This man made a real cultural revolution, introducing humanity to the highest dramatic art. And today, his works delight readers and visitors of theaters with their depth, penetration, relevance. Therefore, many are interested in his biography. William Shakespeare is undoubtedly a genius who overtook his era.
The birth of a genius
He was born in 1564, on April 23, in the city of Stratford-upon-Avon. William's father was a fairly wealthy man: he was engaged in craft and trade. Mother was the daughter of a local farmer who belongs to an old family in the county of Workshire. There were many children in the family, but parents tried to give them a good education.
William Shakespeare, whose biography is not known for certain and has many white spots, studied at a free elementary school. Most likely, there he received his basic knowledge of Latin. Passion for the theater probably appeared quite early: the future playwright attended performances in Coventry and in his native Stratford.
In 1574 (or 1575), William entered the grammar school at the higher level course. Already here he became acquainted with rhetoric and logic, speech and recitation in prose and poetry, for the first time composed an essay on a given topic. William Shakespeare, whose brief biography is familiar to almost every educated person, knew perfectly well the classical literature and its techniques, the works of Juvenal, Virgil, Ovid and Horace. However, the father of the playwright went bankrupt and took his son from school. But the knowledge gained was enough for selfless creativity for the benefit of the theater.
Marriage and love
How did his biography develop further? William Shakespeare married the daughter of a wealthy landowner. Anne Hathaway was eight years older than her fiancé and was expecting a baby. Relatives were forced to obtain court permission to marry. A romantic legend about his passionate love for another girl, which formed the basis of the script for the film “Shakespeare in Love”, is also associated with the marriage of the playwright.
What else interesting can a biography tell about the life of a great genius? William Shakespeare leaves his hometown for a reason that is not entirely clear to contemporaries. What he did several years after leaving Stratford is unknown. Perhaps he went to London, becoming an actor in one of the troupes. William did not achieve much success in the career of an actor, but a decent stage experience gave him the opportunity to find out the needs of the public and its preferences.
The triumph of the playwright
Shakespeare's first plays were staged at the Rose Theater, built in 1587 by Philip Hensloe. They had incredible popularity, which pushed him to further work. By the end of the sixteenth century, the playwright's legacy was 22 works, not counting sonnets. He wrote a dozen more masterpieces by 1608. Such activities, which were patronized by influential people, brought Shakespeare material prosperity. Therefore, he paid for the right to have his own emblem and since then he has signed no other than a “gentleman”.
What else is interesting about his biography? William Shakespeare triumphantly returns to Stratford, buys there a luxurious estate. And in 1601, his first Globus Theater opened, the troupe performs at the court of the king. He can afford long-distance maritime expeditions, buys shares in the Blackfriars Theater. The brilliant playwright died on his birthday, April 23, 1616, in his native city, where he was buried in the parish church.