William Shakespeare

A Biography
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was
born on April 23, 1564 in
Stratford –upon - Avon and
baptized on April 26, 1564.

He was the third of eight

children born to John
Shakespeare and Mary Arden,
daughter of a wealthy
landowner.

William’s father was a glove

maker, a grain dealer, and
served in various civic offices
as a member of town council,
magistrate and as bailiff or
mayor of Stratford.
Where Shakespeare was born:
Map of England
Stratford-upon-Avon
 Education
• Due to his father’s standing, William received free tuition to the local
grammar school where he studied rhetoric, Latin and Greek
• William was apprenticed
to his father’s business around
1577 when his father’s fortunes
began to decline
• Although William did not attend
university and was not regarded as a
man of learning, he did have a great
deal of general knowledge.
Family Life
• Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway
on Nov. 28, 1582. She was 8 yrs older
than William and 3 months pregnant •Their first child,
at the time of their marriage. Susanna, was
baptized on May
26, 1583
•Twins, Hamnet
and Judith, were
born two years
later in 1585
•Hamnet, the only
son, died at age 11.
 Acting and Writing
• Not only was Shakespeare a
successful author, but he was
also an actor!
• When the theatres reopened after the
plagues of 1592-1593, Shakespeare was a
partner in a company under the
sponsorship of the Lord Chamberlain,
head of the Royal household
• They were the most popular acting
company in London, being invited to
perform at court far more often than any
other group.
• While the theatres were closed,
Shakespeare wrote two long narrative
poems which he dedicated to the Earl of
Southampton, who was 19 yrs. Old.
Speculation says that the money he
received for these poems allowed him to
become a partner with the Lord
Chamberlain’s Men.
• Shakespeare enjoyed great success at the Globe and
Blackfriars theatres. It was thought he wrote two
plays per year until he retired
• In 1597, he purchased New Place, the second largest
home in Stratford
• In 1603, their acting company came under the
patronage of King James and became known as the
The King’s Men. Between Nov. 1604 and Oct. 1605,
they performed 11 times before the King. Seven of
these performances were plays by Shakespeare.
• Shakespeare • He died April 23, 1616
and was buried at Holy
continued to Trinity Church.
invest in real
estate in Stratford.
• He left the stage
around 1611 and
returned to
Stratford
 Shakespeare’s Plays
• Shakespeare wrote • Comedies feature mistaken
identities, women disguised
three types of plays:
as men, miscarried letters,
tragedies, comedies, and all sorts of silly
and histories complications that are
happily resolved in the end.
• In tragedies the
Many end with weddings
principal characters are being planned.
involved in desperate
circumstances or are
led by some
overwhelming passion
which destroys them.
Plays cont’d…

•Historical plays told the

stories of kings and
noblemen in exciting
situations. It seeks to present
some historical situation or
characters and maybe a
comedy or tragedy.
 William Shakespeare’s Works:
COMEDIES:
1.All’s Well That Ends 8. The Merry Wives of
Well Windsor

2. As You Like It 9. A Midsummer Night’s

Dream
3. The Comedy of Errors
10. Much Ado About
4. Cymbeline
Nothing
5. Love’s Labor Lost
11. Pericles
6. Measure for Measure
12. Taming of the Shrew
7. Merchant of Venice
 William Shakespeare’s Works:
COMEDIES:
•13. The Tempest
•14. Troilus and Cressida
•15. Twelfth Night
•16. Two Gentlemen of
Verona
•17. The Winter’s Tale
 William Shakespeare’s Works:
TRAGEDIES: 7. Romeo and Juliet
1. Anthony and 8. Macbeth
Cleopatra
9. Timon of Athens
2. Coriolanus
10. Titus Andronicus
3. Hamlet
11. Two Noble
4. Julius Caesar
Kinsmen
5. King Lear
6. Othello
 William Shakespeare’s Works:
HISTORICAL
PLAYS:
1. Henry IV (part 1) 6. Henry VI (part 3)
2. Henry IV (part 2) 7. Henry VIII
3. Henry V
8. Richard II
4. Henry VI (part 1)
9. Richard III
5. Henry VI (part 2)
THEMES:
1. Human fortunes
2. Tremendous effects come out of trivial accidents.
3. The innocent suffers through the guilt of others.
4. No one is generally all good or all bad.
5. Personal witnesses breed failures.
6. Sometimes we are dash to the ground by blind hand of fate.
7. Man fairs best when he is temper and well.
8. Tragedy lurks or springs on others.
9. Life is mysterious but glorious at its happiest; indefinably sad at
its saddest.