Before you read this, please note that no reliable and authentic William Shakespeare biography can be written because very little about Shakespeare has come down to us from general sources. The available biographies are based on guess-work and conjecture.

William Shakespeare Biography

William Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers of English Literature. New discoveries are made and new arguments are given about Shakespeare. So, it is not practical to include all arguments by various Scholars. Therefore I have restricted this Shakespeare’s biography that would give an overview of the life of this genius.

Shakespeare birth and parentage

There is no record about the birthday of Shakespeare. Butt from an Old Church record, we get to know that he was baptized on April 26, 1564, at Holy Trinity Church. Therefore it is concluded that William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, in the village of Stratford-on-Avon.

His father’s name was John Shakespeare, who came to Stratford about 1531 and began to prosper as a trader in corn, wheat, leather, and agricultural products. His mother’s name was Mary Arden, who was a daughter of a prosperous farmer, descended from an old family of mixed Anglo-Saxon and Norman blood. Both his mother and father are believed to have no formal education.

Shakespeare’s early life experiences

Very little is known about Shakespeare’s education. Most probably he attended the Grammar School at Stratford where he learned “small Latin and less Greek“. His teachers and the natural beauty of Stratford might have an influence on him.

Stratford is a charming little village in the beautiful county of Warwickshire. Places like the forests of Arden, the old castle of Warwick and Kenilworth, old Roman campus, and military roads might have appealed to Shakespeare and increased his creativity.

The natural beauty of this part of the world is reflected in works by Shakespeare. His characters, the gossips, vices, emotions, prejudices, and traditions in his works have the reflection of the contemporary style of the region.

Shakespeare was a keen observer and kept his eyes wide open to the beauty that surrounded him. His poetry, sonnets, or the natural setting of his plays proves that he observed the minute change in nature.

Shakespeare early occupation

Shakespeare was only 14 when his father lost his property and fell into debt. Most probably Shakespeare left his formal education to support his family. For the next eight years, it is not clear, what occupation he chooses. There are some assumptions that he worked as a lawyer’s clerk and a schoolmaster.

These assumptions are made from clues found in his plays. But these assumptions are not completely acceptable as he can be a botanist, a courtier, a clown, etc. if conclusions about his early career is drawn from his plays. Shakespeare has a vivid imagination, and it is impossible to draw conclusions from his plays and form a definite opinion about his early life.

Shakespeare’s marriage

In 1582, Shakespeare married a woman who was eight years older than him. Her name was Anne Hathaway, who was the daughter of a peasant. It is believed that his marriage was unhappy and his relationship with his wife was not good. The conclusion is drawn from the fact that he went to London without taking his wife and family. There is even some reference in his plays that mocks marriages between his characters.

But again, these sort of assumptions cannot be fully trusted, as there are references to a happy marriage relationship in his plays as well. After he became extremely successful in his career in London, he returned back to Stratford to live a peaceful life with his family. So we cannot for certain draw a conclusion about his relationship with his wife.

Shakespeare departure from Stratford

Shakespeare joined Burbage’s company of actors in London, in 1587. It is believed that he left Stratford because he has been caught stealing a deer from Sir Lucy’s park, and in order to escape from consequence, he left for London. There is no certainty that there was any deer or park during that time.

Rumors cannot be a part of Shakespeare’s biography but in order to include all-important stories associated with his life. We need to merge significant stories in Shakespeare’s biography, even when we know that there is a huge chance that many stories ralated to Shakespeare are just rumors.

Shakespeare life in London

Very little is known about Shakespeare’s life in London from 1587 to 1611. It was the period when Shakespeare contributed a lot to English Literature. “The gentle Shakespeare” is attributed to him by his followers.

I loved the man and do honor to his memory, on this idolatry, as much as any. He was indeed honest and of an open and free nature.

Ben Johnson

It is clear that the lavish life of London did not change Shakespeare’s sober nature and his personality had a glimpse of the peaceful place of Warwickshire.

His early plays like Love’s Labour’s Lost, Comedy of Errors, Two Gentlemen of Verona would have certainly got him the entrance to the society of Scholars. It is also ok to believe that he didn’t lose his composed nature in the stirring life of London.

Shakespeare Experimental Stage

Shakespeare would have joined as a general helper in the theatre of London, but soon he became an actor. Old London theatre records prove that he became an important personality and gained a prominent place in his first 10 years.

Initially, he used to work with other writers, this would have helped him to craft his skills. But soon, he started his own work and we got some of his popular initial works :

• Love’s Labour’s Lost,
• Comedy of Errors,
• Two Gentleman of Verona,
• The English Chronicle plays,
• A Midsummer Night’s dream,
• Romeo and Juliet

These plays mark the experimental stage of Shakespeare’s works. It seems as if Shakespeare was experimenting with the likes and dislikes of his audience.

Shakespeare Growing Popularity

Shakespeare’s poems became more popular than his early dramatic attempts. He started to become successful. His poem Venus and Adonis became hugely popular in London. The poem was dedicated to the Earl of Southampton and brought him money and success.

Shakespeare handled the money deftly and became the part-owner of Globe and Blackfriars theatres. He started presenting his plays here by his own companies of actors. In just 10 years of his arrival in London, he became one of the most famous actors and a literary man.

The period of Maturity

After his experimental plays, a series of great plays came from his pen. These plays includes:

• The Merchant of Venice,
• As You Like it,
• Twelfth Night,
• Julius Caesar,
• Hamlet,
• Macbeth,
• Othello,
• King Lear,
• Antony and Cleopatra

It is believed that the great tragedies written by Shakespeare during this period have to do something with his personal sorrow. But nobody knows, what was the personal sorrow that was driving Shakespeare to create such unmatched tragedies. Or those were just figments of his imagination.

Some scholars believe that the reason behind his return to Stratford was due to the sorrow, which reflects in his tragedies. But nothing can be said with certainty. In the year 1597, he bought a house in Stratford. He started visiting home very frequently and in the year 1611 he left London and settled permanently in his home at Stratford-on-Avon.

Read 4 different periods of Bard’s Play

Last Years at Stratford

Shakespeare gave up his career of writer and started to live a comfortable life in the Stratford. He was still at his prime of his life, but at this stage he cared little about his success. His later plays show a decline in quality. His last play was “The Tempest“, which was based upon an actual shipwreck.

Shakespeare did not even care to collect or publish his work. Shakespeare gave no thought to his success. His work is one of the greatest ever produced in Literature. After a few years of his peaceful stay at Stratford-on-Avon, he left the world on the same day he was born, April 23, 1616.

Here is what written on his tombstone:

Good friend for Jesu’s sake forbear

To dig the dust enclosed here;

Blest be the man that spares these stones,

And curst be the that moves my bones.

Shakespeare’s tomb is like a pilgrimage for his admirers. People visit him every year, to pay respect to the great writer, English Literature has produced.

Conclusion

After studying Shakespeare’s life from different sources, few things are very apparent. He was a man of simple living and high think. He was not someone who ran after success, rather he was someone who believed to create something that can live for generations to come.

Shakespeare was a very keen observer, he studied people, behavior, thought process, psychology. His love for nature is also very apparent. There are many rumors that merged with William Shakespeare’s biography. Some stories are so popular, that it cannot be excluded while writing about him. But the point is, there are many arguments but no valid evidence to prove the stories related to him.