William

Shakespeare
Aysia Leckie, Kayla Higgins,
and Regan Turner

Before Shakespeare

Parents: Mary Arden and John Shakespeare

Mary Arden

Mary Arden was born in 1540

Her father was a very wealthy yeoman freeholder and left her an abundance of euros and
property

John Shakespeare

John Shakespeares father was a husbandman and was also a tenant of Robert Arden

The pair married in 1557

Young Shakespeare

John Shakespeare entertained many different jobs before settling as a glover

and later a member on the committee of Stratford

In 1565 he was elected as one of the 14 civic alderman of Stratford

In 1568 he achieved his highest office which was Mayor

John and Mary settled on Henley Street in Stratford, England

John and Mary had two daughters who died in the infancy before William was
born

Young Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born April 1564 and was baptised April 26, 1564

Had 5 brothers and sisters:

He survived the plague that claimed almost 200 people that hit Stratford on July 11, 1564
Gilbert born in 1566
Joan born in 1569
Anne born in 1571
Richard born in 1574
Edmund born in 1580

William most likely attended school at the petty school from 5-7 years old
before entering a grammar school: Kings New School, Stratford

Young Shakespeare

William Shakespeare relocated from Stratford to London, England

At 18 years old he married 26-year old Anne Hathaway in November, 1582
The pair had three children:

Susanna born in 1583, and twins Judith and Hamnet born in 1585
Hamnet passed away at age 11 when he contracted the Black Plague

Anne and the children lived in Stratford while William worked in London
He was first mentioned in print in 1592 by a playwright describing him as an
upstart crow

Timeline
of Shakespeares Adulthood

Shakespeare's Career and Adulthood

1592: Shakespeares started his successful career at the Globe Theatre

1593: The Globe closed due to the plague and health of commoners

1594: Shakespeare started working for the Lord Chamberlains Men

1595: Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Nights Dream

Shakespeares Career and Adulthood

1596: Hamnet passed away

1597: Shakespeare bought his family a new house

1597: The Globe shut down due to an ending agreement

1599: Globe theatre is rebuilt, and Shakespeare became a partner in the

ownership

The New Century

1603: James I of Scotland became King of England- Lord Chamberlains Men became the Kings
Men

Early 1600s: Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth for newly crowned King

1608: Kings Men took over Blackfriars playhouse and Shakespeare became a part owner

The Retirement of a
Masterpiece

1613: Shakespeare wrote the playwright for Two Noble Kinsmen

1613: The Globe Theatre burned down

1616: On April 23, William Shakespeare passed away, shortly after writing his
will

Shakespeares Critics
of Yesterday & Today

What Do We Think When We

Hear Shakespeare

Old/Dated
Boring
Fancy
Respectable
Universal
Timeless
Poems
Themes
Archetypes

Shakespeares Early Critic

Shakespeare originally became an actor and and then began to write sonnets
and plays

1592: Robert Greene attacked and criticized Shakespeare due to his jealousy

Robert Greene thought that an actor becoming a playwright was absurd

Shakespeares Later Critic

Robert Greenes jealousy didnt waver Shakespeares career

He continued to perform and write until he became an important literary figure

in london

1598: A writer named Francis Meres critiqued Shakespeares work and listed
12 of his plays. Complimenting him on his writing skills for every play

Shakespeare's Critics Today

Pro Shakespeare

His views are universal

He deals with archetypes and
themes that can be found in
almost every written piece of
literature
Shakespeare helped develop and
form many literary tools that we
use today
Created words that we still use
today

Against Shakespeare

Students cant relate to stories

set hundreds of years ago
Were only focusing on a single
perspective of that time period
We shouldnt be teaching
students a style of the English
language we dont speak anymore

Bibliography MLA
Regan
Alfred Bates. The Drama: Its History, Literature and Influence on Civilization. Vol. 13. London: Historical, 1906. Print.
Brandon Toropov. Shakespeare For Beginners. United States of America: Writers and Reader, 1997. Print.
Edgar Allan Poes Quill Pen. 2013. http://warehouse13.wikia.com/wiki/File:Edgar_Allan_Poe's_Quill_Pen.PNG
Ink Spot. 2012. http://gamersfanon.wikia.com/wiki/File:Ink_Spot.png
"Robert Greene". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Encyclopdia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 10 Mar.
2016 <http://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Greene>.
Valerie Strauss. "Teacher: Why It Is Ridiculous Not to Teach Shakespeare in School." Washington Post. The Washington Post,
13 June 2015. Web. 7 Mar. 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/06/13/teacher-why-it-isridiculous-not-to-teach-shakespeare-in-school/

Bibliography MLA
Aysia
Dominic Shellard. William Shakespeare. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Print.
"Shakespeare's Life." Folger Shakespeare Library. Web. 11 Mar. 2016. <http://www.folger.
edu/shakespeares-life>.
Peter Hinton. "William Shakespeare: An Overview of His Life, Times, and Work." NAC English Theatre.
Web. 11 Mar. 2016. <http://www4.nac-cna.ca/pdf/eth/shakespeare_an_overview.pdf>.