William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) Biography In late April, 1564, William Shakespeare was born in the small town of Stratford upon Avon. He was the son of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. His father lived with was a town official, and he had a little business in leather. He was the third in line, having two elder sisters, and five younger brothers. He grew up in Henley Street, where he his father. At the age of only eighteen, he married the six-year older Anne Hethaway, who was already pregnant. Some months later, she gave birth to a girl, Susanna. William and Anne got a twin later on; Judith and Hamnet. His only son died at the age of eleven. He also had a secret lover, called Anne Whately. It is said that he wanted to marry her, but doubted between his love for her, and obligation to his first wife. As an adult, he went to London for work. The first period he lived here (1585-1592), are known as ‘The Lost Years’. Very little is known about his life in this period. Later on he gained a certain capital, with which he bought a big estate in his place of birth. He gained this money by selling and performing his plays. He invested money, and made a profit, so he didn’t have to work and could dedicate al his time to writing. Shakespeare began writing plays in London in 1592. By 1594 he became a professional actor and playwright. He became very well-known now, performing with the Chamberlain’s men. He wrote about two plays a year for them. In total, Shakespeare wrote 37 plays. When theater after theater needed to close down to prevent the plague from spreading, Shakespeare began to write poems instead of plays. He wrote 154 sonnets, which are poems of fourteen lines with an ABAB structure. It was subdivided in verses of 4 lines. Most appearing subjects were love, nature and pain, suffer and death. However, once the playhouses opened up again, he went back writing plays again. Shakespeare even performed his plays in front of Queen Elisabeth herself. In 1599, Shakespeare bought ‘The Globe Theater’. A year later he reached the climax of his career. In 1603, the Chamberlain’s men become the King’s men, and they become the official actors of the King. Exactly a decade later, in 1613, The Globe is set on fire during a performance of Henry VII. A canon hits the straw roof, and the theater burns down completely. It is rebuilt, but Shakespeare retires. He dies on April 23, 1616, which was probably his 52nd birthday.