Kansas City: Bufton Book Co., 1909) 1729-1730. |