NOTES MAKING OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

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William Shakespeare was born on 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright,
poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the
world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"
(or simply "the Bard").
WHAT MAKES HE FAMOUS
Shakespeare was a prolific writer during the Elizabethan and Jacobean ages of British theatre
(sometimes called the English Renaissance or the Early Modern Period). Shakespeare's plays are
perhaps his most enduring legacy, but they are not all he wrote. Shakespeare's poems also remain
popular to this day.
EARLY life

Early life. Shakespeare was the son of John Shakespeare, an alderman and a successful glover
(glove-maker) originally from Snitterfield in Warwickshire, and Mary Arden, the daughter of an
affluent landowning family. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he was baptised on 26
April 1564.
FACTS
His dad was a beer taster and a glove maker. ...
He couldn't spell. ...
He married young. ...
He tried to be an actor first. ...
He was very productive! ...
He survived a pandemic. ...
He gave us some well-known phrases... ...
…and rude insults were his speciality.
HIS TIME LIFE
During Shakespeare's time, people's lives were often short. As many as one-half of the children
born never lived beyond fifteen years and, thus, never reached adulthood. Also, the average
lifespan of an adult was only thirty years. These short lifespans were due to the limited medical
knowledge.

LATER LIFE
Shakespeare retired from writing around 1613, and he spent his remaining years in Stratford
looking after his business interests and his family, until his death on April 23, 1616.

He invested much of his wealth in real-estate purchases in Stratford and bought the second-
largest house in town, New Place, in 1597. Among the last plays that Shakespeare worked on
was The Two Noble Kinsmen, which he wrote with a frequent collaborator, John Fletcher, most
likely in 1613.
What happened 7 years after Shakespeare's death?
Seven years after Shakespeare's death, John Heminge and Henry Condell, his friends and
colleagues in the King's Men acting company, collected almost all of his plays in a folio edition,
now called the First Folio.

Which of Shakespeare's sons died at 11?

Hamnet
Hamnet died at the age of 11 and was buried in Stratford-upon-Avon on 11 August 1596. The
cause of his death is unknown.

Shakespeare's Children

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Was Shakespeare old when he died?
On 25 March 1616, Shakespeare revised and signed his will. On 23 April, his presumed birthday,
he died, aged 52. On 25 April, he was buried at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. Shakespeare's
widow, Anne, died in 1623 and was buried beside him.

William Shakespeare's life and times

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What did Shakespeare leave his wife?
Shakespeare famously left his wife, Anne Hathaway, his 'second best bed'.

shakespeare.org.uk
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Death of William Shakespeare | How & When - Video & Lesson Transcript
study.com
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How old was Shakespeare when he died and what caused his death?
Despite all of the theories, the cause of Shakespeare's death at the age of just 52 will likely
remain a mystery. But living in Elizabethan England where the average life expectancy was just
35 years, Shakespeare died a grandfather after living a relatively long and healthy life.

Shakespeare's Death: How & When Did Shakespeare Die?

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How old was Shakespeare during the plague?
An outbreak in 1592-93 closed London's theatres and the decision would have been financially
crippling to Shakespeare, who was only 28 years-old at the time. Refusing to bow to the disease
however, the Bard turned to writing love poetry as a creative outlet and enjoyed great
success.Apr 23, 2020

Shakespeare and plague – how did disease influence the playwright?

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When did Shakespeare survive the plague?
As an infant, he was lucky to survive the disease: Stratford-upon-Avon was ravaged by a huge
outbreak in the summer of 1564, a few months after he was born, and up to a quarter of the
town's population died.
Did Shakespeare have any siblings?

Joan Shakespeare

Edmund Shakespeare

Gilbert Shakespeare

Margaret Shakespeare
Richard Shakespeare

Anne Shakespeare

William Shakespeare/Siblings
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Does Shakespeare have any living relatives?
Shakespeare has no direct living descendants, but there are still descendants of his sister Joan and
her husband William Hart. His childhood home on Henley Street in Stratford remains in the care
of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.May 13, 2021

Shakespeare and Lost Plays

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Did Shakespeare attend his son's funeral?
There are no records that show he attended his young son's funeral or that his young son even
knew Shakespeare.Sep 20, 2018

In 'Hamnet' ArtsEmerson Explores The Life And Death Of Shakespeare's ...

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Which famous author died on their 52nd birthday?
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare, the most famous writer in the world, died on his 52nd birthday in
Stratford-upon-Avon, in Warwickshire, England.Aug 6, 2018

Famous Authors Who Died on the Exact Same Day - Literary Hub

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Who was Shakespeare's wife?

Anne Hathaway
William Shakespeare / Wife (m. 1582–1616)
A centuries-old tale that grave robbers stole Shakespeare's skull from its burial place, has been
given new credence by scientists using 21st century technology. Radar scans of the English
playwright's tomb have led experts to conclude his skull appears to be missing, and was probably
stolen in the 18th century.Mar 24, 2016

Was William Shakespeare's skull stolen? - CNN

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What is written on Shakespeare's grave?

The grave does not bear his name, merely this warning rhyme: "Good friend, for Jesus' sake
forbear, to dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be
he that moves my bones."Mar 24, 2016
Who did Shakespeare leave his money to?

The preamble of the will and the itemization of bequests are very formulaic. Shakespeare left the
bulk of his property to his two daughters: Susanna Hall, his first child, and Judith Quiney.Nov
29,
More facts
He Was From Stratford Upon Avon. ...
He Was Born In 1564. ...
He Got Married When He Was 18. ...
He Had Some Mystery Years. ...
He Invented Loads of Words. ...
He Never Left England. ...
Shakespeare Spelt His Own Name Lots of Different Ways. ...
He Wrote 39 Plays.
Records show that Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, 26, when he was just 18 years old.
Anne was already pregnant, suggesting that the marriage might have been a hasty one - in those
days it was frowned upon to have a baby unless you were married. Anne and William stayed
together until their deaths, although William was often away.

4. He Had Some Mystery Years

The years 1585-1592 are 'missing' from Shakespeare life; basically, we don't know what he was
up to. There have been lots of exciting speculations that he was hanging out at court, travelling
the world or already acting on the stage. The truth is probably a bit less exciting - it's likely he
was teaching, studying law or had just gone into hiding after being caught poaching on a local
aristocrat's estate.

5. He Invented Loads of Words

There are literally hundreds of words either invented by or first recorded by Shakespeare,
including loads we still use today. In fact, there's too many to list here! Shakespeare also
invented lots of popular phrases, including 'Break the ice', 'As luck would have it' 'Cruel to be
kind' 'Green-eyed monster' and 'The world is my oyster'. And there are dozens more! The
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has a whole page of them here!

6. He Never Left England

Shakespeare's plays are set all over the place; Italy, France, Denmark, Scotland and Greece to
name a few, but there is no evidence that Shakespeare ever left England. It's true we don't know
what he was doing during his 'Mystery years', but given that some of the geography in his places
is a little dodgy, it's safe to say he definitely didn't visit every location he ever wrote about. Many
of his plays were based on existing folk stories, so he probably just used the locations he was
given.
7. Shakespeare Spelt His Own Name Lots of Different Ways
Nowadays we have something called 'standardised spelling', which basically just means that
words generally only have one correct spelling. In Shakespeare's time however, spelling was yet
to be regulated, and people pretty much spelt things how they wanted, how they sounded or how
they thought it should be. Shakespeare was no different and in fact spelt his own name several
different ways! There's even a whole Wikipedia page about it! These included abbreviations like
'Willm Shakp', and other spellings like 'Shakespear', 'William Shaksper' and 'William
Shakspeare'. Good thing we decided to go with 'Shakespeare' in the end!

8. He Wrote 39 Plays
There's no exact and definite number of plays that Shakespeare wrote, as some of them have
been lost to time, but the number comes out at about 39. His plays can generally be divided into
three categories - Comedies, Tragedies and Histories. Comedies tend to have happy endings,
tragedies sad endings, and histories are about real people that existed, like Julius Caesar and
Henry V.

9. And Hundreds of Poems

Shakespeare wrote over 150 sonnets alone, as well as several other poems. The sonnets were
mostly love poems and contain some of the most famous lines in verse, such as 'Shall I compare
thee to a summers day?'. Some of his poems, such as Lucrece are nearly two thousand lines long!

10. Christopher Marlowe Was His Nemesis

Nemesis makes it sound more exciting than it was - in truth the two were rivals. Both were
playwrights in Elizabethan London, and therefore competed for patrons (Rich people to give
them money) and audiences. Marlowe and Shakespeare were also thought to collaborate on some
plays, including some of Shakespeare's history plays. Sadly, Marlowe was killed in a pub fight,
putting an end to any possible future collaborations.

11. He Was A Favourite of The King

After Elizabeth I died in 1603, the throne was taken by Scottish monarch James VI (or I of
England). James considered himself a bit of a brainiac, and even wrote books himself. He was a
big fan of the arts, and a patron of Shaekspeares acting company, which became known as 'The
Kings Men'. He was also fascinated by witchcraft and demonology, even writing a book on the
subject, and loved Scottish history, so it's so surprise that Shakespeare's Macbeth appealed to him
so much! Scholars think it very likely that Shakespeare wrote the play with the King in mind,
wanting to impress the new monarch and hopefully get a bit more cash.

12. He Was An Actor As Well As a Writer

In Tudor times, writers would usually double up as actors and appear in their own plays too.
Shakespeare acted in many of his own plays as well as others, and he likely got into acting
before he actually ever got a play produced. Writers tended to write for one specific troupe of
actors, so Shakespeare was probably not only an actor but a director, stage manager and maybe
even costume designer!

13. He Had Three Children

Shakespeare and his wife Anne had three children; Susanna, Judith and Hamnet. Sadly, only
Judith and Susanna survived to adulthood, and today no direct descendent of Shakespeare
survives, as his grandchildren has no children. Both girls were probably illiterate, as were most
people of the time.

14. He Might Have Died On His Birthday

Shakespeare died on April 23rd, 1616, and since we don't know exactly when his birthday was,
there's a very good chance he died on it! Not exactly the best way to celebrate! Shakespeare was
only 52 when he died, but that's not surprising; many people in the 17th century died before they
reached old age, mostly of diseases that are very preventable today. Who knows how many more
plays he could have written?

15. The Second Best Bed is Actually a Nice Present

If you know one random fact about Shakespeare, it's probably that he left his wife the 'second
best bed' in his will. Lots of people think that was a bit mean of him - why not the first best bed?
Well, actually, the second best bed would have been the bed they slept in - the 'best' one being
kept for guests. What's more, beds were valuable and expensive in those times, and a good
quality one would have been rare. So, Shakespeare actually gave his wife a nice and very
valuable present!

16. You Can Still Visit His House

Shakespeare's home is now a visitor attraction in Stratford Upon Avon. His birthplace is still
standing, pretty remarkable since it's about 500 years old! You can also visit Anne Hathaway's
cottage, as well as the place where the house he built for his family used to stand.
17. He's A Record Breaker
William Shakespeare has broken a lot of impressive records as a writer. Not only has he been
translated into hundreds of languages, he is still the best selling playwright of all time. He's also
the most filmed author, with hundreds of TV and film adaptations of his works having been
made. Well done William!

18. You Can Visit The Globe

Although the original Globe Theatre, home of Shakespeare's acting company, is now gone, a
replica has been built in its place on the Southbank in London. The Globe was destroyed in a fire
years ago, mainly because it was made mostly of wood and straw, which aren't a good
combination. The replica Globe is made of the same materials but a lot more fire safe, and
features a Jacobean style stage, authentic seating and even a standing area, just like there would
have been in Shakespeare's time! The Globe puts on Shakespeare's plays regularly, so if you
want you can view a play almost exactly like his original audiences would have!

19. His Grave Is Cursed

It's not surprising that someone like Shakespeare liked a bit of theatrics. On his gravestone,
Shakespeare has written a warning to any grave robbers or treasure seekers looking to pick up a
souvenir from the famous man's resting place; 'Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbeare, / To dig the
dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, / And cursed be he that moves
my bones.' Spooky! It looks like it's worked though, as no one's disturbed him yet!

20. Some People Think He Didn't Write His Works

Some scholars have decided that Shakespeare's plays are just too good for one tradesman's son to
have written. They speculate that Shakespeare was actually a cover for an aristocrat, or a group
of aristocrat writing together who didn't want their names to be public. In truth, this theory is
little more than class snobbery - rich and educated men just couldn't understand how someone
like Shakespeare could have the intelligence and artistic talent to pen his works. But we have lots
of evidence to suggest that he did just that!