Shakespeare & Society

Born 21-23 April 1564 – Died 23^rd April 1616

William Shakespeare was born into an ordinary family in Stratford-Upon-Avon in April 1564 to parents John and Mary. His father held many civic positions; and due to these duties he sought application for a coat of arms, which would have given him title of Gentleman; this was rejected in 1568. Alike many tradesmen & land owners of the time it is thought that neither of his parents could write.

The nearby town of Coventry was rich with a tradition of theatrical activity, with touring companies visiting Stratford; it is thought that Williams mind was enriched with inspiration from an early age, through the culture of his town and a rich education.

As there is no documented evidence not a lot is known of Shakespeare’s earlier life, it is thought that he attended the Kings new school in Stratford as his fathers position came with free education for his children. Here Shakespeare would have had a rich Latin based education with access to famous myths & histories along with training in oral presentation. The standards at this school were higher than any other of the period, with all school Masters holding University degrees. Due to the families’ financial ruin, Shakespeare was unable to obtain his university degree, which would have automatically given him the status of gentleman.The school is still functioning to this day and is fondly referred to as Shakespeare’s School.

 Shakespeare lived in a time of instability with intense rioting threatening Catholics – with many having to keep religious parchments locked away & provide ‘Priest Holes’ in their homes for the Catholics & priests to hide in. The English government’s persecution of English Catholics was as cruel as it was necessary in the government's eyes. While there is no documented evidence still existing, it is believed the Shakespeare family were Catholics, during this time when the religion went against Law.

In 1882 at the age of 18 he married Anne Hathaway in what was thought to be a ‘Shotgun wedding’. It is believed her family pressurised William into the marriage as Anne was already pregnant with their first child. Some say this is what led to him opting to live in London for most of his marriage, as his hatred for Anne’s entrapment grew.

It is thought he joined a travelling company of actors and was apprenticed to play young woman’s parts.

During the height of the English Renaissance & the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Christopher Marlowe & Robert Green which were part of the University wits and William Shakespeare broke free from the earlier medieval style. In 1570 acting became a legal profession & was directly under the control of the government. The Queens People recognised the theatre as a powerful medium & as a result all acting companies were now required to have a license and patronage of noble origin.

The first reference to Shakespeare as a writer & actor was in 1592. The reference was  negative, made by Robert Greene, a professional writer in his pamphlet ‘Greenes Groatsworth of Wit’ (1592). In a letter to Christopher Marlowe & two unknown scholars he clearly points to William, warning about an "upstart crow beautified with our feathers" His skill for plotting became evident in the 1590’s & it is thought that he compiled the work of several authors for his history plays including the three Henry VI plays. Many Elizabethan plays had up to 5 authors allowing them to be staged quickly in order to exploit topical events or manipulate public opinion.

Greene’s snobbery towards Shakespeare was evident, for having the ‘nerve’ to rewrite the work of college graduates.

It is unknown whether Greene wrote this out of jealousy because Shakespeare was making more money from the plays than he, as Greene was dying in poverty, or if he was accusing William of Plagiarism.

References to his published works came in 1593 with his two Poems dedicated to the Earl of South Hampton, Venus and Adonis & The Rape of Lucrece.  Dedicating poems was very popular at this time as Southampton was extremely wealthy, it is recorded that he gave a sum of £1000 – believed to be for his poems – but the sum was nevertheless classed as enormous for the time. Shakespeare also received use of his private library... Speculation surrounds this situation and friendship of the pair, that perhaps The Earl and Shakespeare had an some form of intimacy, and questions are left as to what the Earl had received in return?!

His early plays were mainly comedies & histories such as Comedy of Errors & Henry VI parts 1-3.  Later plays included Tragedies & Romance such as Twelfth Night, A midsummer’s Night Dream, Hamlet & Othello. His full collection of surviving manuscripts contain: 154 sonnets, 38 plays, 2 long narrative poems and a collection of other poems.

One classic characteristic of Shakespeare was his typical double meanings. He had a tendency to make the language of Love interchangeable with that of money – an example of this is seen in Sonnet 87 – Farewell – thou art too dear for my possessing’

Shakespeare’s contributions provided us with the rich vibrant English language we know today. The Oxford English Dictionary records over 2000, with words like ‘puppy dog’, eyeball & ‘anchovy’. He created the word ‘alligator’ because he ran out of things to rhyme with crocodile! He gave us phrases like "flesh and blood" "out of house and home".

Shakespeare’s first positive success dates from 1598, when his first plays began to be published with his name on the title page; indicating his name was a selling point.

He had a broad career becoming a shareholder in The Lord Chamberlains Men (1576), in 1598 they built The Globe in the hopes of having a permanent home for their plays & due to a disagreement had to dissemble the theatre and move to new home across the Thames.

In 1603 The lord chamberlains men became The Kings Men – after Queen Elizabeth I’s death, her successor James I, a writer himself, felt it important to associate himself with the performing arts and reinstated the Lord Chamberlains Men as the Kings Men. Around this time the Essex rebellion had failed & the earl of South Hampton imprisoned - James released Southampton from Prison at this time (1603). It is thought Shakespeare moved away from the Southampton circle at this time, and returned to Stratford permanently in 1611. He died in 1616.

After his death, the Kings men on return to Stratford were paid by the council not to perform – his plays were not performed again in Stratford until 1786.

Shakespeare was the greatest ever English playwright – coming from an ordinary background is part of the fascination, a hasty marriage to Anne Hathaway and a bizarre friendship with the Earl of South Hampton - he has today several society’s dedicated to preserving his work including the Royal Shakespeare Company & the Shakespeare-Oxford Society.

Julie Nicholl-Stimpson

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