General Notes

Shakespeare apparently received an education from the Strat
ford Grammar School, which probably provided him a substant
ial classical background in Latin and Greek, but by 17, h
e was working as an apprentice to his father. In 1582, at t
he age of 18, Shakespeare hastily married 26-year-old Ann
e Hathaway. Six months later, they had a daughter Susanna
. Twins Hamnet and Judith were born in 1585. Presumably, th
e family fell on economic hard times and young William wa
s caught poaching on the lands of a prominent squire Sir Th
omas Lucy. At 23, he moved to London, leaving his family i
n Stratford. Little is known of these "dark years," from 15
85-1593, with various stories claiming he worked as a schoo
lmaster, lawyer, or soldier. In the PBS documentary “In Sea
rch of Shakespeare” historian Michael Wood theorizes that S
hakespeare joined the Queen’s Men in 1687. In any case, i
t was in London that Shakespeare embarked upon his life's w
ork as an actor and writer. In 1593, he found a sponsor, He
nry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, and produced the lon
g poems, VENUS AND ADONIS and THE RAPE OF LUCRECE. In 1594
, Shakespeare became active in a very popular company of pl
ayers called The Lord Chamberlain's Men, and soon he was pe
nning some of his greatest works including RICHARD II, RICH
ARD III, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, AND ROMEO AND JULIET. T
ragedy struck with the death of his little boy Hamnet in 15
96, life lessons that most certainly played out in his writ
ing of the great tragedies of HAMLET, OTHELLO, KING LEAR, a
nd MACBETH. A shrewd businessman, Shakespeare became join
t proprietor of The Globe Theatre and had an interest in Bl
ackfriars Theatre. By 1597, he had become fairly wealthy an
d was able to buy a large home for his family in Stratfor
d called New Place. In 1603, King James I made the Lord Cha
mberlain's Men a part of the royal household, and re-dubbe
d them The King's Men. In 1609, the sonnets were published
. Shakespeare retired sometime after 1612, died on his birt
hday in 1616, bequeathing to his wife Anne the curious "sec
ond best bed." He was buried in Holy Trinity Church, to whi
ch he had become a major benefactor. His epitaph reads,
Good friends, for Jesus' sake forbear,
To dig the bones enclosed here!
Blest be the man that spares these stones,
And curst be he that moves my bones.
"He was not of an age, but for all time." --Ben Jonson.
WHO WAS THE REAL WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE?
There are some who claim William Shakespeare was actually E
dward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford. The Earl died in 16
04, years before some of Shakespeare's greatest work was pe
rformed (King Lear, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, The Temp
est, The Winter's Tale). They believe that the Earl wrote t
hese works before his death and gave them to others to rele
ase periodically, adding appropriate contemporary events t
o bring them up to date. Others believe Sir Francis Bacon a
uthored Shakespeare's plays and still others say it was th
e brilliant Christopher Marlowe. Most modern scholars agree
, however, that Shakespeare was his own man and wrote his o
wn work.
THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN'S MEN
Henry Carey, the Lord Chamberlain and 1st Lord Hunsdon, wa
s a son of Anne Boleyn's sister Mary and a cousin of Quee
n Elizabeth. As an officer on the Privy Council, he was res
ponsible for the Queen's indoor entertainments. He forme
d a company of actors called "The Lord Chamberlain's Men" w
hose players included William Shakespeare, Richard Burbag
e (the leading actor), Kempe (the clown), John Heminge (th
e business manager), and Henry Condell. Carey died in 159
6 and was succeeded as patron of the company by his son Geo
rge. In 1603, "The Lord Chamberlain's Men" became "The King
's Men" under a royal patent from James I. The company cont
inued until the theatres were closed in 1642. Heminge and C
ondell prepared the First Folio of Shakespeare's works in 1
623.