Rohn lawrence biography of william shakespeare

One theory is that he might have gone into hiding for poaching game from local landlord Sir Thomas Lucy. Another possibility is that he might have been working as an assistant schoolmaster in Lancashire. Bythere is evidence Shakespeare earned a living as an actor and a playwright in London and possibly had several plays produced. Poems and Sonnets Learn More about his Sonnets Early in his career, Shakespeare was able to attract the attention and patronage of Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton, to whom he dedicated his first and second published poems: Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece Scholars broadly categorize the sonnets in groups based on two unknown subjects that Shakespeare addresses: the Fair Youth sonnets the first and the Dark Lady sonnets the last The identities of the aristocratic young man and vexing woman continue to be a source of speculation.

Some sources describe Shakespeare as a founding member of the company, but whatever the case, he became central to its success. Initially, he was an actor and eventually devoted more and more time to writing. Records show that Shakespeare, who was also a company shareholder, had works published and sold as popular literature. They were printed in in quarto, an eight-page pamphlet-like book.

By the end ofShakespeare had likely written 16 of his 37 plays and amassed some wealth.

Rohn lawrence biography of william shakespeare: Lawrence grew up in

At this time, civil records show Shakespeare purchased one of the largest houses in Stratford, called New Place, for his family. For the seven years following the birth of his twins, William Shakespeare disappears from all records, finally turning up again in London some time in This period, known as the " Lost Years ," has sparked as much controversy about Shakespeare's life as any period.

Rowe notes that young Shakespeare was quite fond of poaching, and may have had to flee Stratford after an incident with Sir Thomas Lucy, whose deer and rabbits he allegedly poached. There is also rumor of Shakespeare working as an assistant schoolmaster in Lancashire for a time, though this is circumstantial at best. It is estimated that Shakespeare arrived in London around and began to establish himself as an actor and playwright.

Evidently Shakespeare garnered some envy early on, as related by the critical attack of Robert Greene, a London playwright, in " Byhe was not only acting and writing for the Lord Chamberlain's Men called the King's Men after the ascension of James I inbut was a managing partner in the operation as well. With Will Kempe, a master comedian, and Richard Burbage, a leading tragic actor of the day, the Lord Chamberlain's Men became a favorite London troupe, patronized by royalty and made popular by the theatre-going public.

Shakespeare's accomplishments are apparent when studied against other playwrights of this age.

Rohn lawrence biography of william shakespeare: A look back at

His company was the most successful in London in his day. Shakespeare was a prolific writer during the Elizabethan and Jacobean ages of British theatre sometimes called the English Renaissance or the Early Modern Period. John Shakespeare married Mary Ardenand together they had eight children. John and Mary lost two daughters as infants, so William became their eldest child.

John Shakespeare worked as a glove-maker, but he also became an important figure in the town of Stratford by fulfilling civic positions. His elevated status meant that he was even more likely to have sent his children, including William, to the local grammar school. William Shakespeare would have lived with his family in their house on Henley Street until he turned eighteen.

When he was eighteen, Shakespeare married Anne Hathawaywho was twenty-six.

Rohn lawrence biography of william shakespeare: Barbados-born, Berklee-educated saxophonist Elan

It was a rushed marriage because Anne was already pregnant at the time of the ceremony. During periods such as Lent when theaters were closed and when outbreaks of the plague shut down the city, he likely spent time with his family in Stratford. Shakespeare was not only writing scripts for his company, often based on stories from mythology, literature and historic accounts, but he was also acting in his own plays.

Inthe acting troupe built The Globe from the ruins of The Theater, establishing their own playhouse, which opened in Later Years: Early in the new century, the bard continued to produce great literature, penning such masterworks as "Troilus and Cressida," "Measure for Measure," "All's Well That Ends Well," and some of his most renowned tragedies, including "Hamlet," "Othello" and "King Lear.

Their first performance for the monarch was "As You Like It. He employed such techniques as run-on lines and inflected phrasing to breathe life into a poetic form that tended to the monotone if used within strict parameters of ten syllables per line and alternating stressed and unstressed syllables.

Rohn lawrence biography of william shakespeare: Friends and family gathered to

The dialogue of his play "Hamlet," for example, seems animated in comparison to the more strictly patterned lines of earlier works such as "Henry V. Released as a printed collection inShakespeare's sonnets had likely been written individually over time, and those within his circle of friends were probably already familiar with some of them.

The form the bard employed for his verses became known as the Shakespearean sonnet, as opposed to the traditional Petrarchan sonnet, which consists of an octet and a sestet. In his last plays, "Cymbeline," "A Winter's Tale," and "The Tempest," the bard test-drove a hybrid genre, the tragicomedy, also known as the romance. While they take a more somber, serious tone than such comedies as "Twelfth Night," these tragicomedies end on a positive note, unlike such tragedies as "King Lear.

By the time they reopened inShakespeare had already retired to his family home in Stratford where he died in at the age of While no verified version of the manner of his death exists today, one account, written by the vicar of Stratford 50 years later, attributes his untimely demise to drinking too hard with his friends John Drayton and Ben Johnson, and catching a fatal fever as a result.

The Controversy Due in part to the great gaps in knowledge regarding Shakespeare's early education and the lost years, the bard has always been shrouded in mystery.