About Shakespeare: biography, plays, legacy

In a nutshell

Renowned playwright William Shakespeare was born in 1564. There is no doubt that Shakespeare, during the Elizabethan and Jacobean ages of British theatre, was a prolific writer and playwright. Shakespeare's plays are his most enduring legacy. However, he didn't write only plays. In fact, his poetry is still recounted to this day. In this summary, you will learn all about William Shakespeare.

Early life

After marrying Mary Arden, John Shakespeare had eight children. William became John and Mary's eldest child after they lost their two daughters when they were still infants. John Shakespeare was a glove maker by trade, but he also served in municipal roles and rose to prominence in Stratford-upon-Avon. Because of his privileged position, he was even more likely to have enrolled William, one of his children, in the neighbourhood grammar school. Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway when he was eighteen and she was twenty-six. They had three children: Susanna, Judith and Hamnet, who died after his eleventh birthday.

Shakespeare in London

Shakespeare's reputation in London had already become well-known by 1592, but the years directly before are regarded as 'The lost years' as it is hard to know what actually happened to Shakespeare. Shakespeare's initial printed works, Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece, were released when he was living in London. Furthermore, he founded the acting troupe 'The Lord Chamberlain's Men'. While a member of this company, Shakespeare wrote many of his most well-known tragedies, including 'King Lear' and 'Macbeth', as well as his greatest romances, including 'The Winter's Tale' and 'The Tempest'.

Shakespeare's work

Shakespeare produced a total of 154 sonnets and 38 plays, as well as a lot of poetry. Shakespeare's plays don't appear to have any surviving original manuscripts. In fact, it is only because of the actors that the plays have been saved. After Shakespeare's passing, scripts were collected for publication, keeping the plays alive. His plays are typically classified as comedy (Midsummer Night’s Dream), tragedy (Hamlet), or history (Henry V). Due to their publication being over 400 years ago, the time frames are not completely accurate.

Date	Play	Date	Play
1588–97	Love's Labour's Lost	1599–1600	Julius Caesar
1589–92	Henry VI, Part 1	1599–1601	Hamlet
1589–94	The Comedy of Errors	1600–02	Twelfth Night
1590–92	Henry VI, Part 2	1601–02	Troilus and Cressida
1590–93	Henry VI, Part 3	1601–05	All's Well That Ends Well
1590–94	The Taming of the Shrew; The Two Gentlemen of Verona	1603–04	Measure for Measure; Othello
1590–95	Edward III	1605–06	King Lear
1592–94	Richard III	1605–08	Timon of Athens
1594–96	King John; Romeo and Juliet	1606–07	Macbeth; Antony and Cleopatra
1595–96	A Midsummer Night's Dream; Richard II	1606–08	Pericles
1596–97	The Merchant of Venice; Henry IV, Part 1	1608	Coriolanus
1597–98	Henry IV, Part 2	1608–10	Cymbeline
1597–1601	The Merry Wives of Windsor	1609–11	The Winter's Tale
1598–99	Much Ado About Nothing	1611	The Tempest
1598–1600	As You Like It	1612–14	The Two Noble Kinsmen
1599	Henry V	1613	Henry VIII

Shakespeare's legacy

On April 23rd 1616, Shakespeare, who was 52 years old, passed away in Stratford-upon-Avon. The Holy Trinity parish church's sanctuary serves as his final resting place. It is hard to find a more influential playwright than Shakespeare. Adaptations of Shakespeare's works have spanned multiple genres and cultures, establishing the legacy of Shakespeare's work. His plays continue to be performed and portrayed on stage and on screen. In fact, films such as 10 Things I Hate About You, She's the Man and The Lion King are adaptations and retellings of Shakespeare's plays The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night and Hamlet respectively.