The Life of William Shakespeare (Senior Thesis)

The Life of William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564. Contrary to popular belief, many believe that William was born on the 23rd of April because of records of his Christening three days later on April 26th. This is because of the popular Elizabethan tradition of Christening children three days after their birth. Despite this tradition, William’s actual birth date remains uncertain because of missing records.

In 1559, a new prayer book was made and it stated to have the christening of a child performed before the first Sunday or holy day following the birth ‘unless upon a great and reasonable cause declared to the curate and by him approved’. The 23rd of April landed on the Feast Day of St. George. April 23rd of 1564 also landed on a Sunday, four days after the feast day of St. Alphege and two before the feast day of St. Mark, which was a holiday that was considered ‘unlucky’. The day could’ve been avoided with the permission of the curate (Holden, 1999).

During the time of William’s birth, an outbreak of the bubonic plague was taking over Stratford-Upon-Avon causing the youngest and eldest civilians most at risk. The plague took the lives of four children from the Green family who lived near the Shakespeares. It was likely that Mary Shakespeare, who had already lost two children most likely to the plague, evacuated William from Stratford-upon-Avon to her widowed stepmother’s home in Wilmcote for a short time (Holden, 1999).

He was born to John and Mary Shakespeare (nee Arden), both of which were illiterate. His mother Mary, like most women of that time period, did not receive an education. His father John, who would one day become the the mayor of Stratford-Upon-Avon, only signed his name with a mark in the duration of his life (Holden, 1999).

William was the oldest of the Shakespeare children to survive past infancy. He had seven siblings, only four of which survived to adulthood. Before William was born, Mary and John had two daughters named Joan and Margaret, who died of the bubonic plague. When William was seven, his mother gave birth to a sister named Anne, who only lived for eight years.. His surviving siblings consisted of Gilbert, Joan, Richard, and Edmund (Literarygenius.info, 2016).

The house of his parents, is located in Warwickshire county, in central England. It remains standing today on Henley street and is now called the Birthplace Trust.

It was there where William’s father, John Shakespeare ran the family business as a glover. He constructed gloves using kid, lamb, dog, and deer skins as well as various materials such as lime, alum, egg, dog excrement, and urine. The gloves were later sold out of the far right window of the house and it is possible that William and other family members helped with the business. Gloves like these are a major accessory worn by the people of England, including Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton (Donnelly and Woledge, 2010). John’s traded through the window of what today is The Birthplace Trust (Shakespeare's Birthplace Trust) which may have exposed young William to all kinds of different people, which may have given him early inspiration (Saville).

William was most likely began his education at the age of six or seven at King’s New School, which is today called King Edward VI School. It stands on Church Street and is only a short walk away from his Birthplace (Donnelly and Woledge, 2010). King’s New School (now King Edward VI School) is the grammar school of Stratford. It was and continues to be under the care of Stratford’s governing body. (King Edward VI School) The curriculum of King’s New School during Shakespeare's youth would've included Latin that was taught from the Lily's Latin Grammar, which was a Tudor text book. The students were expected to translate Latin and English phrases. The curriculum also included the study of other authors and dramatists such as Ovid, Plautus, Horace, Virgil, Cicero and Seneca. For King's New School in particular, it is very likely that Shakespeare's education would've been heavily influenced by Catholicism because of many of the teachers being predominantly Catholic, including a martyred Catholic priest named Robert Dibdale (Alchin). It's thought that these lessons taught and inspired Shakespeare to argue on both sides of a given case, which is later reflected into his plays (Saville). After attending school,  most of his classmates of wealthy families attended Oxford or Cambridge. However, Shakespeare was withdrawn from school at the age of fourteen and did not attend college. The reason might be because of the financial debt that the family was facing. In 1568, John Shakespeare was appointed the position of high bailiff, but he stopped attending the council near 1580 and was facing various lawsuits (Dunton-Downer and Riding, 2004).

It is very possible that Shakespeare was able to attend professional performances in the duration of his childhood. It was known that the Lord Leicester’s Men visited Stratford-upon-Avon in the years of 1573-1574 and 1576-1577 (Donnelly and Woledge, 2010). The Lord Leicester’s Men was formed in 1559 from the members of the Earl of Leicester’s household. They were a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I and were granted a license by royal patent. They were stationed at the first public playhouse called ‘The Theatre’ in 1576, which was located in St. Leonard’s, Shoreditch. ‘The Theatre’ is a large circular building with three galleries and surrounds a yard. That architecture is extremely similar to Shakespeare’s Globe (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016).

There are two periods of Shakespeare’s life referred to as the “Lost Years” where there is little known about what Shakespeare was doing with his life. The first period takes places between the years 1579 and 1587. This time period is between the events of Shakespeare leaving the grammar school up until his marriage to Anne Hathaway in 1582 (Saville). In 1579, John and Mary were forced to mortgage what was left of his wife’s dowry, which was the Arden estate. During that same year, Mary and John buried William’s eight year old sister, Anne. In the following year, William’s brother Edmund would’ve been born (Holden, 1999).

It is known that William remained in Stratford-upon-Avon according to an official record that stated that the Bishop of Winchester granted him to marry Anne Hathaway on November 28th 1582 in Temple Grafton (Saville). Anne Hathaway was the daughter of yeoman farmer Richard Hathaway. When Richard died in 1581, he left Anne a dowry of £6 13s 4d, along with the Hathaway cottage (Donnelly and Woledge, 2010). In the following year, Anne brought this dowry into her marriage with William. At the time of their marriage, Anne was twenty six years old and William was eighteen, making her eight years older than he was (William-shakespeare.info, 2015).
Shakespeare’s second period of “lost years” takes places between the years 1582 and 1592. During this time period, he was officially married to Anne Hathaway in 1582.

Anne and William would've met in August in 1582. During this time, Stratford faced a harvest. It is thought that William and Anne might have had a handfasting ceremony. It is an ancient tradition where a couple share vows and then share a bed before the official wedding in the church (Saville).
Six months after their wedding, their first daughter named Susanna was baptised at the Holy Trinity Church on May 26th 1583. Two years later, in the January or February of 1585, Anne gave birth to twins Hamnet and Judith. In 1589, William and his parents were involved in a dispute over land with John Lambert in Wilmcote (Holden, 1999).

Where Shakespeare was and what he was doing between the years 1585 to 1592 remain a mystery. There are many speculations about the Bard's whereabouts, including him possibly traveling to the Catholic stronghold of Lancashire or becoming an assistant schoolmaster in the country (Saville). There is also the possibility that he travelled in Italy, hence the Italian culture and location in many of his plays (Knight).

By 1592, William was 28 years old and in London as an established dramatist and actor (Bl.uk, 2016). He was attacked in a pamphlet called ‘Groatsworth of Wit’ belonging to Robert Greene and was called an “upstart crow”. On March 3, 1592, a production of Henry VI part I was performed by a troupe called the Lord Strange’s Men at the Rose Theatre (William-shakespeare.info, 2015). However, between the years 1592 and 1564, many theatres were periodically closed due to outbreaks of the plague. During this time, Shakespeare wrote the poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece (Bl.uk, 2016).

Despite the closing of most theatres, Shakespeare held connections with the players of the Earl of Derby called the Lord Strange’s Servants in Lancashire. After the death of Derby and his son and heir Ferdinando, Lord Strange, the players were regrouped under the patronage of Henry Carey, who was the first Baron Hunsdon, Lord Chamberlain to the Queen. The new group consisted of Richard Burbage, Will Kemp, William Shakespeare, and several others. The new group took the name The Lord Chamberlain’s Men. On October 8th of 1594, the new company was permitted by the Lord Mayor of London to perform at the Cross Keys Inn in Gracious Street. This caused Shakespeare to become employed into creating new plays and various performances.  (Holden, 1999).

According to records, The Lord Chamberlain’s Men were the most favored theatrical companies in London. They were known to perform continuously in London from 1594 to 1603. However they did tour around England in 1597 and again in 1603, when an outbreak of the plague hit London. Their first home theatre after their performance in The Cross Keys Inn in 1594 was a theatre in Newington Butts. It is then likely that they moved to the Cross Keys Inn again, and then they were housed ‘The Theatre’ in Shoreditch (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, 2016).

It is very likely that Shakespeare did return to Stratford-upon-Avon by the 11th of August of 1596 due to the death of his eleven year old son, Hamnet. There are many speculations on how Hamnet died, ranging from fever, blood poisoning, falling from a tree, dog bite, or the plague. The death of his only son is known to have left an impact on William’s life as well as his works (Holden, 1999). His grief seemed to manifest itself in a verse from  Act III Scene IV of King John, when Queen Constance believed that her son Author had perished:

Grief fills the room up of my absent child,
Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me,
Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words,
Remembers me of all his gracious parts,
Stuffs out his vacant garments with his form.
(Shakespeare and Williams, 1596)

His grief would then manifest itself again in Hamlet and A Winter’s Tale. While William was thirty-two, Anne had reached the age of forty and could not bear any more children. Because of this and the later deaths of his brothers, Gilbert, Richard, and Edmund, the Shakespeare family would not have a surviving male issue (Holden, 1999).

During the 1590’s The Chamberlain’s Men remained in the Theatre, under the control of of the Burbage family. The land on which it was built was leased from Giles Allen and ran out in 1596 and was not renewed. After James Burbage died in 1597 and the Chamberlain’s Men were kicked out and played at the Curtain Theatre, which was an expensive affair. As a solution to the problem, five actors, including Shakespeare, bought 10% share of the land while the Burbages took 50% of the share (The Shakespeare Globe Trust, 2014).

On December 28th of 1598, the Theatre was dismantled and the timbers were re-assembled by the Chamberlain’s Men’s builder, Peter Street on the south of the River Thames as the Globe theatre.The Globe had a covered stage that jutted into an open yard. It had three tiers of seats in galleries around the perimeter (The Shakespeare Globe Trust, 2014).The Lord Chamberlain’s Men were re-stationed in The Globe in 1599 (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, 2016). The plays that were among the first to be performed at the Globe included Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth (The Shakespeare Globe Trust, 2014).

The Globe was described by playwright Ben Johnson as “The glory of the Bank”. On September of 1599, a Swiss traveler by the name of Thomas Platter wrote an entry in his diary about the Globe:
After dinner, about two o’clock, I went with my companions over the water, and in the thatched playhouse saw the tragedy of the first Emperor Julius with at least 15 characters, very well acted... The places are so built, that they play on a raised platform, and everyone can well see it all. There are, however, separate galleries and there one is more comfortable, and moreover can sit, but one pays more for it. Thus anyone who stays in the yard pays only one English penny: but if he wants to sit he is let in at a further door and there he gives another penny. If he desires to sit on a cushion, in the most comfortable place of all… then he gives yet another penny. And during the performance food and drink are carried round the audience, so that for what one cares to pay one may have refreshment. The actors are most expensively and elaborately costumed; for it is the English usage for eminent Lords or Knights at their decease to bequeath and leave almost the best of their clothes to their serving men, which it is unseemly for the latter to wear, so they offer them for sale for a small sum to the actors. (The Shakespeare Globe Trust, 2014).

Shortly after the formation of the Globe, Shakespeare’s father, John, died in 1601 (Donnelly and Woledge, 2010). There is a wide speculation that Shakespeare’s Hamlet was a dedication to both Shakespeare’s deceased son, Hamnet, as well as his father, John. The part of the ghost of Hamlet’s father was played by Shakespeare himself in its original production by the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. While Shakespeare was more poet than player, the ghost of Hamlet was said to be ‘the top of his performance’ (Holden, 1999).

In 1603 Queen Elizabeth I died and was succeeded by King James VI of Scotland and I of England. Two years younger than Shakespeare, he was known to be a lover of simple pleasures, such as food and wine. Shortly after being crowned, he offered Shakespeare new material to be performed that following Christmas. The Lord Chamberlain’s men were eventually taken under the King’s patronage and were then called the King’s Men (Holden, 1999).

It was also in 1603 when England saw its worst plague outbreak in decades and all theatres were closed again. The King’s Men were moved by James to perform outside of the London area. In 1608, the King’s Men had obtained another theatre called the Blackfriar’s Theatre built on the northern bank of the Thames where they performed in the winter and spent  the summer at the Globe (Shakespeare-online.com, 2016).

On June 5 of 1607, Shakespeare’s daughter Susanna married a physician of Stratford-upon-Avon named Dr. John Hall and they later had a daughter named Elizabeth Hall, who was baptised at the Holy Trinity Church on February 21, 1608. Shakespeare last performed for the stage in 1603 (Shakespeare-online.com, 2016), and by 1611, William had moved back to Stratford-upon-Avon. According to dates, he was still in the progress of putting the last few completing elements into The Tempest (Holden, 1999).

Upon his return to Stratford, The Globe Theatre burnt down in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII or All is True. The play had a procession and cannons were used for special effects. Because of one of the cannons being aimed in the wrong direction, it set the thatch on fire, causing the theater to burn down. It's thought that the destruction of The Globe left an impact on Shakespeare, causing him to cease writing any more plays and remain in Stratford for the remainder of his life (Saville).

Shakespeare’s second daughter Judith was married to Thomas Quiney in in the February of 1616. Because of Quiney not having the appropriate licences for a marriage, he and Judith were excommunicated. Thomas Quiney was also prosecuted for ‘carnal copulation’ (sexual intercourse) with a woman named Margaret Wheeler, and he was sentenced to public penance. Because of these scandals, Shakespeare changed his will in order to not allow Quiney to have any of Judith’s inheritances. The couple had three children, Shakespeare, Richard and Thomas (Shakespeare-online.com, 2016).

William Shakespeare died on April 23rd 1616. To this day, the cause of the Bard’s death is unknown. There are speculations that the scandals between his daughter, Judith and her husband Thomas Quiney hastened the death of the Bard, because of the changes he made in his will weeks before he died (Shakespeare-online.com, 2016).

One of the most supported theories of Shakespeare’s death comes from a diary entry of John Ward, who was the vicar of the Holy Trinity Church as well as a fan of Shakespeare’s. It states;
“Shakespeare, Drayon, and Ben Jonson had a merry meeting, and it seems drank too hard; for Shakespeare died of a fever contracted.” (Holden, 2009). There is also note that there was an outbreak of typhus in the year 1616 that supports this theory (Shakespeare-online.com, 2016).

Shakespeare’s burial occurred on the 25th of April 1616 in the chancel in the Holy Trinity Church with the words “Will Shakespeare gent” on the register (Shakespeare-online.com, 2016).
Upon Shakespeare’s tomb is an epitaph that is said that he wrote himself, that warns a curse on people who relic hunt from graves. The epitaph reads;

Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare,
To dig the dust enclosed here.
Blessed be the man that spares these stones,
And cursed be he that moves my bones.

In 1621, The Holy Trinity Bust was thought to be commissioned for Shakespeare by his daughter Susanna and his son-in-law Dr. John Hall. It was placed on the wall of the church above William and Anne Shakespeare's graves. Along with the Bust came in inscription that reads;

Judicio Pylium, genio Socratem, arte Maronem
Terra tegit, populus moeret, Olympus habet.
Stay, passenger, why goest thou by so fast?
Read, if thou canst, whom envious death hath placed

Within this monument: Shakespeare, with whom
Quick nature doed; whose name doth deck his tomb
Far more than cost; sith all that he had writ
Leaves living art but page to serve his wit.
Obiit ano doi [anno domini] 1616. Aetatis 53. Die 23 Ap.
(Alchin)

Shakespeare’s momentous legacy is especially significant because of his major role of changing the English language forever through the medium of his He introduced about 2,000 neologisms through the medium of his thirty-eight playsand 154 sonnets. Many of his coined words are still used in Modern English today including leapfrog, monumental, castigate, majestic, homicide, puking, countless, (The History of English) and the popular female name, Jessica first used in The Merchant of Venice (Campbell).

There are many well known phrases that were also coined by the Bard that can be spoken by people who don't even know that they are in fact quoting Shakespeare. Some examples include "fight fire with fire", "to be cruel to be kind", "to vanish into thin air", and "to be made of sterner stuff" (Saville).

Works Cited

Holden, Anthony. William Shakespeare His Life And Work. Little Brown and Company, 1999. Print.

Literarygenius.info. (2016). The Brothers and Sisters of William Shakespeare. [online] Available at: http://www.literarygenius.info/brothers-sisters-william-shakespeare.htm [Accessed 12 May 2016].

Alchin, Linda. "The Education Of William Shakespeare". Literarygenius.info. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 May 2017.

King Edward VI School. "History Of The School | King Edward VI – Shakespeare's School". Kes.net. N.p., 2017. Web. 2 May 2017.

Donnelly, A. and Woledge, E. (2010). Shakespeare. Stratford-upon-Avon: Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Encyclopedia Britannica. (2016). Earl of Leicester's Men | English theatrical company. [online] Available at: http://www.britannica.com/topic/Earl-of-Leicesters-Men [Accessed 7 May 2016].

Alchin, Linda. "The Education Of William Shakespeare". Literarygenius.info. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 May 2017.

Saville, Lyndy. Shakespeare: The Legacy. Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, UK: 3DD Productions, 2016. film.

Dunton-Downer, L. and Riding, A. (2004). Essential Shakespeare handbook. New York, N.Y.: DK Pub.

Shakespeare-online.com. (2016). Shakespeare's Lost Years. [online] Available at: http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/shakespearelostyears.html [Accessed 7 May 2016].

William-shakespeare.info. (2015). William Shakespeare Biography - The first lost Years 1585 - 1592. [online] Available at: http://www.william-shakespeare.info/william-shakespeare-first-lost-years-1578-1582.htm [Accessed 14 May 2016].

Bl.uk. (2016). Shakespeare's London Career - Shakespeare in quarto. [online] Available at: http://www.bl.uk/treasures/shakespeare/london.html [Accessed 15 May 2016].

Literarygenius.info. (2015). William Shakespeare - the Lost Years. [online] Available at: http://www.literarygenius.info/william-shakespeare-lost-years.htm [Accessed 14 May 2016].

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, (2016). Lord Chamberlain's Men | English theatrical company. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: http://www.britannica.com/topic/Lord-Chamberlains-Men [Accessed 15 May 2016].

Shakespeare, W. and Williams, S. (1596). The life and death of King John. New Haven: Yale University Press.

The Shakespeare Globe Trust, (2014). Shakespeare's Globe Guide Book. London: Paul Shuter.

Knight, Christopher. "LIT 327 Shakespeare". 2017. Lecture.

Shakespeare-online.com. (2016). Shakespeare and the King's Men Acting Troupe. [online] Available at: http://www.shakespeare-online.com/faq/kingsmen.html [Accessed 21 May 2016].

Alchin, Linda. "William Shakespeare Memorials And Statues". William-shakespeare.info. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 May 2017.

The History of English. "The History Of English - Early Modern English (C. 1500 - C. 1800)". Thehistoryofenglish.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, Origin And History Of The Name Jessica". Behind the Name. N.p., 2017. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.