William Shakespeare was born in 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon. Located in the centre of England, the town was (and still is) an important river-crossing settlement and market centre. His father, John, trained as a glove-maker and married Mary Arden, the daughter of Robert Arden, a farmer from the nearby village of Wilmcote.
Rear garden of Shakespeare's BirthplaceWe do not know when or why Shakespeare left Stratford for London, or what he was doing before becoming a professional actor and dramatist in the capital. There are various traditions and stories about the so-called 'lost years' between 1585 and 1592, a period for which there is virtually no evidence concerning his life. One tale tells how he was caught poaching deer in Charlecote Park, near Stratford, and went off to London to avoid prosecution. A plausible early tradition claims Shakespeare was a schoolmaster for some years. When he was growing up, drama was a significant part of Stratford's social life. Not only did local people put on amateur shows, but the town was visited regularly by London-based companies of actors and Shakespeare may have joined one of them.
Shakespeare's first printed works were two long poems, Venus and Adonis (1593) and The Rape of Lucrece (1594). 1n 1594, Shakespeare joined others in forming a new theatre company, under the patronage of the Lord Chamberlain, with Richard Burbage as its leading actor. For almost twenty years Shakespeare was its regular dramatist, producing on average two plays a year. Burbage played roles such as Richard III, Hamlet, Othello and Lear.
Drama was a nation-wide activity in Shakespeare's time but only in London were there buildings designed specifically for performing plays. Performances took place in the afternoons, with the actors playing on a raised stage which projected halfway into the theatre. All the women's roles were performed by boys. The audience, which either stood in the yard around the stage or sat in the galleries, represented a wide social mix of people, but actors were generally regarded as rogues and vagabonds.
Some of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies were written in the early 1600s, including Hamlet and, after James I's accession, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth.
From around 1611 Shakespeare seems largely to have disengaged himself from the London theatre world and to have spent his time at his Stratford house, New Place. In March 1616 he signed his will, in which he left substantial property and other bequests to his family and friends, including theatre colleagues in the King's Men.
Shakespeare died in Stratford, aged fifty-two, on 23 April 1616, and was buried in Holy Trinity Church two days later. Within a short time a monument to him was put up, probably by his family, on the wall close to his grave. His widow, Anne, died in 1623 and was buried beside him. Shakespeare's family line came to an end with the death of his grand-daughter Elizabeth in 1670.
上一篇: 美国文化习俗杂谈(6)
体坛英语资讯:Chelsea captain Terry to leave club at end of season
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 必修2 Unit 5《Rhythm》
2017年高考英语三轮复习专练(广东) 阅读理解 专题1 拨云见日——巧解事实细节类题目专题训练(含15命题动向)
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 选修6 Unit 18《Beauty》
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 必修1 Unit 1《Lifestyles》
(江西)2017届高三英语三轮专项冲刺之专题检测卷32 短文改错
2017年高考英语三轮复习专练(广东) 完形填空 专题4 语法填空专题训练
2016届高三英语一轮复习讲义:Book 8 Unit 23
国际英语资讯:Japan, U.S. agree on collaborative approach to Korean Peninsula issue, launch new economic di
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 必修2 Unit 4《Cyberspace》
2017年高考英语三轮复习专练(广东) 完形填空 专题1 完形填空高分三原则——攻克记叙文专题训练
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 必修5 Unit 15《Learning》
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 选修8 Unit 22《Environmental Protection》
国内英语资讯:Feature: How one key trade port on the Maritime Silk Road changes the world
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 必修5 Unit 14《Careers》
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 必修2 Unit 6《Design》
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 必修4 Unit 11《The Media》
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 选修6 Unit 16《Stories》
(江西)2017届高三英语三轮专项冲刺之专题检测卷36 语音知识、情景对话、单词拼写
西安一男子网购“震楼神器” 还击楼上吵闹邻居
2016届高三英语一轮复习讲义:Book 8 Unit 24
(江西)2017届高三英语三轮专项冲刺之专题检测卷35 书面表达
2017年高考英语三轮复习专练(广东) 阅读理解 专题3 “字斟句酌”——“驾驭”推理判断类题目专题训练(含15命题动向)
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 必修3 Unit 8《Adventure》
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 必修5 Unit 13《People》
2017年高考英语三轮复习专练(广东) 阅读理解 专题5 瞻前顾后——妙选信息匹配专题训练(含15命题动向)
国内英语资讯:Chinas investment along Belt and Road booms
2016届高三英语一轮复习讲义:Book 7 Unit 21
2017年高考英语三轮复习专练(广东) 阅读理解 专题4 “顺藤摸瓜”——明辨词义猜测类题目专题训练(含15命题动向)
国内英语资讯:Chinese premier expects stronger trade with Canada