William Shakespeare
“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players,
They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.”
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History was created on 23rd April 1564 when the star of English literature, the scholarly genius, the eminent poet and playwright, William Shakespeare was born. Little is known about the personal life of the son of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, who marked the beginning of an era in the world of literature.
According to numerous biographies the King Edward IV Grammar School in Stratford was the alma mater of Shakespeare. |
There he learnt Latin, Greek and extensively read Roman dramatists. After completing his education, Shakespeare got married to Anne Hathaway and completed his family with two daughters. After a few years of marriage Shakespeare followed his interest and so went to London to join the community of playwrights there.
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The foremost poems of Shakespeare, the Venus and Adonis (1593) and The Rape of Lucrece (1594) were dedicated to the earl of Southampton, Henry Wriothesley.
In 1594 Shakespeare became the member of Lord Chamberlain’s men and was active in the formation of famous theatre, the Globe. The earning Shakespeare made via the theatre was invested in purchasing New Place, his home in Stratford. |
Due to his remarkable work, in 1596 the title of “gentleman” was bestowed upon Shakespeare as his family was granted a Coat of Arms.
From 1593 to 1601 Shakespeare composed many sonnets that were published in 1609. The edition, The Sonnets of Shakespeare comprises of 154 sonnets, all written in the form of three quatrains and a couplet that is now recognized as Shakespearean. These sonnets speak of the decay of time and capture the everlasting effect of beauty and love on poetry.
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In the field of drama Shakespeare wrote more than 35 plays and earned incredible acclaim. His plays were informative, tragic, romantic and comedy.
For instance the Romeo and Juliet is till date the most tragic drama; As You Like It and the Comedy of Errors are the plays famous for noteworthy comedy; The Tempest and the Winter’s Tale display romanticism while Henry IV, V and King John are popular historical plays. |
Around 1611, Shakespeare retired and returned to Stratford. On 23rd April 1616 a wave of sorrow gripped the literary world as the man of landmark performance in the area left earth to reside in the heaven. Shakespeare was buried two days later to his death at Stratford Church. Before dying Shakespeare drew up his will that included his wife and ‘second best bed’.
While Shakespeare was alive only eighteen of his plays were published separately. A complete collection of his works was published by the First Folio publication after Shakespeare’s death in 1623. But Shakespeare’s contemporaries documented his achievements to a great extent by his. In 1598 Francis Meres cited ‘honey-tongued’ Shakespeare for his plays and poems and the Chamberlain’s Men became the leading dramatic company in London installed as members of the royal household in 1603.
Though Shakespeare is no more with us, he is still alive in the form of his words and will forever remain so.
“Tomorrow, and to-morrow,and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow; a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon stage,
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”
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