William Shakespeare To thine own self be true

William Shakespeare To thine own self be true --Hamlet

Early Life l l l Baptized on April 26 th, 1564 (birthday is unknown, however, speculated to be April 23 rd…the same day he died in 1616. ) Born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon. He was the 3 rd child of 8, and the eldest son to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. It is said he was educated at the King’s New School in Stratford—although, again, this fact is disputed. Scholars argue that he was an educated man because, although no records exist of Shakespeare attending school, the references he makes to what a school boy during this time would have been instructed to learn about is evidence enough.

Marriage & Family Life l Yeah, Shakespeare probably wishes he married this one…. l l When Shakespeare was 18 he married 26 -year-old Anne Hathaway. Married 27 th of November, 1582 in some haste (it’s rumored that Anne was pregnant). 6 months after their marriage, Susannah was baptized on 26 th of May, 1583. Twin sons Hamnet and Judith were born 2 years later and baptized on the 2 nd of February, 1585. Hamnet died of unknown causes at age 11 and was buried on the 11 th of August, 1596.

The Lost Years & Arrival on the Playwright Scene Between 1585 and 1592, what were known as Shakespeare’s “Lost Years, ” not a whole lot is known of the author. Some say that he was a schoolmaster, others say he fled and laid low for a while for trying to poach a deer from a local Lord’s land. l What is known, though, is that by 1592 he had basically blasted onto the London theatre scene. So much so, that the 28 -year-old had already started receiving criticism by some of the other playwrights for stealing their business. l Robert Crowe: “. . . [T]here is an upstart Crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tiger's heart wrapped in a Player's hide, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blank verse as the best of you…” l

Lord Chamberlain’s Men & The King’s Men From 1594 on, Shakespeare’s plays were performed only by Lord Chamberlain’s Men, a theatre group of which Shakespeare was part owner. This group quickly became the #1 theatre group in the whole country, and when Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, the company was awarded a royal patent by the new king, James I, and became the King’s Men. l After making a killing in London, Shakespeare returned home to Stratford and was a wealthy landowner. l

The End… l Shakespeare died April 23 rd, 1616. He was survived by his wife and two daughters. Susannah had married a doctor, John Hall, in 1607, and Judith had married Thomas Quiney, a vintner, 2 months before Shakespeare’s death. l He was buried in the chancel of the Holy Trinity Church two days after his death. Sometime before 1623, a monument was erected in his memory on the north wall, with a half-effigy of him in the act of writing. Its plaque compares him to Nestor, Socrates, and Virgil. A stone slab covering his grave is inscribed with a curse against moving his bones.

Which Goes Like This: Blessed be he that spares these stones And cursed be he who moves my bones.

Will the real William Shakespeare please stand up…. please stand up l Critics argue that the amount of work— 37 plays, 154 sonnets, various other works--at such a high quality as Shakespeare was able to produce— could not have been accomplished by any one man. l Furthermore, there is controversy surrounding his signatures, and the pronunciation, and spelling, of his name.

(a) From 1612 deposition: William Shackper (b) 1612 Blackfriars deed: William Shakspear (c) 1612 Blackfriars mortgage: Wm Shakspea (d) His 1615 will, page 1: William Shackspere (e) Will, page 2: Willm. Shakspere (f) Will, page 3: By me William Shakspeare [often questioned as by a different hand]

So who could it have been? l Christopher Marlowe l Well-educated (Cambridge), famous playwright l Doctor Faustus, Tamburlaine the Great l Sir Francis Bacon l Well-educated (Cambridge law), “Endowed with the facility of expressing…words, of metaphors, of allusion, as perhaps the world has not seen…” – Sir Tobie Mathew l Lord Chancellor of England, philosopher, translator, scholar, essayist. l Mmmm…. bacon….

Some additional candidates l Edward de Vere l 17 th Earl of Oxford l Was well versed in writing comedies l William Stanley l 6 th Earl of Derby l University education, extensive travel, knew many languages l Was said to have written comedies for the common player. l Brother founded acting troupe “The King’s Men”— renowned for their Shakespearean productions.

Last, but not least… l Queen l Plays Elizabeth were always performed in her presence. l Usually they were 1 st performances. l Often times the performances were smaller shows put on at her own home.

Your Turn So, now that we have gone through a fairly extensive summation of Shakespeare’s life, and the controversy surrounding him, what is your own personal opinion? Do you think it was just one man? Please describe your reasoning. l HW: Pick one of the people who could have been Shakespeare and do some more research on them tonight. Come in tomorrow with a paragraph written about whether you believe it is likely, or unlikely, that this person could have been Billy Shakes. l