William Shakespeare (1564-1616: England)
Perhaps the greatest writer in the English language, Shakespeare occupies a place of unique stature in literature. A contemporary of Shakespeare’s, Ben Jonson, wrote of him that he “was not of an age, but for all time,” and it might be said now “of all countries.” Today, plays written by Shakespeare are still performed throughout the world to large audiences, almost 400 years after his death.
Many enigmas are connected to Shakespeare’s life, among them how a provincial young man from Stratford-upon-Avon with limited schooling (presumably a grammar school education, about the equivalent of today’s high school) could possess such a profound perceptiveness about the human condition and such a gift for creating memorable poetry and prose.
We know surely only that Shakespeare, after marrying a woman eight years his senior (Anne Hathaway), and having three children (Susanna and twins Judith and Hamnet), went to London. He joined a theater company (the first evidence of his being connected to theaters is a document dated 1592), and prospered—eventually owning a piece of a newly built theater (1599), The Globe, and then retiring a wealthy property owner to the town where he was born.
The years Shakespeare devoted to Elizabethan theater produced some of the greatest drama known to the stage: Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Part 1 Henry IV, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, and The Tempest—to name only a few of the 37 plays he is credited with writing.
Shakespeare’s sonnets also have a long history of scholarly debate and critical investigation. Written about a deeply loving relationship between the poet and a young man, they describe jealousy and dependency, but also reciprocity and joy. It is not clear how physical the relationship is or how autobiographical the poems are. The loss of a “dark-haired lady” described in the sonnets is also puzzling.
Even Shakespeare’s will, written shortly before he died, has caused questions, because he left most of his property to the male heirs of his eldest daughter Susanna, but bequeathed to his wife the “second-best bed.” What, we wonder, does that mean?
There is no question, however, of the universal appeal of the humanity of his dramas, nor of the depth of the pathos and mirth his audiences even now experience, nor of the poetic power of the literature his genius created.
Othello, The Moor Of Venice, William Shakespeare
Excerpts from Acts I, IV and V.
© 2003-2006 Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
Shakespeare, The Invention of the Human, Excerpt from "To the Reader," Harold Bloom
© 1998 by Harold Bloom. Used by permission of Riverhead Books, a member of Penguin Putnam, Inc.
“Shakespeare’s Failure,” Leo Tolstoy
Part II, translated by V. Tchertkoff and E.A., Fortnightly Review 87, no. 1 (January 1907): pp. 62-67.
The novelist Tolstoy, toward the end of his life, renounced writing and became a radical Christian. At that time he also wrote an article attacking Shakespeare, particularly Shakespeare’s failure (according to Tolstoy) to create realistic characters.
Portraits of Queen Elizabeth
Portrait photos: National Portrait Gallery, London
Elizabeth I: The Coronation Portrait, c. 1600, unknown artist
This is a copy of the portrait made to commemorate Elizabeth's accession in 1558. Elizabeth is lavishly dressed and holds the traditional orb and scepter. Her hair is loose, as befits her unmarried state, and its color is particularly striking against the white of her skin. Elizabeth's much-admired hands are prominently displayed as they rest upon the symbols of her authority.
Elizabeth I: The Armada Portrait, c 1588, unknown artist
Symbolism is rife in this famous image. Pearls - symbolic of purity - decorate the queen's head and gown. Next to her right arm is an imperial crown, and her right hand rests upon a globe - specifically, her fingers rest upon the Americas. In 1587, a year before this portrait was made, the first English child was born at the English settlement in Virginia. The crown and globe tell us that Elizabeth is mistress of land and sea.
In the background of the painting are scenes from the infamous defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. It was the pivotal event of the latter half of Elizabeth's reign and a great triumph for the English. The queen is wearing a pearl necklace given to her by the earl of Leicester; it was Robert Dudley's last gift to the queen.
A Performance of One of Shakespeare's Plays
Photo: IRC. (2005). Retrieved May 18, 2006, from unitedstreaming
London in 1620, with the Original London Bridge
Photo: IRC. (2005). Retrieved May 18, 2006, from unitedstreaming
Points of interest are the Bow Church (top left), St. Lorentz (steeple, upper left center). To its left and below it on the waterfront is Shakespeare’s Old Swan Theater, with peaked roofs. St. Dunstan's is the steeple at upper right center. The gate to the bridge at lower right is "Traitor's Gate" at the Tower of London, where the heads of executed persons such as Sir Thomas More were displayed.
Famous Authors: William Shakespeare: 1564-1616
Video: 34 minutes
United Learning (1995). Retrieved May 19, 2006, from unitedstreaming
Shakespeare was born in the country town of Stratford-Upon-Avon. He was educated at the local grammar school. He went to London in 1588 to begin a life in the theatre. He was immensely successful and is now recognized as the greatest dramatist of all time.
