William Shakespeare Research Paper

Corey Schuster

8-10-15

William Shakespeare

Shakespeare is a well known English poet from the United Kingdom. He was a famous author/poet of his time and is still talked about on a daily basis in 2015 throughout English classes across America. Born in 1564 on April 26 he lived till age of 52 when he died on April 23 1616. He was an English poet, playwright and actor, widely heard of as the greatest writer in the English world. Often called England's National poet, and the "Bard of Avon". "Sweet Swan of Avon!" (Ben Jonson, the most famous quotes of William Shakespeare). Born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At age 18, he married Anne Hathaway, having three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. By 1592 he began

He was still working as an actor in London in 1608; in an answer to the sharers' petition in 1635 Cuthbert Burbage stated that after purchasing the lease of the Blackfriars Theatre in 1608 from Henry Evans, the King's Men placed men players there, which were Heminges, Condell, Shakespeare. However it is perhaps relevant that the bubonic plague raged in London throughout 1609. The London public playhouses were repeatedly closed during extended outbreaks of the plague. A total of over 60 months closure between May of 1603 and February of 1610, which meant there was often no acting work. Retirement from all work was uncommon at that time. Shakespeare continued to visit London between 1611 and 1614. In 1612, he was called as a witness in Bellott v. Mountjoy, a court case concerning the marriage settlement of Mountjoy's daughter Mary. In March 1613 he bought a gatehouse in the former Blackfriars priory; and from November 1614 he was in London for several weeks with his son-in-law John Hall. After 1610, Shakespeare wrote fewer plays, and none are attributed to him after 1613. His last three plays were collaborations; probably with John Fletcher who succeeded him as the house playwright of the King's

"Theres not a note of mine worth the noting" (William Shakespeare, brainyquote). He leaves the majority of his largest estate to his oldest daughter. Also in his well he writes of how he is in perfect health and he just feels as if he should have a will just in case. There is no proof regarding his death or how he even died. After half a century had passed, John Ward, the vicar of Stratford, wrote in his notebook: "Shakespeare, Drayton and Ben Jonson had a merry meeting and, it seems, drank too hard, for Shakespeare died of a fever there contracted." This is not impossible, for Shakespeare knew Jonson and Drayton. Of the tributes that started to come from fellow authors, one refers to his relatively early death: "We wondered, Shakespeare, that thou went'st so soon/From the world's stage to the grave's tiring room.” He was survived by his wife and two daughters. Susanna had married a physician, John Hall, in 1607, and Judith had married Thomas Quiney, a vintner, two months before Shakespeare's death. Shakespeare signed his last will and testament on 25 March 1616; the following day his new son-in-law, Thomas Quiney was found guilty of fathering an illegitimate son by Margaret Wheeler, who had died during childbirth. Thomas was ordered by the church court to do public penance which would have caused much shame and embarrassment for the Shakespeare family. Shakespeare had a well rounded life getting to see both of his