The life and work of

William Shakespeare
Research paper by
Alexandra Anea
cl. X A

It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.

William Shakespeare

Introduction
William Shakespeare is one of the most known authors of all time and highly put in the hierarchy
of literature. Many of his plays, such as Romeo and Juliette or Hamlet, are among the most
famous literary pieces in the world, his work being studied around the world for its greatness and
special techniques that were used. His plays have been translated in almost every language in the
world and are performed more often than those of any other dramatist.

Background
Although there is a lot of information about William Shakespeare, his birth date has remained
unknown. Biographers consider 26 April 1564 his birth date as he was baptized then in Stratfordupon-Avon. He was the son of John Shakespeare, an alderman and a successful glover originally
from Snitterfield, and Mary Arden, the daughter of an affluent landowning farmer.1 He was the
third child of eight. He marries Anna Hathaway with whom he had 3 children: Susanna and the
twins Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet dies of an unknown disease at the age of 11, remaining with 2
daughters.

Career
He began a career in London as an actor, writer and a part owner of a playing company. The
earliest mention of Shakespeare was actually an attack toward his work made by the
playwright Robert Greene in his Groats-Worth of Wit in 1592:
...there 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: and
being an absolute Johannes factotum, is in his own conceit the only Shake-scene in a country.2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare#CITEREFSchoenbaum1987
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare#cite_note-35
Image taken from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/537853/William-Shakespeare
2

From 1594, the Lord Chamberlain's Men (called the Kings Men after the accession of James
I in 16033), a small company owned by a group of actors, including Shakespeare, were the only
ones who performed his plays and soon it became the leading playing company in London. By
1598, his name had become a selling point and began to appear on the title pages.4 Being an
actor, he also appeared in his own plays such as Hamlet and As you like it.
After a few years, he retired in Stratford. He died on April 23, 1616. His will, which was long
and detailed, was writen on March 25 and the shaky writing might say that he was already ill.

Work
Shakespeare was better known for his plays about tragedies that were written. In a period of time
when comedies were performed very often, his tragedies were fresh. He also wrote comedies (eg.
A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It) and

history plays (eg. Henry V, King John).

An interesting fact is that more than a third of Shakespeares plays were set in Italy. Romeo and
Juliet was based on real lovers who lived in Verona, and died for each other somewhere around
the year 1303. At that time the Capulets and Montagues were among the inhabitants of the town.
Shakespeare found the tale in Arthur Brooke's poem The Tragical Historye of Romeus and Juliet
(1562).5
He wrote about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses,
including collaborations.6

Conclusion
William Shakespeare will remain in the history of literature as one of the greatest authors. His
work has been inspiring young talents for centuries and influencing the modern literature and
other forms of art such as painting, cinematography, music. Through his work, he reminds us
that the past is the key to knowing the future.
3

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/537853/William-Shakespeare/232303/Career-in-the-theatre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare#cite_note-44
5
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/shakespe.htm
6
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare
4