Category William Shakespeare

            Not much is known about Shakespeare’s youth until his marriage. Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. Anne was 8 years older than William who was merely 18 when the wedding took place. Their first child was Susanna. In 1585, Anne gave birth to twins, named Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet died of unknown causes at the age of eleven. Shakespeare was devastated at the death of his only son. It is said that his greatest tragedy, Hamlet, took shape from his grief over his boy’s death.

            Susanna and Judith, on the other hand, led rather long lives, although the latter had a bitter and unhappy one. Susanna married John Hall, a prosperous Stratford physician. They were wealthy and ran a business. Their child, Elizabeth Hall, was also a known and successful figure.

            Judith Shakespeare, on the other hand, lived a tragic life. She was married to Thomas Quiney. They could not procure a licence from the church for their wedding before Lent; and therefore, were scandalously excommunicated after a month. Quiney was also convicted for other crimes and led a disgraceful life. They had three children, the youngest being named Shakespeare. The young Shakespeare died in his infancy and the other two in their youth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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            An ordinary man from an ordinary family, Shakespeare’s childhood was not worthy enough to be carefully recorded. There is scanty information of his schooling. He may have had only a primary education. He learned basic Latin text and grammar, as was the custom then, at King’s New School located at Stratford.

            Shakespeare was no great scholar. He had no degrees from universities. In fact, being the member of a lower-middle class family, Shakespeare could not afford further university education, which was the prerogative of the affluent. Ben Jonson, a great playwright and his contemporary, wrote that Shakespeare had ‘small Latin and less Greek’, meaning the writer probably had no great scholarship. It, however, does not mean that he did not know history and philosophy. His plays and poetry testify that he had deep understanding of the literature of his times.

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            Do you know that Shakespeare’s death is observed on the same day he was born? The great writer died on 23rd April 1616. However, there is still no clarity regarding the date of his birth. Some church documents say that he was born in Stratford-upon-Avon and baptized on 26th April 1564. As was the custom then, children would be baptized on the third day of their birth; and therefore, Shakespeare’s birth is speculated to be on April 23rd. Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare, was a glove-maker. He was also an alderman, a member of the municipal council. His mother, Mary Arden, was the daughter of a wealthy landowning farmer. They had eight children and William was the third and eldest surviving member among the siblings.

            Shakespeare is popularly known as the ‘Bard of Avon’ because he hails from Avon. A bard is a wandering poet, who travels around reciting poems.

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            Probably no writer would have caught the imagination of men and wielded as much influence and impact on writers, scholars and the common folk alike as Shakespeare. There would be hardly anyone who has not had at least some scant acquaintance with his plays or characters that are popular across cultures and have been adapted in various art forms and genres of literature. Shakespeare’s characters such as Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, Falstaff, Shylock, lago or King Lear have in other names, forms and contexts appeared before us. Such is his influence that we would have used at least one expression from his plays or poems by the time we talked in English for a minute or two!

            The great English playwright and poet has produced several works, including about 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and several other poems, that have stood the test of time. His plays have been translated into all major living languages in the world today. They have been performed more times than the plays of any other writer.

            Theatre during Shakespeare’s time was a monotonous and rigid display of art and was sometimes too academic to suit the taste of the common folk. Shakespeare did not faithfully adhere to the classical norms of drama. His attention was on creating interesting characters. His plays were emotionally intense and insightful. People laughed, wept and were enraged at his protagonists, fools and villains.

            To the Elizabethans of the 16th century, Shakespeare opened a world of passionate romance, hot-blooded rivalry, cold-blooded betrayal and obsessive jealousy.

            Shakespeare made huge contributions to the evolution of the English language too. His plays standardized the language and provided it with new words and phrases. It is said that about 1,700 words were first used in English by Shakespeare!