William Shakespeare's Life

William Shakespeare

Beyond the records of his baptism in 1564 and his burial in 1616 there is little documentary evidence for William Shakespeare’s life, although there are many unverifiable stories and anecdotes. Even the traditional date for his birth, St George’s Day, 23 April, is uncertain. What evidence there is connects him firmly to Stratford-upon-Avon, where he was born, married, and died. Nothing is known of Shakespeare’s early life before his marriage, at the age of 18, in 1582. For five years, when he was in his 20s, there is nothing to tell us where Shakespeare was or what he was doing. He disappears from Stratford records after 1587, and reappears only in 1592 in London.

We do not know how and when he became an actor, or when he began writing plays either in collaboration with other dramatists or alone. His work as a dramatist is recorded through his published plays, but his career as an actor is virtually undocumented. Shakespeare is mentioned occasionally, in official records, in the records of the lives of his relations and friends, and in the writings of his fellow actors and dramatists, and that is all. His life and career have been more extensively researched than those of any other writer, but the evidence remains elusive.

1. Stratford-upon-Avon

Shakespeare was baptised in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon on 26 April 1564. He was the eldest son of John Shakespeare, a glover, and Mary Arden, the daughter of a local farmer. John and Mary Shakespeare had 8 children, of whom 5 survived into adulthood - William, Gilbert (1566-1612), Joan (1569-1646), Richard (1574-1613), and Edmund (1580-1612). Shakespeare was probably educated at the King's New School, Stratford-upon-Avon, where he would have learned such subjects as Latin, Greek, rhetoric, and logic. He is next recorded in the licence to allow him to marry Anne Hathaway issued on 27 November 1582. Their first child Susanna was baptised in Stratford on 26 May 1583, followed by twins, Judith and Hamnet, on 2 February 1585. Shakespeare is known to have been in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1587, when he was mentioned in connection with a lawsuit.

Between 1587 and 1592 Shakespeare disappears from all the known surviving records. This period is often referred to as the 'lost years', and has been the subject of much speculation. It has been suggested that he worked as a schoolmaster during this time, or that he became a player when the Queen's Men and other companies visited Stratford-upon-Avon in 1586-1587. By 1592, he was in London as an actor and a dramatist.

During his years in London, Shakespeare maintained his links with Stratford-upon-Avon. His wife and children continued to live there, although his son Hamnet died in 1596. In May 1597, Shakespeare bought the second largest house in the town, New Place, and was listed as a resident there in 1598. During the early 1600s, he bought further property in and around Stratford. His father was buried in Stratford in 1601, followed in 1608 by his mother. On 5 June 1607, Shakespeare's eldest daughter Susanna married Dr John Hall, a distinguished physician, there. Their daughter Elizabeth was baptised on 21 February 1608. His other daughter Judith married Thomas Quiney, a vintner, in Stratford on 10 February 1616.

By 1613, Shakespeare had apparently returned to live in Stratford-upon-Avon. On 25 March 1616, he signed his will. He was already a sick man, and on 25 April 1616 he was buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford, where he had been baptised just fifty-two years earlier. His will included bequests to his sister Joan and her children, his daughter Judith, his granddaughter Elizabeth, and the poor of Stratford-upon-Avon, as well as money for his fellow-actors Richard Burbage, John Heminge, and Henry Condell to buy memorial rings. The remainder of his estate, including New Place, went to his daughter Susanna and her husband. His wife Anne, to whom he left only 'my second-best bed', outlived him by seven years. She was buried on 8 August 1623.

Deed of Mortgage by William Shakespeare, of Stratford-upon-Avon, gentleman, and others, to Henry Walker of London, vintner, of a dwelling-house in Blackfriars. British Library, Eg. MS. 1787.

2. London

By 1592, aged 28, Shakespeare was in London and already established as both an actor and a dramatist. He is first mentioned as a man of the theatre by the poet and dramatist Robert Greene, in Greenes, Groats-Worth of Witte published that year. Greene referred to him as an 'upstart crow' who 'is in his own conceit the only Shake-scene in a country'.

There is little evidence for Shakespeare's London career. Between 1592 and 1594, when the theatres were frequently closed because of the plague, he wrote his earliest poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. They were published in 1593 and 1594 respectively, and dedicated to his patron the 3rd Earl of Southampton. The chronology of Shakespeare's early plays is very difficult to determine. His first plays have been dated to 1590 or even earlier, when he may have been a member of the Queen's Men. Shakespeare was probably a founder member of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, the acting company established under the patronage of Henry Carey, 1st Lord Hunsdon, in 1594. He is first mentioned as a leading member of that company in the accounts of the Treasurer of the Queen's Chamber in March 1595, when he and others received payment for performances at court during the Christmas period of 1594-1595. He was both a player and a shareholder in the company, as well as its leading dramatist. Shakespeare wrote the majority of the 37 plays which are now accepted as his, as well as collaborating on several more, between 1594 and 1613. As an actor, he was associated with the parts of kings and old men. His roles may have included the Ghost in Hamlet and old Adam in As You Like It.

Handwriting thought to be Shakespeare's, in a manuscript play. The Book of Sir Thomas Moore, British Library, Harley MS. 7368, f.9.

According to the records of the parish of St Helen's in Bishopsgate, Shakespeare was living in the area at some date before October 1596. Other records indicate that between the winter of 1596-1597 and 1599 he had moved to the Liberty of the Clink in Southwark. His move may have coincided with the closure of the Theatre in Shoreditch and the opening of the Globe on Bankside. Shakespeare is named in the 1599 lease for the Globe, the new playhouse built by the Lord Chamberlain's Men from the dismantled timbers of the Theatre. Many of Shakespeare's greatest plays were written for this open-air playhouse.

Elizabeth I died in 1603 and was succeeded by James VI of Scotland, as James I. The Lord Chamberlain’s Men became the King’s Men soon after the new king reached London, and Shakespeare’s name appears prominently in the company’s royal Patent. The company enjoyed the new king’s favour and played regularly at court for several years. In 1608, the King’s Men acquired an indoor theatre at Blackfriars, and from 1609 they played there as well as at the Globe. This new indoor theatre, as well as the company’s appearances at court, may have influenced Shakespeare’s last plays. In 1613, Shakespeare bought a gatehouse in Blackfriars. This was the first property he had acquired in London, and was probably an investment since he seems not to have lived there. The burning of the Globe in 1613 may have affected Shakespeare’s future plans, even though the playhouse was quickly rebuilt. By 1613, his activity as a poet and dramatist was over, and he had apparently returned to live in Stratford-upon-Avon where he died less than 3 years later.

Shakespeare's Work

Shakespeare was a dramatist and a poet. None of his own manuscripts of his works survive, so we have only those of his plays and poems that were printed. Scholars have worked closely with these editions for more than 350 years, trying to establish what Shakespeare originally wrote.

Thirty-seven plays are now regarded as by Shakespeare, and he collaborated with other dramatists on at least four more. He created his plays between about 1590 and 1614, and they began to be printed in cheap quarto editions in 1594. Eighteen of Shakespeare’s plays had appeared in quarto by the year of his death, 1616.

In 1623, Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies appeared in an expensive folio volume. This contained 36 plays and is now universally referred to as the First Folio. The quartos and the First Folio ensured that Shakespeare’s plays survived when they were no longer performed. These printed editions have been used since the 17th century by actors and directors to return Shakespeare’s plays to the stage. There is much debate among scholars about how the printed texts represent Shakespeare’s original plays.

Between about 1592 and 1604, Shakespeare wrote four poems as well as creating a collection of sonnets. These were printed in quarto editions between 1593 and 1609. Scholarly debate about the printed editions of the poems has focussed particularly on The Sonnets.

William Shakespeare's Plays

The first of Shakespeare’s plays to be printed in quarto was Titus Andronicus, in 1594. The earliest quartos were anonymous. Shakespeare’s name did not appear on a title-page until 1598, with Love’s Labour’s Lost. Until recently, scholars have been agreed that Shakespeare took no interest in the printing of his plays. Fresh research suggests that he and his company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, intended to have his plays printed.

Nineteen of Shakespeare’s plays had appeared in quarto by 1622. In the following year the first folio added another 18. A handful of plays were excluded from the first folio, probably because they were known not to be wholly by Shakespeare. One of these, Pericles, is now accepted as his. At least one of the excluded plays, Cardenio (which Shakespeare wrote in collaboration with John Fletcher in 1612-1613), is now lost.

Many of the plays which had been printed before the first folio continued to appear in new quarto editions after 1623. One, The Taming of the Shrew, was printed in quarto for the first time in 1631. The first folio was followed by a second folio in 1632. The first folio divided Shakespeare’s plays into comedies, histories, and tragedies, and they have been thought of in this way ever since.

Seventeen of Shakespeare’s plays are usually thought of as comedies:

• The Taming of the Shrew, created in about 1590-1591 or perhaps earlier. First printed in the first folio of 1623. Reprinted in quarto in 1631.
• The Two Gentlemen of Verona, created in about 1592-1593. First printed in the first folio of 1623.
• The Comedy of Errors, created by 1594. First printed in the first folio of 1623.
• Love’s Labour’s Lost, created in about 1594-1595. First printed in quarto in 1598.
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream, created in about 1595-1596. First printed in quarto in 1600.
• The Merchant of Venice, created between 1596 and 1598. First printed in quarto in 1600.
• Much Ado About Nothing, created in about 1598-1599. First printed in quarto in 1600.
• As You Like It, created in about 1599. First printed in the first folio of 1623.
• The Merry Wives of Windsor, created in about 1599-1600. First printed in quarto in 1602.
• Twelfth Night, created in about 1601. First printed in the first folio of 1623.
• Troilus and Cressida, created in about 1601. First printed in quarto in 1609.
• All’s Well that End’s Well, created in about 1603-1604. First printed in the first folio of 1623.
• Measure for Measure, created in about 1604. First printed in the first folio of 1623.
• Pericles, created in about 1607-1608. George Wilkins may have written part of the play. First printed in quarto in 1609. Excluded from the first folio of 1623.
• Cymbeline, created in about 1609. First printed in the first folio of 1623.
• The Winter’s Tale, created in about 1611. First printed in the first folio of 1623.
• The Tempest, created in about 1611. First printed in the first folio of 1623.

Spenser's The Shepheardes Calender was one of Shakespeare's sources for A Midsummer Night's Dream . Edmund Spenser, The Shepheardes Calender, 1579. British Library, G.11532, f. 16r.

Shakespeare wrote 10 plays which drew on English history:

• Henry VI, Part 2, created by 1591. First printed in quarto, with the title The First Part of the Contention Betwixt the Two Famous Houses of Yorke and Lancaster, in 1594.
• Richard III, created in about 1591. First printed in quarto in 1597.
• Henry VI, Part 3, created by 1592. First printed in octavo, with the title The True Tragedie of Richard Duke of York, and the Death of Good King Henrie the Sixt, in 1595.
• Henry VI, Part 1, created in about 1592. Shakespeare may have collaborated with other dramatists, including Thomas Nash. First printed in the first folio of 1623.
• King John, created between 1593 and 1596. First printed in the first folio of 1623.
• Richard II, created in about 1595. First printed in quarto in 1597.
• Henry IV, Part 1, created in about 1596-1597. First printed in quarto in 1598.
• Henry IV, Part 2, created in about 1597. First printed in quarto in 1600.
• Henry V, created in about 1599. First printed in quarto in 1600.
• Henry VIII (All is True), created in 1613. Shakespeare may have collaborated with John Fletcher. First printed in the first folio of 1623.

Hall's chronicle was used by Shakespeare as a source for several of his history plays . Edward Hall, The Union of the Two Noble and Illustrate Famelies of Lancastre & Yorke, 1548. British Library, C.122.h.4. Titlepage.

Shakespeare wrote 10 tragedies:

• Titus Andronicus, created in about 1593. First printed in quarto in 1594.
• Romeo and Juliet, created in about 1595. First printed in quarto in 1597.
• Julius Caesar, created in about 1599. First printed in the first folio of 1623.
• Hamlet, created in about 1600-1601. First printed in quarto in 1603.
• Othello, created in about 1601-1602. First printed in quarto in 1622.
• King Lear, created in about 1605-1606. First printed in quarto in 1608.
• Macbeth, created in about 1606. First printed in the first folio of 1623.
• Anthony and Cleopatra, created in about 1606-1607. First printed in the first folio of 1623.
• Timon of Athens, created in about 1607-1608. First printed in the first folio of 1623.
• Coriolanus, created in about 1608. First printed in the first folio of 1623.

Shakespeare's plays admired. Francis Meres, Palladis Tamia, 1598. British Library, G.10375, f. 282.

At least three other plays were written by Shakespeare in collaboration with others:

• Sir Thomas More, written in collaboration with Henry Chettle, Thomas Dekker and Thomas Heywood. This play survives only in a manuscript, now in the British Library (Harley MS 7368). One section of the play is thought to be in Shakespeare’s hand.
• The Raigne of King Edward the Third, created between 1588 and 1595. First printed in quarto in 1596. Excluded from the first folio of 1623.
• The Two Noble Kinsmen, written with John Fletcher in about 1613-1614. Excluded from the first folio of 1623. First published in quarto in 1634.

2. William Shakespeare's poems and sonnets

Shakespeare’s earliest poems, Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece, were probably composed when the theatres were closed because of the plague. Both were written to be printed, perhaps reflecting Shakespeare’s need of the patronage of the 3rd Earl of Southampton or his intention to become known as a poet. The use of his name on the title-page of The Passionate Pilgrim (in which only a few of the poems are his) indicates that by 1599 he was already famous for his poetry.

It was once thought that the edition of The Sonnets which appeared in 1609 was unauthorised. More recently, it has been suggested that the collection was printed according to Shakespeare’s wishes.

• Venus and Adonis, created in about 1592-1593. First printed in quarto in 1593. Venus and Adonis was dedicated to Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton. The poem was regularly reprinted. In all, it appeared in 17 quarto editions before 1641.

Titlepage. William Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis, 1594. British Library, G.11180

The Rape of Lucrece, created in about 1593-1594. First printed in quarto in 1594. The title-page calls the poem Lucrece, although the longer title appears on the half-title. The Rape of Lucrece was also dedicated to the 3rd Earl of Southampton. The poem was successful, but never as popular as Venus and Adonis. It appeared in a total of eight quarto editions before 1641.

The Passionate Pilgrim. First printed in octavo in 1599. This first edition survives only in a two-sheet fragment. The second edition was also printed in 1599 and survives complete. A third edition of The Passionate Pilgrim appeared in 1612. Of the 20 poems in the volume, only five are by Shakespeare. They include early versions of two of his sonnets, as well as verses from Love’s Labour’s Lost.

The Phoenix and Turtle, perhaps created in about 1601. First printed in Robert Chester’s Loves Martyr, which appeared in quarto in 1601. This work was reissued with a new title-page in 1611. The poem, which begins ‘Let the bird of loudest lay’, acquired its title only in 1807.

The Sonnets, perhaps created during the 1590s and early 1600s. Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets were first printed in quarto in 1609. The dedication ‘to Mr W. H.’ is signed by the publisher Thomas Thorpe. The identity of the dedicatee has been suggested as the 3rd Earl of Southampton, or William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, among others. A second edition of The Sonnets appeared in 1640, with the poems in a different order.

A Lover’s Complaint, created in about 1603-1604. First printed in quarto alongside Shakespeare’s sonnets in 1609. A Lover’s Complaint was also included in the edition of The Sonnets of 1640.