Shakespeare’s Life

William Shakespeare was born on or around April 23rd, 1564 in Stratford - a small town in central England. Although Shakespeare came from a middleclass background, his family did own a lot of land and was well-liked around town. While little is known of Shakespeare’s formal education, most people believe that he went to a free school at some point during his youth. In 1577, the need to make a living probably ended any schooling in which young Shakespeare may have been involved, and he soon found himself married to Anne Hathaway in 1582. Three children followed, and in the early 1590s, Shakespeare moved to London with the hope of finding a better job.

Shakespeare quickly became successful in the theatre - in fact, his work both as a playwright and as an actor made many people jealous (Robert Greene, an important person in theatre at the time, called Shakespeare an “upstart crow” in 1592). His popularity began to grow and in 1598, Shakespeare was thought to be “the best [writer] of both comedy and tragedy for the stage.” Having joined the Lord Chamberlain’s company in 1594, Shakespeare made most of his money as a shareholder in the company. By 1597, Shakespeare had made enough to buy a home in Stratford which he named New Place. Indeed, his company did so well that in 1599, the Globe Theatre was built to house Shakespeare’s finest productions.

When James I became King of England in 1603, he enjoyed Shakespeare’s plays so much that he took over Lord Chamberlain’s company and renamed it the King’s Men. At this point, Shakespeare gave up acting entirely and focused his full attention on playwriting. Shakespeare’s personal life remains relatively unknown - however, certain key events paint a very full life. Hamnet, his only son, died at the age of eleven in 1596. Five years later, his father died in 1601. Records in Stratford indicate that Shakespeare continued conducting business in his home town up to his death. Those close to Shakespeare found him to be “a handsome well-shaped man, very good company, and of a ready and pleasant smooth wit.” A “gentle” man, he acquired a coat of arms during his life and was known to be “honest and of an open and free nature.”

After 1611, Shakespeare retired to Stratford but probably returned to London in 1613 to help plan the rebuilding of the theatre after the Globe Theatre burned down during a performance of Henry VIII. He passed away on April 23rd in 1616 in Stratford. His wife died four months later but not before overseeing the construction of a monument to her husband in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Stratford.

Elizabethan Theatre

Unlike the traditional “proscenium” staging of today, theatre during Shakespeare’s life was usually performed in an area similar to an arena. In fact, the very shape of the average Elizabethan theatre is very different from what one might think. First, the theatre of Shakespeare’s day was built as a large circle with an open courtyard surrounded by a wooden structure divided into separate seating areas. In addition, a raised stage thrust out into the center of the courtyard. The stage had a roof over it to allow for entrances from the “heavens” as well as “flying” or lowering in large sets. With no curtain between the audience and the stage, the setting was far more personal than the larger theatres of today despite the fact that 2,000 to 3,000 patrons could attend a production at one time. In fact, audience participation was extremely important in Elizabethan productions. Furthermore, sets were rarely used with the production relying primarily upon the natural surroundings of the stage and courtyard. Thus, the actors relied on the poetic beauty of Shakespeare’s words to “paint” the scenery. However, actors of the Elizabethan period did allow themselves the luxury of beautiful costuming and large ensembles. One peculiar aspect of drama during Shakespeare’s life was the absence of women in the theatre. Despite the large number of exceptionally strong female roles in Shakespeare’s plays, most people in England at the time felt that women shouldn’t appear on-stage. Hence, the female parts were filled by boys and young men. These “actors-in-training” received invaluable experience as apprentices to the resident actors in the company. Moreover, this practice of using all male casts explains why so many of Shakespeare’s plots revolve around women disguised as men.

Shakespeare saw a large number of permanent theatres appear during his lifetime. The reason these theatres remained open is largely due to the presence of numerous acting companies. Unlike today, these companies were formed as profit-sharing organizations - each member of the acting troupe was essentially a stock-holder in the company and thus, received a share of the income generated by the company’s productions. Moreover, an acting company during this period usually received the patronage of the nobility which helped add prestige and social stature to the troupe’s endeavors.

Performing as an Elizabethan actor was far from simple. Because much of Shakespeare’s work was written with a certain rhythm to it, the actor needed to have excellent speaking abilities. Furthermore, the physical nature of the theatre during this period required the Shakespearean actor to be well-schooled in the art of fencing, dancing and singing.