Welcome to the Shakespeare Room. In this room you will be briefly introduced to Shakespeare, read about his plays, and be referred to a number of websites that focus on Shakespeare and King Lear, in particular.

The Life of Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born in 1564 to John Shakespeare and his wife, Mary Arden. His father was weathly and held a number of municipal offices. Shakespeare received a good education, but he did not go to the university as many other writers of his time did. Some of these writers ridiculed him and his work because of this. One such example of this ridicule is a pamplet that was published in 1592 by Robert Greene, a famous playwright. In this pamphlet, Greene criticized Shakespeare and his work, a criticism that seems to come mostly from jealosy.

When he was eighteen years old, Shakespeare married Ann Hathaway. Five months later, they had their first child, Suzanna. Two years later, they had twins, Hamnet and Judith.

It is unknown when Shakespeare arrived in London. However, the pamphet published by Robert Greene indicates that he was in London by 1592. The following year, the theaters were closed down due to a plague. By 1594, the theaters were reopened, and they soon began to rise in popularity among the noble class who demanded a better quality theater experience.

It was at this time that Shakespeare's theater company was formed. The company played at Henslowe's Rose Theatre until their lease ran out. They then moved across the river and built the new Globe Theater. Later on, in 1608, they moved into the Blackfriars Theatre where they began producing plays indoors. These plays were in an artificially lit environment, while the Globe Theater had been outdoors, and stage conditions allowed more scenery and a multitude of lighting effects.

In 1596, John Shakespeare was granted a coat of arms. This entitled both he and William to be called by the title of "gentleman." In 1597, Shakespeare bought an estate at Stratford called New Place. He continued to acquire property in Stratford. He wrote his last play, The Tempest in 1611 and he died in 1616.

Shakespeare's Plays

Thirty-seven plays are usually attributed to Shakespeare and they are generally broken down into four categories: the histories, the comedies, the romances, and the tragedies.

The Histories

There are ten history plays in all and they tell the story of England from the fourteenth century through Henry VIII. They are: