Concetti Chiave
- William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564, likely on April 23rd, and was the eldest son in a family with financial struggles.
- He moved to London in 1584, possibly due to a deer-hunting incident, and began his career as an actor and playwright, gaining the support of the Earl of Southampton during the plague.
- Shakespeare became the main playwright for the "Lord Chamberlain's Men," a leading acting company, and was instrumental in the construction of the Globe Theatre in 1599.
- His repertoire included comedies and great tragedies, with his works being published posthumously in the "First Folio" by his friends.
- The true identity of Shakespeare is debated, with theories suggesting he might have been Christopher Marlowe, Edward de Vere, Francis Bacon, or John Florio.
Shakespeare's early life
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 1564,probably on 23rd of April, St. George's day, the sanit patron of England. His father,John Shakespeare, was a yeoman, a succesful tradesman until he ran ino money problems and his mother, Marie Arden came from a quite rich family. William was the eldest son and attended the grammar school in Stratford, where he received a good education in English grammar and classical authors, but he couldn't go to university because he had to start working to help his family. In 1582,he married Anne Hathaway when he was only 18 and she was 26. They had three children:Susanna and the twins Judith and Hamnet, who died when he was only 11.
Career beginnings in London
In 1584 he left Stratford, probably because he had been caught deer-hunting, and he moved to London , where he first experienced the playhouse:he entered in an acting company as an actor, but thanks to his intelligence distiguished as a playwright. In 1593 the London theatres were closed beacuase of the plague and Shakespeare needed a support of a private patron;he received it from a young nobleman,the Earl of Southampton, to whom he dedicated his poems.
Success and the Globe Theatre
When theatres re-opened, Shakespeare became the main playwright of the "Lord Chamberlain's Men" , the most succeful company of actors in London, so called because their patron was Lord Chamberlain, an importnat person at Queen Elizabeth's court. In 1599 the company built the Globe Theare,where most of his plays were performed. During his career, he put 10 comedies onto stage, varying from farceto romance. The great tragedies were published between 1595 and 1605. The last part of his life was spent in Stratford. He died in 1616, when he was 52 years old , and h was buried in the local church. Seven years after his death, his friends published the "First Folio", an edition of 36 of his palys in one volume.
Mystery of Shakespeare's identity
We don't know anything for sure about his life, probably it was just a pseudonym and the real Shakespeare wasn't enough educated to write such poems. The historians suggest that actually he is Christopher Marlowe, a writer who starts publishing his works under this name after being disfigured during a brawl because he faked his death , or Edward de Vere , the 17th Earl of Oxford, beacuse in medieval time only nobles had access to cultureand books, but he couldn't sign his works beacuse theatre was for poor people, it wasn't respectable to publish tragedies. There's also someone who thinks that Shakespeare in realty is Francis Bacon , the philosopher, because there are similarities between their works, or John Florio , a humanist, beacuse there have quite the same biography , their styles are similar and they both moved a lot.
Domande da interrogazione
- What were the circumstances of Shakespeare's early life and education?
- How did Shakespeare begin his career in London, and who supported him during the plague?
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 1564. He was the eldest son of John Shakespeare, a tradesman, and Marie Arden, from a wealthy family. He attended grammar school in Stratford, receiving a good education in English grammar and classical authors, but he couldn't attend university due to family financial needs.
Shakespeare moved to London in 1584, likely due to a deer-hunting incident, and joined an acting company. During the plague in 1593, when theatres were closed, he received support from the Earl of Southampton, a young nobleman, to whom he dedicated his poems.
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