Shakespeare's Early life

Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers to ever live, His early years formed him inn to the genius he would become. His

adult years defined his legacy and his later years gave him the time to enjoy all his accomplishments before he died.

Quote:

"According to the custom at that time, infants were baptized about three days after their birth. Therefore, the generally accepted date for Shakespeare’s birth is April 23."(Lander)

Paraphrase:

Shakespeare's birth much like the rest of his life is kind of shrouded in mystery. Historians can guess based on the customs of the time. This just adds more and more to the vale of mystery around the famed writer and poet.

Quote:

"On Nov. 27, 1582, Shakespeare received a license to marry Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a local farmer. The two families knew each other, but the details of the relationship between William and Anne have been a source of speculation. At the age of 18, William was young to marry, while Anne at 26 was of normal marrying age. The marriage appears to have been hurried, and the birth of their first child, Susanna, in May 1583 came only six months after marriage."(Lander)

Paraphrase:

Shakespeare's first child coming only 6 months after marriage would have been a deal back then. In this time, if one was to have a child before marriage, it was frowned upon because the bible(which had a lot of relevance back then) said the sleeping with someone before you wed was a sin. Unless his first child incubated faster than normal, the marriage was made to cover up that sin.

Quote:

"Scholars have referred to the period between 1585 and 1592, when Shakespeare was called an “upstart” by a London writer, as the “lost years.” Scholars have proposed a number of theories about his activities during that time. But what is certain is that some time before 1592 Shakespeare arrived in London and began to work in the theater."(Lander 7)

Paraphrase:

Shakespeare's life had one thing in common no matter what time of his life you talk about. Mystery. Whether it was his birth, his death, his marriage, or even if he exited at all, all are a mystery. This time however is particularly mysterious seeing how no one knows what happened during this time at all.

Shakespeare's Fame Years

Quote:

"...which was later to become the King’s Men. Shakespeare worked with this company rest of his writing life. Year after year he provided it with plays, almost on demand."(Anderson 11)

Paraphrase:

His work with the King's Men ultimately grounded and provided a stable place for him to create the more famous works he would go on to create. This job provided a rock he could lean on in a new and unfamiliar place. It brought a sort of of dependability on. This allowed him to think that this was his niche in this new place.

Quote:

"Soon after, in 1597, the 33-year-old playwright, who was by that time the talk of London,"(Ravious 6)

Paraphrase:

This is after success of Romeo and Juliet. The theater is the greatest form of entertainment at this time. All can go and see, so his fame would spread like a wildfire. All knew him through his plays. He was the most famous person in all of.

Quote:

"The period from 1599 to 1608 was a time of extraordinary literary activity for Shakespeare. During these years, he wrote several comedies and almost all the tragedies that have made him famous. Shakespeare’s masterpieces during this period include the comedies Much Ado About Nothing and Twelfth Night; the history Henry V; and the tragedies Antony and Cleopatra, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Macbeth, and Othello." (Lander)

Paraphrase:

Shakespeare had just lost his son and he relapsed to the only thing that he could lean on the last few years. The theatre. he churned out plays rather than retiring and lifting the rest of his life normally. in a way this was his coping method of losing his son.

Quote:

"In 1609, a London publisher named Thomas Thorpe published a book called Shakespeare’s Sonnets. The volume contained more than 150 sonnets that Shakespeare had written over the years. Scholars have long been curious about the book’s puzzling dedication. It reads, in modernized spelling: “To the only begetter of these ensuing sonnets Mr. W. H.” We do not know whether these are Shakespeare’s or Thorpe’s words, nor do we know the identity of the mysterious W. H. " (Lander 17)

Paraphrase:

shakespeare had written a number poems over the year which had translated to this book. although not published by Shakespeare himself, his fame was at such a height that that anything with his name would sell.

Shakespeare's Final years

Quote:

"During his last eight years, Shakespeare was the sole author of only three plays— Cymbeline, The Tempest, and The Winter’s Tale. He collaborated with John Fletcher, another English dramatist, in writing three more plays...(Lander 21)

Paraphrase:

Shakespeare decides as his life goes on he will start to move back to Stratford to life the rest of his life. He continued to write plays but more and more he started to settle down and enjoy retirement. This was really the uneventful part of his life.

Quote:

"The summer of 1596 was a sad one for William Shakespeare . Following the success of Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream the previous year, his only son, Hamnet, died at the age of 11." (Ravious 3)

Paraphrase:

Shakespeare had begun to retire. he was writing less plays. He spent more time with his family. The previous plays he had written were more than enough to keep his family afloat. As Shakespeare thought he might be able to be a proper father and be there for his family. His only son died leaving him and his family mourning.

Quote:

On Feb. 10, 1616, Shakespeare’s younger daughter, Judith, married Thomas Quiney, the son of his Stratford neighbor Richard Quiney. Six weeks later, Shakespeare revised his will. Within a month, he died. He was buried inside the Stratford parish church. His monument records the day of death as April 23, the generally accepted date of his birth."(Lander 23)

Paraphrase:

Shakespeare, seeing his family would grow one more time before he died, he would change his will to include his new family. At this time, women could not own property unless their their husband allowed it. So Shakespeare would have to rewrite his will to give his belongings to her husband as was the customs of the time.

Source:

Lander, Jesse M. "Shakespeare, William." <i>World Book Advanced</i>. World Book, 2016. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.

Anderson, Robert. "Shakespeare and His Theater: A Perfect Match." Holt Literature & Language Arts:

Mastering the California Standards: Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking, by G. Kylene Beers

et al., Austin, Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 2003, pp. 778-80.

---. "William Shakespeare's Life: A Genius From Stratford." Holt Literature & Language Arts:

Mastering the California Standards: Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking, by G. Kylene Beers

et al., Austin, Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 2003, pp. 776-77.

Green, Dominic. "THE BARD Beyond Borders." History Today 66.4 (2016): 40-47. History Reference

Center. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.

RAVILIOUS, KATE. "The Bard At Home." Archaeology 69.4 (2016): 44-47. History Reference Center. Web.

30 Nov. 2016.