No one knows when Shakespeare was born. We only know that he was baptized on Wednesday, April 26th, 1564. Because of this, his day of birth is considered to be 23rd, three days earlier. Growing up, Shakespeare attended the King’s New grammar School and most likely did not attend a university. He married Anne Hathaway and had three kids, named Susanna, Hamnet, and Judith. Hamnet and Judith were twins. Hamnet was his only son, and he died at age 11. This was around the time that he was writing Romeo and Juliet, his greatest tragedy. His play Hamlet was also likely named after his son. Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet are considered to be the greatest plays that he wrote.
Shakespeare used to write plays, sonnets, and poems. The plays were divided into three categories: the tragedies, the histories, and the comedies. Some of Shakespeare’s comedies were Comedy of Errors, Taming of the Shrew, and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Some of his tragedies were Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Macbeth. Finally, some of his histories were Richard II, Richard III, King John, and Henry VIII.
Shakespeare’s plays were performed in the Globe Theatre. The Globe Theatre was constructed in 1599 in London, right across from the River Thames. It was build out of timber. The original theatre was destroyed by a misfired canon ball that set the thatched roof on fire. The theatre had a hexagonal structure and was three stories high. The courtyard and the three galleries together could only hold 1,500 people in total.
Marriage was very different in the Elizabethan era. A boy could legally marry at 14 and a girl could marry at 12. Marrying for love was considered foolish, as it was understood that the parents were older and more able to look out for the children, being more mature and experienced. In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet was only 13 years old! When marriage was arranged for a much younger couple, it was usually to secure a dynastic alliance and the couple generally did not live together immediately after marriage. Instead, the bride would live with her mother – in – law to be raised by her and the family.
Sources cited:
Shakespeare biography. Shakespeare Biography at AbsoluteShakespeare.com. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://absoluteshakespeare.com/trivia/biography/shakespeare_biography.htm
Mabillard, A. (n.d.). Shakespeare online. Shakespeare Online. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from http://www.shakespeare-online.com/
Renaissance, the elizabethan world – life in Tudor England. Renaissance, The Elizabethan World – Life in Tudor England. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://elizabethan.org/
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