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.
