A Highly Speculative Chronology of
William Shakespeare’s Life
& Times
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Birth of Christopher Marlowe, Shakespeare’s future
mentor
1568
Shakespeare’s father John is
selected as Bailiff (mayor) of Stratford.
1572 Birth
of Ben Jonson, Shakespeare’s future rival
1576
John Shakespeare applies for a
coat-of-arms. He is denied.
James Burbage, father of Richard, builds the Theatre. It
is the first playhouse in England.
1577
The Curtain, England’s second
playhouse, is erected near the Theatre in Shoreditch. It is used primarily as
an “easer” or overflow space.
1578 Struggling
with heavy debts, John Shakespeare mortgages his property. Due to the family’s
financial problems, 14-year-old William is forced to leave school after only nine
years of formal education. He will never attend school again.
1579 Birth
of John Fletcher, Shakespeare’s future successor as company playwright
1580 Birth
of Edmund, Shakespeare’s youngest brother
The Theatre and the Curtain survive an earthquake that
rocks London.
1582 In
September, Shakespeare, aged 18, has unprotected sex with Anne Hathaway, aged
26.
In December, Shakespeare marries the pregnant Miss
Hathaway.
1583 Birth
of Shakespeare’s first child, Susanna (May 26)
Shakespeare struggles to find a way to support his wife
and daughter. One old story suggests that he was a schoolmaster. Some have
speculated that he might have been a law clerk, as his early plays demonstrate
an uncommon knowledge of legal terms and principles. He also may serve in the
military at some point during the next five years.
1584
Marlowe graduates from Corpus Christi College with a
Bachelor of Arts degree.
1585 Birth
of Shakespeare’s twins, Judith & Hamnet (February 2)
1586
This year sees the premiere of
Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy, the
first great English stage tragedy.
1587 Philip
Henslowe builds the Rose playhouse in the Liberty of the Clink, Bankside, as the
principal home for the Lord Admiral’s Men. Their chief playwright is Marlowe,
their leading actor is Ned Alleyn and their premiere productions are Marlowe’s Tamburlaine, Pts. 1 & 2.
In a performance of Tamburlaine,
Pt. 2, during the scene in which Baghdad’s governor is executed by firing
squad, one of the muskets turns out to be loaded with live ammunition. The
actor, suddenly realizing this, aims away from his fellow actors at the last
moment. The stray bullet strikes a pregnant woman in the audience and kills
her.
Marlowe’s Doctor
Faustus premieres at the Rose with Ned Alleyn in the title role, and
possibly featuring Dick Burbage as Mephistofeles.
Historians Raphael Holinshed and William Harrison
publish their second edition of The Whole Volume of Chronicles, a
well-written and oft-used plot source for Shakespeare and other dramatists.
Marlowe
earns his Masters degree from Corpus Christi College.
1588 Sometime
this year Shakespeare may have composed or collaborated on a play called Edmund Ironsides. Its authorship remains
disputed.
1589
Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta premieres.
Shakespeare probably joins a touring troupe of
actors this year, most likely Lord Strange’s Men. Their leading man is Dick Burbage,
who will become Shakespeare’s life-long business partner. Shakespeare may have
written The Comedy of Errors already, perhaps offering it to the company as an
incentive to hire him. While his theatrical career sometimes is portrayed as a desertion
of his family, it was more likely an honest effort to secure a profession that
would earn more money for their support.
Arden of Feversham is a domestic tragedy that
is well received by audiences. It will remain popular for over fifty years, with
revivals in the 18th and 19th centuries. A quarto edition is published in 1592,
and there is a second printing in ’99 and a third in 1633. No author is ever
credited, but some critics have speculated that it might have been an early
work of Shakespeare’s, perhaps even his very first play. It recounts the true
story of a man named Arden who was murdered by a pair of thugs hired by Arden’s
unfaithful wife. It is linked to Shakespeare for three reasons: the story
appears in Holinshed’s Chronicles, a frequent plot source for
Shakespeare; the famous murder victim was related to Shakespeare through his
mother, Mary Arden; and, finally, it’s a pretty good play, featuring that
peculiar mix of comedy and tragedy found in the poet’s best work. Since it was
still popular when the First Folio was published, it seems likely that
it would have been included if it were indeed the work of Shakespeare (though
the editors had to negotiate for the rights to publish The Taming of the
Shrew, also an early play, and that could have been the case with Arden as
well). But if Shakespeare didn’t write it, then who did? If nothing else, Arden
of Feversham, like Edmund Ironsides and Edward III, is an
anonymous play which exhibits those touches of promise that could indicate the
early efforts of a future, great writer.
1590 Shakespeare’s
plays produced this year:
Titus Andronicus
?
Inspired by Kyd’s Spanish Tragedy
Edward III
?
Shakespeare’s authorship of Edward
III has been argued for centuries. The consensus today is that he probably
wrote at least some of it.
Marlowe’s Tamburlaine
is a huge hit in its revival at the Rose by the Lord Admiral’s Men. Ned Alleyn
stars.
1591 Shakespeare’s
plays produced this year:
The Taming of
the Shrew
?
Possibly based on an unfinished work
by Marlowe
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Sir Philip Sidney’s sonnet sequence Astrophel and Stella is published, kicking off a popular craze for
sonnets that will last through the ’90’s.
1592 Shakespeare’s
plays produced this year:
Henry VI, Pts. 1, 2 & 3
?
Co-authored with Marlowe, and
probably featuring Shakespeare as a supporting actor
In January, Shakespeare’s “Harey the 6” is performed by
the Admiral’s Men (Alleyn, Henslowe and company) at the Rose. The number of
performances indicates that the Henry VI
plays, especially the first one, are very popular.
The second Spanish Armada is wrecked during its attempt
to invade England.
Back in Stratford, John Shakespeare finds himself once
again in danger of arrest for debt.
Robert Greene’s Groatsworth
of Wit is published, in which he bitterly chides the new actor-playwright
“Shake-scene” as a plagiarist and an “upstart.” After Greene’s death this same
year, his publisher Henry Chettle issues an apology in the book Kind Heart’s Dream, praising Shakespeare
as a fine fellow and an admired actor.
On
September 7, the London Council reacts to one of the worst outbreaks of plague
in history by ordering the closure of all playhouses. Except for one brief
re-opening in January of ’93, London’s playhouses stay boarded up for over a
year and a half, finally re-opening in the summer of 1594. During this period
of closure, the death toll in London will mount to 11,000 out of population of
250,000.
1593
His nascent theatre career suddenly
put on hold, Shakespeare joins in the sonnet-writing craze, composing over
150—and possibly many more—during the
course of the next five or six years.
Playwright
Thomas Kyd is arrested for heresy. He is imprisoned and tortured. On the rack,
he implicates Marlowe as a heretic and atheist. Atheism is tantamount to
treason in Elizabethan England.
In ’93 and ’94 Shakespeare composes the poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece, dedicating both to
earl Henry Wriothesley of Southampton. After Venus, Southampton
becomes Shakespeare’s patron. Southampton extends his patronage to other
writers as well, including his language tutor John Florio, who is writing an
Italian-English dictionary, and the satirical playwright and pornographic poet
Thomas Nashe.
London’s
playhouses briefly reopen in January. Marlowe’s controversial Massacre At Paris is performed. But when
plague flares up before the end of the month, the playhouses are all shuttered
again.
Shakespeare’s erotic poem Venus and Adonis is entered in the Stationers’ Register on April 18
and published thereafter. It is very popular, particularly among “the younger
sort” according to a letter written by fellow poet Gabriel Harvey. The poem is
reprinted in no less than ten editions over the course of the next decade.
On May 27, an informer
named Robert Baines delivers a report on Marlowe to the Privy Council. The
report accuses Marlowe of promoting atheism and making various heretical
statements, such as claiming that the world is older than 6,000 years and that
Jesus and his disciple John were lovers. The report ends with the
recommendation that Marlowe’s “mouth should be stopped.” Three days later . . .
. . . on
May 30, Marlowe is stabbed to death by Ingram Frizer in Eleanor Bull’s
lodging house in Deptford, a London suburb. Robert Poley and Nick Skeres, the
two “witnesses” to the crime, are both veteran spies and provocateurs. They
claim it was the result of a fight over the tavern bill. However, Marlowe had been
a sometime-spy for the crown, and he may have been murdered as a result of his
clandestine activities.
1594 Shakespeare’s
plays produced this year:
Love’s Labor’s
Lost
Richard III
Poet
George Chapman vies for Southampton’s attention and patronage by publishing a
pair of poems in a volume entitled The
Shadow of Night. In the preface he makes a veiled jab at Shakespeare and
his Venus and Adonis. Chapman may be
the Rival Poet alluded to in Shakespeare’s sonnets.
It
is likely that, early this year, the first version of Love’s Labor’s Lost is written and staged in a private performance
for Southampton and his friends. The play is full of inside jokes and topical
references to the court life of the day. One of the notables who gets skewered
is Sir Walter Raleigh. The earls of Southampton and Essex consider him a rival,
and since he is currently out of favor with the Queen he is ripe for mockery.
Three years later, however, when Raleigh is popular again and the play is
performed for her Majesty at Christmas, the script is revised. All references
to Raleigh are removed and his character is re-cast as a Spaniard.
Shakespeare’s
poem The Rape of Lucrece is entered
in the Stationers’ Register on May 9 and published shortly thereafter. Southampton rewards its author with a
financial gift, possibly around a ₤100 or more.
On
June 3, the playhouses are finally reopened by order of the London Council.
They have been closed since September of 1592. Shakespeare heads back to London
where he becomes a partner (a “sharer”) in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, possibly
using the money he just received from Southampton. The Chamberlain’s Men is a
prestigious acting company headed by James Burbage and his sons, Cuthbert and
Richard. They are partly funded and protected through the patronage of Lord
Hunsdon, the Queen’s Chamberlain.
Shakespeare rents lodgings in the parish of St. Helen’s
Bishopsgate, within walking distance of the three chief playhouses where the
Lord Chamberlain’s Men will perform:
the Theatre, the Curtain, and the Cross Keys Inn on Gracechurch Street.
At first, however, both the Lord Chamberlain’s Men and the Lord Admiral’s Men
share Henslowe’s performance space at Newington Butts. The Chamberlain’s Men’s
opening show there is The Taming of the
Shrew.
Richard III premieres later this summer.
With Richard Burbage in the title role, the show is a big hit.
A play called King
Leir and His Three Daughters (author unknown) is performed in London. Shakespeare’s
later work is either based on this play or on the same source material.
In
September the mysterious poem Willobie
His Avisa is published under the pseudonym “Hadrian Dorrell.” It may be the
work of a poet named Henry Willoughby, though some critics suggest another
writer, Matthew Roydon. Its preface mentions “Shake-speare” as the author of The Rape of Lucrece. This is the earliest-known
occurrence of Shakespeare’s name appearing in print. The poem’s meaning and
intentions remain unclear. One interpretation is that it, like Shakespeare’s
own sonnets, alludes to a menage à trois
in which “W.S.” (Shakespeare) and “H.W.” (Henry Wriothesley, earl of
Southampton) took part. While the sexual angle may not be the case, there can
be little doubt that the initials “W.S.” and “H.W.” refer to Shakespeare and
Wriothesley.
Henry
Wriothesley comes of age in October, gaining his full inheritance and control
over his affairs as the Third Earl of Southampton. (Since the death of his
father, he had been the ward of Lord Burghley.)
The
Lord Chamberlain requests a permit on October 8 from the Lord Mayor of London
to allow his “new company of players” to perform a winter season of plays at
the Cross Keys Inn.
England suffers a notably bad harvest this year.
Shakespeare may have written A Midsummer Night’s Dream during the final months of 1594 to be
performed for the wedding celebrations of Earl William Stanley of Derby and
Elizabeth Vere. The wedding took place on January 26, 1595 at Greenwich Palace
in the presence of Queen Elizabeth.
The Comedy of Errors is performed at Gray’s Inn on December 28.
1595 Shakespeare’s
plays produced this year:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
?
Featuring Will Kemp as Bottom, with
Shakespeare possibly enacting either Theseus or Oberon
Richard II
?
Possibly starring Shakespeare in the
title role
Shakespeare collaborates on a script entitled Sir Thomas More. Three pages of it
scribbled in Shakespeare’s hand still exist, the only surviving example of one
of his original first drafts.
Thomas Kyd dies, never having recovered from the
tortures he suffered in prison.
The Swan playhouse is built by Francis Langley in the
Liberty of Paris Garden, Bankside. It is used for various entertainments, from
plays to prize fights.
A law is passed this year prohibiting the performance of
plays in innyards like the one at the Cross Keys on Gracechurch Street, which
had been a favorite of the Chamberlain’s Men.
1596 Shakespeare’s
plays produced this year:
Romeo & Juliet
?
Starring Burbage as Romeo and
possibly featuring Shakespeare as either Friar Laurence or Mercutio
The Merchant of Venice
?
Starring Burbage as Shylock and
possibly featuring Shakespeare in the title role of Antonio
A letter written by novice playwright John Marston
remarks on Shakespeare’s popularity, noting that people quote lines from Romeo & Juliet in everyday
conversation.
A second edition of Willobie
His Avisa is published.
Edward III, possibly one of Shakespeare’s first plays, is published.
The
Lord Chamberlain Henry Lord Hunsdon dies on July 22, leaving Shakespeare’s
company without a patron. The Lord Mayor and the London City Council—dominated
by Puritans who regard playhouses as dens of iniquity—seize the opportunity to
close down the Theatre, England’s oldest playhouse. With neither a playhouse
nor the protection of a nobleman’s patronage, Shakespeare’s acting company is
suddenly out of business.
On
top of his business misfortunes, Shakespeare faces the death of his 11-year-old
son Hamnet on August 8.
King John may have been written (or
re-written) and first produced in late 1596. The scenes depicting the death of
the little boy Arthur and his mother’s grief are particularly poignant.
In
the fall, Shakespeare’s troupe reforms under the patronage of the new Lord
Hunsdon (George, the Chamberlain’s son) and temporarily resumes performing at
the Swan in Southwark. Shakespeare moves from Bishopsgate across the river to
Southwark, too, taking a room near the Bear Garden.
On
October 20, Shakespeare suddenly becomes a second-generation gentleman
overnight when, through Southampton’s influence and his own, his father is
finally granted that coat-of-arms for which he had longed so many years before.
In
November, the Justice of the Peace in Southwark tries to stop the Lord
Hunsdon’s Men from performing at the Swan. He sends his stepson William Wayte
to evict the players. There is an altercation outside the playhouse between
Wayte, his companions and several players, including Shakespeare.
The
Sheriff of Surrey issues an arrest warrant on November 29 which names Francis
Langley and Shakespeare among others, charging them with threatening Wayte’s
life. The matter is settled out of court—and in Shakespeare’s favor apparently,
as he and his company are performing at Whitehall for the Queen a month later.
It probably didn’t hurt that Shakespeare had recently acquired that
coat-of-arms and the social standing of a gentleman.
1597 Shakespeare’s
plays produced this year:
Henry IV, Pts. 1 & 2
?
Starring Burbage as Prince Hal and,
perhaps, Shakespeare in the title role
The Merry Wives of Windsor
?
Possibly featuring Burbage as Frank
Ford
Much Ado About Nothing
?
Featuring Will Kemp as Dogberry, and
possibly starring Shakespeare as Benedick
Death of James Burbage, the father of Richard and of
modern theatre
King James of Scotland writes a book about his belief in
witchcraft and the supernatural. It will later provide inspiration for
Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
Spain’s third attempt to invade England fails when their
latest Armada is shipwrecked.
The number of performances and the wide publication of
pirated editions indicate that Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Pts. 1 & 2 are huge hits. The character of Falstaff
is enormously popular. Surviving correspondence between Lady Southampton and
Sir Charles Percy refers to characters from these plays.
In
April, Lord George (Carey) Hunsdon is elevated to the office of Lord
Chamberlain, succeeding his late father. Thus Shakespeare’s troupe is once
again known as the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
On
his way to Stratford to close a real estate deal, Shakespeare probably passes
through Oxford. And he probably stays overnight at the Davenant’s inn. And he
probably can’t help but notice how charming Jane Davenant is, and what a lucky
man his friend John Davenant is to have such a wife.
Enriched by the success of his Henry IV plays, Shakespeare purchases a new home for his family on
May 4. Priced at ₤60, “New Place” is the second-largest house in
Stratford. His wife, children and his parents move in from the old house on
Henley Street, which is taken over by Shakespeare’s sister Joan and her
husband, a hatter named William Hart.
According
to tradition, Queen Elizabeth asks Shakespeare to write a new comedy that
depicts Falstaff in love—and she gives him only three weeks to do it. The
result, The Merry Wives of Windsor,
does appear to have been hastily written, and it is the only play of
Shakespeare’s with an entirely original plot. Some historians believe it was
first performed during a celebration at the installation of Knights of the
Garter held in May, 1597. At that particular ceremony, the patron of the
Chamberlain’s Men, the new Lord Hunsdon, was made a Knight of the Garter.
Ben
Jonson and Gabriel Spencer spend several months together in Fleet Prison due to
their performances in Thomas Nashe’s “lewd and seditious” The Isle of Dogs, produced at the Swan by Pembroke’s Company. In
the ensuing scandal the Privy Council closes all the playhouses in London and
even tries to have them demolished.
Leading man Ned Alleyn marries Philip Henslowe’s
stepdaughter and officially retires from the stage—a retirement that won’t last
long.
The
newly-revised Love’s Labor’s Lost is
given a command performance before Queen Elizabeth on Christmas Day, 1597.
1598 John
Florio publishes his Italian-English dictionary, A World of Words.
Francis Meres publishes his review of popular culture, Palladis Tamia: Wit’s Treasury, in which
he describes Shakespeare as one of England’s most gifted and promising
playwrights.
George Chapman, one of Shakespeare’s rivals, publishes
his English translation of The Iliad.
Marlowe’s final unfinished work, the poem Hero and Leander, is published for the
first time. Shakespeare makes oblique references to it—and arguably to
Marlowe’s murder as well—in his upcoming play As You Like It.
Some evidence suggests that Shakespeare may have
produced an early version of Hamlet
this year which was withdrawn after several performances.
On
the first of June, various books are labeled as “unseemly satires and epigrams”
in a series of “commandments” issued by Archbishop and chief censor John
Whitgift. On June 4, the books named in Whitgift’s commandments are publicly
burned in the yard of Stationers’ Hall (the official record office where
published works and approved plays are registered). The works of Thomas Nashe
are particularly singled out. His books, poems, plays and pamphlets are to “be
taken wheresoever they may be found” and destroyed, and none of his work shall
“be ever printed hereafter.” This marks the end of Nashe’s career, and he dies
in poverty two years later. Another work singled out for destruction is
Marlowe’s translation of Ovid’s erotic Elegies,
a.k.a. the Amores, to which
Shakespeare makes reference in his upcoming play As You Like It.
In
September, the Chamberlain’s Men stage Ben Jonson’s comedy Every Man In His Humour at the Curtain. Though it was considered
and passed over by Henslowe and the Admiral’s Men, Shakespeare and the
Chamberlain’s Men take the rejected script and turn it into Jonson’s first big
hit. The production stars Shakespeare as Old Knowles, Burbage as Mr. Kitely,
Christopher Beeston as Mrs. Kitely and Harry Condell as Captain Bobadil.
Jonson
quarrels with Gabriel Spencer, the actor with whom he had been imprisoned a
year earlier. They have a duel on September 22, and Jonson stabs Spencer to
death.
In
October, Jonson is indicted for murder at the Old Bailey and imprisoned at
Newgate. Within the month he beats the rap by claiming “benefit of clergy,” an
old law still on the books which grants a reprieve on a first offense to anyone
who can read Latin. Jonson is released, but not before being branded on the
thumb with a “T” for Tyburn, the site of the gallows, which identifies him as a
pardoned offender. (Some believe that Jonson may have only been threatened with
branding.) Immediately after this experience, Jonson converts to Catholicism, a
faith he renounces twelve years later.
In
November, Southampton is imprisoned in the Tower by Queen Elizabeth for having
impregnated and married one of her ladies-in-waiting without her knowledge and
approval. The Earl of Essex uses his influence to get Southampton released
within a month.
The
Burbages lose their land-lease on the Theatre. The problem is that they own the
building but not the land beneath it. The property’s owner, Giles Allen,
announces his plans to tear the building down right after Christmas. Undaunted,
Shakespeare, Burbage and company come up with a novel and amazingly bold
solution. They gather in the middle of the night on December 28, tear down the
Theatre with axes, swords and crowbars, and ferry the timber across the Thames,
where they will rebuild their playhouse on a new site. Giles Allen files a
lawsuit over this, but in the end the judge rules in the actors’ favor. And
that’s how the timbers of England’s first playhouse were used to build
England’s most famous playhouse, the Globe.
1599 Shakespeare’s
plays produced in 1599, a very eventful year:
Henry V
?
Starring Burbage in the title role
and possibly featuring Shakespeare as Rumour (a.k.a. Chorus)
Julius Caesar
?
Featuring Burbage as Brutus and John
Heminges as Caesar
As You Like It
?
According to tradition, Shakespeare
played Adam and Robert Armin played Touchstone. Burbage may have played
Orlando.
Jonson writes Every
Man Out of His Humour, a
sequel to his first big hit. Like so many sequels, it doesn’t do as well as the
original.
Shakespeare
and Burbage build the Globe on a plot of land in Bankside, using the timber
from the old Theatre. The first show there may possibly be either Henry V or Julius Caesar.
Henslowe and the Admiral’s Men build a new playhouse,
the Fortune, to compete with the Globe. Alleyn comes out of retirement and
returns to the stage. But ticket sales for both the Globe and the Fortune
suffer from the competition of children’s companies—the latest fad—who perform
at the indoor Blackfriars playhouse.
Poet John Weever publishes his Epigrams, which includes a flattering sonnet addressed to
“honey-tongued Shakespeare.”
William Jaggard publishes a poetry collection called The Passionate Pilgrim which includes
some of Shakespeare’s sonnets. There is a later record of Shakespeare’s protest
about this unauthorized publication.
The third edition of Willobie
His Avisa is deemed libelous, condemned and ordered to be burned by the
public censor. Odds are it was Shakespeare and Southampton who considered it
libelous.
The playwright Dr. John Hayward is arrested and
imprisoned by the Queen for writing a play which reenacts the deposition of
Richard II—even though Shakespeare got away with depicting that same
controversial event four years earlier.
Will Kemp, England’s most popular clown, quits the
Chamberlain’s Men over his well-documented artistic differences with
Shakespeare. While he embarks on a successful solo tour of the continent, he is
replaced in the company by Robert Armin.
The
Earl of Essex, appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland, leaves London at the end of
March on his quest to subdue the Earl of Tyrone and the Irish rebels.
Julius Caesar is performed at the Globe
on September 21, 1599 according to the diary of Swiss tourist Thomas Platter.
The performance starts at 2:00 p.m. and features a cast of 15 players who act
their parts “extremely well.”
Against
the Queen’s direct orders, Essex agrees to a truce with the Irish rebel Tyrone
and returns to London at the end of September.
As You Like It premieres in October.
The
Chamberlain’s Men perform for the Queen at her Court in Richmond during the
Christmas holidays.
1600 Twelfth Night
premieres this year, starring Robert Armin as Feste.
The Chamberlain’s Men perform in Oxford this year.
Shakespeare probably stays with his friends John and Jane Davenant.
Thomas
Nashe dies.
By
late summer Essex is thoroughly out of favor with the Queen. He makes rash
threats against her in public, calling for a public uprising and her removal
from the throne. His most infamous remark:
“Her mind is as crooked as her carcass.”
The
Chamberlain’s Men return to Whitehall to perform for the Queen during the
winter holidays.
1601
John Manningham records in his diary
a popular, sexy anecdote about Shakespeare that’s making the rounds (the old
“William the Conqueror” story).
On February 5, Lord Monteagle books a one-day revival of
Richard II for Saturday afternoon at
the Globe. Although the play is not new and is still rather controversial, the Lord
Chamberlain’s Men agree to perform it for an additional 40 shillings over the
door receipts.
The
performance of Richard II that
Saturday, February 7, is attended by Sir Charles Percy, Lord Monteagle, Robin
Catesby and other Essex conspirators. They believe the scene depicting the
deposition of King Richard will inspire their followers in their quest to
overthrow Elizabeth.
The Essex Rebellion takes place the next morning,
Sunday, February 8. Lord Chief Justice Sir John Popham and three other officials
are taken hostage at Essex House. Essex and his followers march on the City but
fail to gather enough popular support for an uprising. By evening the revolt
has ended in utter failure. The earls of Essex and Southampton retreat to Essex
House, where they finally surrender to authorities.
Before the month is out, Essex and Southampton are
condemned to death for treason. Southampton is later spared the death penalty
but remains imprisoned for over two years.
Representing the Chamberlain’s Men, Augustine Phillips
is called before Lord Chief Justice Popham and two other judges to explain
their involvement with the Essex conspirators. In the end, since the
Chamberlain’s Men were hired to perform and claim they were ignorant of Essex’s plans, the judges rule them
guiltless of complicity.
The
Chamberlain’s Men perform (possibly The Merry Wives of Windsor?)
for the Queen on February 24, the same day she signs Essex’s death warrant. On
the following day, Ash Wednesday, Essex is beheaded.
Hamlet premieres this year at the Globe, starring
Burbage in the title role, Shakespeare as King Hamlet’s Ghost and John Heminges
as Polonius.
Later in the year, the Chamberlain’s Men tour through
Oxford, giving Shakespeare another opportunity to visit the Davenant’s.
Shakespeare’s short poem The Phoenix and the Turtle is published in a collection of works by
various poets, including Chapman and Jonson, under the title Love’s Martyr. Despite the volume’s dedication to the obscure “Sir John
Salisburie,” it is likely that the poems were intended as veiled tributes to
the late Earl of Essex.
Shakespeare’s
father dies this month in September.
The
Chamberlain’s Men again perform for the Queen at Whitehall during the winter
holiday season.
1602 Shakespeare’s
plays produced this year:
All’s Well That Ends Well
Troilus & Cressida
Twelfth Night is performed at Middle
Temple Hall in February according to an entry in John Manningham’s diary.
Come
Christmas, the Chamberlain’s Men once again perform for the Queen at Whitehall
and Richmond.
1603 A
pirated edition of Hamlet is
published.
The
actor John Lowin joins the Chamberlain’s Men.
On
March 24, 1603, Queen Elizabeth dies. She had ruled England for 45 years. She
is succeeded by King James I.
And Elizabeth isn’t the only person to die this year.
Actors Will Kemp and Thomas Pope both succumb to the plague, as does Ben
Jonson’s 7-year-old son. An estimated 30,000 others will “all fall down” in
London alone, where the death rate reaches 1,100 victims per week by
mid-summer.
On
April 10, King James frees Southampton from prison, where he has languished
since the Essex Rebellion over two years before.
The
King, a devoted theatre fan, selects Shakespeare’s troupe for the honor of his patronage
and, on May 19, the Chamberlain’s Men officially become the King’s Men. It is
the ultimate acknowledgement of their preeminence over all other acting
companies in England.
Laurence
Fletcher, who happens to be one of King James’s favorite actors, suddenly gets
offered a plum position with the King’s Men.
A
bit actor and set painter at the Globe named John Sanders decides to whip up a
miniature-on-wood portrait of his celebrated boss, William Shakespeare. The
painting will remain in the Sanders family for twelve generations as a secret,
treasured heirloom until they finally decide to reveal it to the world on May
11, 2001 in Ontario, Canada.
The
King’s Men spend the summer touring Ipswich, Maldon, Coventry, Shrewsbury,
Bath, Cambridge and Oxford, performing Hamlet
and other plays. In Oxford, Shakespeare has another opportunity to cross paths
with the delightful Jane Davenant.
On July 25, 1603, James I is officially crowned King of
England and Scotland.
Jonson’s
Sejanus premieres at the Globe
starring Burbage and Shakespeare, but it doesn’t do particularly well. This
really bugs Jonson because he prided himself on the historical accuracy of Sejanus
in comparison to Shakespeare’s anachronistic Julius Caesar—which an
ignorant public, of course, adored.
As
a guest of the Countess of Salisbury at Wilton House, King James is entertained
by a performance of As You Like It on
December 2.
1604 Shakespeare’s
plays produced this year:
Measure For Measure
Othello
?
Starring Burbage in the title role
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is performed at Hampton Court on New Year’s Day.
Ned Alleyn retires from the stage. Again.
Shakespeare’s youngest brother Edmund, 24, moves to
London and begins his brief career as an actor.
Shakespeare moves to Silver Street, north of the Thames,
where he lets a room in the house of Huguenot wigmaker Christopher Mountjoy and
family.
After
an initial period of tolerance toward Catholics, King James orders all priests to leave England (February 22).
On
March 15, Shakespeare and eight other members of the King’s Men march in the
Royal Procession through London.
The
Globe reopens in April after a brief closure (a week or two?) due to plague.
On April 24, King James sends
the House of Commons a bill designating all Catholics in the realm as
ex-communicates—essentially, outlaws. Thomas Percy, Guy Fawkes and the other
Gunpowder Plotters begin their conspiracy to assassinate the King.
Overreacting
to rumors of a plot against his life, King James has Southampton and several
other nobles arrested and imprisoned in the Tower on June 24. They are all just
as suddenly released the following day, and all documents concerning the
arrests and the alleged plot are destroyed.
Shakespeare
and eleven other players are hired to serve as grooms waiting upon the
Constable of Castile, who is visiting London to sign a peace treaty between
England and Spain. Shakespeare serves as his Groom of the Chamber from August 9
through 27. The twelve players are paid a sum total of ₤21, 12s.
The
King’s Men perform a series of plays for the King at Whitehall between now and
mid-January: Othello (on November 1), followed by Merry Wives of Windsor, Measure For Measure,
Comedy of Errors, Henry V, Love’s Labours’ Lost and
Merchant of Venice. The latter is
repeated in an encore performance at the King’s request. Payment is ₤110.
On December 11, the Gunpowder Plotters begin digging a
mine under the Houses of Parliament from the basement of a nearby rental
property.
1605 Significant
plays produced by the King’s Men this year:
Marston’s The Malcontent
?
Starring Burbage as Malevole
Jonson’s Volpone
?
Starring Burbage as Volpone
Jonson collaborates with architect and set designer
Inigo Jones in producing popular Court masques. These are incredibly expensive
and wildly elaborate performance art pieces, rich with music, dancing and
sophisticated special effects. Jonson and Jones are the supreme practitioners
of this art form—and they hate each others’ guts.
By
March the Gunpowder Plotters’ tunnel under Parliament is about half-finished.
They eventually abandon the tunnel when they locate another property with an
old cellar that extends directly beneath Parliament. Conspirator Thomas Percy rents
that property and the plotters shift their efforts to the new site.
Shakespeare’s
longtime partner and friend Gus Phillips dies in May at Mortlake. His will
bequeaths special rings to Shakespeare, Burbage, Beeston and some of his other
old showbiz pals.
The
King’s Men’s summer tour takes them through Barnstaple, Saffron Walden and
Oxford, where they perform Volpone and
other plays.
Jonson, Marston and Chapman are imprisoned for their
play Eastward Ho, which is considered
insulting toward King James and Scotland. The King is out of town at the time
and has nothing to do with the arrests. The three are sentenced to have their
noses slit and their ears cut off, but Jonson’s mother manages to get a message
through to James, begging for mercy. She also obtains poison for her son, so he
can fulfill his pledge to die rather than suffer the indignity of mutilation.
But the King is a big fan of Jonson’s, and he arranges for the immediate pardon
and release of the Eastward Ho Three. Then he orders the judge to be “dunked
thrice in the Thames” and retired from the bench.
If
Shakespeare ever consummates an affair with Jane Davenant, he does it this July
while his company is touring through Oxford.
In
October, Lord Monteagle—the same man who booked Shakespeare’s players to
perform Richard II before the Essex Rebellion—receives an anonymous
note, urging him to avoid the opening ceremony at Parliament coming up next
month. He immediately passes the information along to Robert Cecil, the Lord
Salisbury.
On
November 4, Salisbury’s agents visit Thomas Percy’s property next to
Parliament. There they encounter Guy Fawkes standing guard and looking very
nervous. They search the basement and discover behind a pile of firewood no
less than 36 barrels containing over a ton and a half of gunpowder. Fawkes is
placed under arrest. It is less than 24 hours before the planned detonation of
the explosives. Under torture, Fawkes names Percy and others as
co-conspirators.
On November 8, Percy and his cohorts are tracked down in
Staffordshire and slain by the Sheriff of Warwick’s men in a shoot-out at
Holbeach House.
The
King’s Men perform ten plays at Whitehall between December 5, 1605 and March
1606, for which they are paid ₤100.
1606 Shakespeare’s
plays produced this year:
Macbeth
? Burbage starred in the title role. John Rice may have
played Lady Macbeth, and Shakespeare may have been King Duncan.
Guy Fawkes and the other surviving conspirators are
tried before Lord Chief Justice Popham and found guilty of high treason on
January 27. They are hanged on January 31. Afterwards, their
heads are chopped off and mounted on pikes atop London Bridge. While their
skulls are rotting, Shakespeare’s darkest
and scariest play, Macbeth, holds its premiere.
Jane
Davenant gives birth to a son on March 3. She and her husband name him William
in honor of their dear friend Shakespeare, whom they ask to be the child’s
godfather. But is he only the godfather of this child?
Parliament
passes a bill on March 24 prohibiting the utterance of God’s name onstage.
Summer in London means plague—as usual—and for
actors, that means touring the countryside. This year takes the King’s Men to Marlborough, Leicester,
Maidstone, Oxford and Dover. In Dover, Shakespeare sees the White Cliffs, which
he uses as a dramatic setting in his final masterpiece, King Lear.
The
King of Denmark comes to England in July to visit his sister Queen Anne and
brother-in-law King James. He catches a performance by the King’s Men at
Greenwich.
A
month later the King’s Men entertain the King of Denmark again, this time at
Hampton Court, where they are paid ₤30 for two performances. The Danish
king’s visit is marked by unprecedented drinking parties and debauchery at
court. It’s all fairly scandalous, and Shakespeare and other writers openly
express their disapproval of it.
The
King’s Men perform nine plays for King James at Whitehall during the Christmas
holidays, including a performance of King
Lear on December 26 in which Shakespeare may have played Gloucester. Queen
Anne, as usual, is absent, and the King is accompanied by his new boyfriend
Robert Carr, the Groom of the Bedchamber.
Meanwhile,
back in London, Shakespeare’s kid brother Edmund has unprotected sex with an
unmarried woman.
1607
Shakespeare’s plays produced this
year:
Antony & Cleopatra
Pericles
?
Probably either a collaboration or
an adaptation of someone else’s script
Sometime between 1606 and 1608, Shakespeare writes the
dreadful, bitter play Timon of Athens. The
script reads like an unfinished first draft, and there is no evidence that it
was ever produced. It may be the only surviving first draft of an unfinished
Shakespeare play.
The settlement of Jamestown is founded in Virginia.
King James confiscates Catholic landowners’ estates in
Ulster and gives them to English and Scottish settlers. Ireland’s Earl of Tyrone
flees to Rome. For an update on the ensuing conflict, read today’s newspaper.
Plague
strikes London again this summer. The King’s Men go on tour through
Marlborough, Barnstaple, Dunwich, Cambridge and Oxford.
On
June 5, Shakespeare’s eldest daughter Susanna marries Dr. John Hall, a
respected physician.
An infant named Edward, “bastard son of Edmund
Shakespeare” according to the coroner’s report, is buried on August 12, 1607.
A
record-breaking winter storm socks London on Christmas Eve. The Thames freezes
over and people practically take up residence on it. Vendors sell their wares
out on the ice. The water-taxi business and the outdoor-theatre business take
hard hits.
The King’s Men perform thirteen plays at Court between
December 26, 1607 and February 7, 1608.
Shakespeare’s
youngest brother and fellow actor Edmund Shakespeare dies on December 29 at the
age of 27, four months after the death of his illegitimate son. The cause and
circumstances of Edmund’s death remain a mystery.
His
funeral takes place on New Year’s Eve, 1607. It is an unusually elaborate
and—at 20 shillings—costly affair that is ordered and paid for by Shakespeare.
It is also unusual in that it takes place in the morning, probably so actors could
attend before their afternoon matinees. Edmund is laid to rest at St. Saviour’s
Church in Southwark.
1608 A
performance of Pericles this year is
attended by the Venetian ambassador and other diplomats.
A one-act play entitled A Yorkshire Tragedy is
published this spring with William Shakespeare named as its author on the title
page. It had been performed previously at the Globe along with three other
short dramas which were all presented together as All’s One, or Foure Plaies
in One. A Yorkshire Tragedy
reenacts a scandalous multiple-murder which took place in 1604. While not
great, the script is not without merit, and though Shakespeare probably was not
its sole author he may have had a hand in touching it up.
This
summer Shakespeare files suit against John Addenbroke of Stratford for a debt
of ₤6. (A trifle? Not really. A large house cost only ₤60 in those
days.) The case drags on for a year before it is settled.
Another
serious plague epidemic hits London in July, but it’s the last bad outbreak
during Shakespeare’s lifetime.
Coriolanus premieres this year.
The King’s Men take over the lease on Blackfriars, the
indoor playhouse, on August 9.
Shakespeare’s mother Mary Arden dies in Stratford on
September 6.
The
King’s Men tour Marlborough and Coventry in the fall.
The
King’s Men perform twelve plays for the King at Whitehall during the Christmas
holiday season, for which they are paid ₤120.
1609 Significant
plays produced this year:
Shakespeare’s Cymbeline
Beaumont’s The Knight of the Burning Pestle
Thomas
Thorpe publishes a book made up of 154 of Shakespeare’s sonnets. It is entered
in the Stationers’ Register on May 20. It is uncertain whether Shakespeare had
any say in the release of this book or if he even authorized the publication.
Thorpe’s volume is dedicated to “the only begetter” of
the sonnets, “Mr. W.H.,” which probably refers to the person who provided them
to Thorpe. The identity of “W.H.” remains unknown. Leading contenders are Earl
Henry Wriothesley of Southampton, his stepfather Sir William Harvey, and Earl
William Herbert of Pembroke, to whom the First Folio is dedicated. Other
candidates are Henry Willobie, Willie Hewes, William Hatcliffe and even Sir Walter RaleigH. None
of these possibilities is entirely satisfactory.
Some of the sonnets are very personal, emotional and
revealing—and not always very attractively so. It’s questionable whether
Shakespeare would’ve wanted them read by the general public. Also, their
appearance in print may have precipitated a rift between Shakespeare and
Southampton which seems to have taken place about this time.
If Shakespeare didn’t intend for them to be published,
then it’s possible they were stolen. One intriguing proposal for the thief’s
identity is the infamous Dark Lady, the unnamed inspiration for many of the
poems. According to the theory, she wormed her way back into his life because
she needed money. When he wouldn’t help her out or accept her again as his
mistress, she remembered where he hid all his writings, ripped him off, sold
the poems to Thomas Thorpe and ran off with the money.
The sonnets only went through one edition and were not
reprinted again in Shakespeare’s lifetime, despite the popularity of both the author
and the sonnet form. This suggests that something was wrong with their initial
publication, or that someone (Southampton? Herbert? Shakespeare himself?) was
offended by their personal revelations and had them suppressed. The sonnets stayed buried for years. They
didn’t really become popular and widely-read until the 19th Century.
These 154 poems, their inspiration and the reason for their publication and
subsequent suppression are at the center of the most enduring mysteries of
Shakespeare’s life.
The King’s Men tour Ipswich, Hythe and New Romney
through November.
The King’s Men perform at Blackfriars and Whitehall,
staging thirteen plays for the King during the Christmas holidays for which
they were paid ₤130.
1610
Jonson’s The Alchemist premieres with
Burbage in the lead.
Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher begin collaborating
on plays.
This may be the year that the “Chandos portrait” of
Shakespeare is painted. For many years it was thought to be the work of the
multi-talented Dick Burbage, who was an accomplished painter, but most
historians now credit it to an artist named John Taylor. In any case, until the
Sanders Portrait was revealed in 2001, the Chandos Portrait was widely regarded
as the only known painting of the poet done in his lifetime. It was owned
successively by King’s Men actor Joseph Taylor, Shakespeare’s godson William
Davenant, the dukes of Chandos and, finally, the National Portrait Gallery of
Great Britain.
The King’s Men open at the Globe in April with a popular
revival of Othello starring Dick
Burbage. Othello proves to be one of his most acclaimed roles.
Othello is performed by the King’s Men
at Oxford in July. They also tour through Dover, Shrewsbury, Stafford and
Sudbury. Shakespeare probably gets to spend considerable time back home in
Stratford during this period.
This
September, a few English survivors of a shipwrecked voyage to Virginia manage
to find their way home. Two popular narratives of their adventures are
published which later inspire Shakespeare to write The Tempest.
The Winter’s Tale
premieres in the fall.
The
King’s Men perform fifteen plays for the Court at Whitehall over the winter
holidays. They are paid ₤180.
1611
The King James Bible is published. As
a popular but decidedly non-religious author, Shakespeare is extremely unlikely
to have had anything to do with the writing of it.
The Globe opens its season in April with a revival of The Winter’s Tale.
A revival of Macbeth
follows The Winter’s Tale at the
Globe, opening on April 20.
The Tempest
is staged in midseason. It is generally considered to be Shakespeare’s last
play, apart from a few collaborations with John Fletcher. To some, the
character of Prospero (probably played by Burbage) represents Shakespeare
bidding farewell to the theatre.
Later
in the year, Shakespeare retires and moves back to Stratford. His place in the
acting company is taken by Nathan “Nid” Field, a former child actor.
The Winter’s Tale is performed for the
King at Whitehall on November 1. Between October 1611 and April 1612 the King’s
Men perform 22 times before the King, either at Whitehall or Greenwich. One of
the plays performed during this period is Twelfth
Night.
1612 On
January 25, Shakespeare’s younger brother Gilbert dies, unmarried.
The King’s Men tour through Winchester and New Romney
during the spring.
Shakespeare is named as a witness in a lawsuit over a
marriage settlement dispute involving Christopher Mountjoy’s daughter.
Shakespeare had rented a room in Mountjoy’s house several years earlier (see
1604). He gives evidence in court on May 11, 1612, and the court record of his
deposition still exists. Unfortunately, it is not revealing. The transcript is
not verbatim, of course, as such records were written in the third person back
then due to a distinct lack of tape recorders. On top of that, Shakespeare was
a useless witness who couldn’t recall any relevant details of the matter in
dispute.
In
October, King James announces the engagement of his 16-year-old daughter,
Princess Elizabeth, to the 15-year-old Elector of Palatine.
One month later, the
King’s eldest son and heir, Prince Henry, suddenly dies. His death casts a pall
over his sister’s wedding plans. The King’s son Charles becomes the new Prince
of Wales.
The
King’s Men perform twenty plays before the court at Whitehall between December
1612 and April 1613—six for the King and fourteen for the Princess, the Elector
and Prince Charles. The plays include Henry
IV (1&2), Much Ado About Nothing,
The Tempest, The Winter’s Tale,
Othello and Julius Caesar. The pay is ₤153, 6s., 8d.
1613 John
Fletcher dumps his old writing partner Francis Beaumont and starts
collaborating with Shakespeare instead. Together they co-author at least three
plays: Henry VIII, The Two Noble Kinsmen and Cardenio. The latter play, also known as
The Second Maiden’s Tragedy, is based on an episode from Don Quixote. The play was considered
lost for centuries until 1994, when it was rediscovered—i.e., re-identified—by
Charles Hamilton.
Burbage
names his new son William, in Shakespeare’s honor.
On February 11, Shakespeare’s younger brother Richard
dies, unmarried.
The
annual Accession Tilt, a ceremonial jousting match, is held at Whitehall on
March 29. Francis Manners, the 6th
Earl of Rutland, had commissioned Shakespeare to design and Burbage to paint an
“impresa” (a decorative shield) which would be
entered in the annual design contest. Their impresa doesn’t win, but Shakespeare and Burbage pick up 44 shillings
apiece for the job.
Henry VIII premieres under the title All Is True and stars John Lowin.
On
June 29, St. Peter’s Day, the Globe burns down during a performance of Henry VIII after a sound-effect cannon
accidentally sets fire to the thatched roof. Everyone is evacuated in time and
there are no injuries. One audience member’s clothing does catch fire but an
onlooker puts it out with a bottle of ale.
John Fletcher officially takes over as the King’s
Men’s principal dramatist.
1614 John Webster’s sensational The Duchess of Malfi is produced this
year, starring Burbage as Ferdinand and Harry Condell as the Cardinal.
The Globe is rebuilt—with a tile roof instead of a thatched
one.
Shakespeare visits the Davenant’s in Oxford to look in
on his godson. Some time this year, for the first time in his life, 8-year-old
William hears the rumor from a local parson that his famous godfather is
actually his true father. It will have a huge impact on his life.
1616
Playwright Francis Beaumont dies.
The great producer Philip Henslowe dies at the age of
66.
Shakespeare drafts his will on January 25.
Jonson publishes his plays this year under the somewhat
pretentious title Works. It is the
first time that plays have been collected and published as literature in book
form.
On February 10, Shakespeare’s younger daughter Judith
marries Thomas Quiney. But, shortly after their wedding, Quiney is exposed as a
cad. It turns out he had impregnated and abandoned a local woman, Margaret
Wheeler, prior to marrying Judith. To add to the scandal, Margaret dies during
childbirth on March 15. The infant dies as well.
Shakespeare
revises his will on March 25, cutting his new son-in-law out.
On
April 23, 1616, his 52nd birthday, William Shakespeare dies. Since
he had been out of the spotlight for a few years, there is little public notice
of his passing.
The cause of his death is unknown. The lack of record seems
odd, considering that his son-in-law Dr. Hall was probably his physician, and
he kept notes on other patients. According to the most enduring account,
Shakespeare contracted a fever following a late-night drinking bout with old
friends Michael Drayton and Ben Jonson. That too seems odd since Shakespeare
was known for his avoidance of excessive drinking and partying.
Could Shakespeare have been murdered? It’s a salacious
suggestion but, of course, an intriguing possibility. He had recently changed his
will in a fit of pique, and his son-in-law/physician suddenly found himself in
a superb position to murder a father-in-law and collect the bulk of his
estate. On the other hand, Shakespeare
had just written his will. Maybe he felt his health was in decline. Maybe he
just got sick and died. No one really knows.
He
is buried on April 25, 1616 in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church. His
gravestone bears a curse, warding off any who might wish to disturb his resting
place.
1618 Ben
Jonson visits Scotland and stays for a couple weeks with the poet William
Drummond. Drummond interviews him extensively about his life and the many
people he has known, including Shakespeare. In 1632 Drummond publishes his
notes of these interviews as Ben Jonson’s
Conversations With Drummond of Hawthornden.
1619 On
March 2, Queen Anne dies.
On
March 13, Richard Burbage dies at the age of 50. True to form, he upstages
royalty even in death. His funeral is a huge public event. Several poems are
written in his honor, mourning the loss of England’s greatest actor and all the
wonderful characters—Hamlet, Othello, Lear, Macbeth and so on—who die with
him.
Ben
Jonson is named England’s first Poet Laureate.
1622 Jane
Davenant dies on April 16, followed two weeks later by her husband John.
1623 Sometime
in early summer, Shakespeare’s family erects an elaborate monument to him on
the north chancel wall of Holy Trinity Church, five feet from his grave.
Shakespeare’s
widow Anne dies on August 16. Despite her wish to be buried at her husband’s
side, it cannot be arranged. No gravedigger will dare touch Shakespeare’s
gravestone for fear of the curse engraved upon it.
The First Folio is published. It is
entered in the Stationers’ Register on November 8, over seven years after
Shakespeare’s death. The collection of 36 plays is edited by Shakespeare’s
fellow actor Harry Condell and business manager John Heminges, and it includes
17 scripts that have never been published before. The book is expensive, like a
modern coffee-table book, but it sells well. In fact, from this time on, these
plays will never go out of print.
1624 While
leading a military expedition in Holland, earl Henry Wriothesley of Southampton
contracts a deadly fever, as does his son and much of the regiment. His son
dies on November 5. The Earl himself passes away on November 10 at the age of
51.
1626 Edward
Alleyn dies at the age of 60.
1627 William
Davenant’s first play, The Cruel Brother,
is produced. Davenant goes on to become the most successful playwright and
producer of his day. Among his accomplishments are the introduction of scenery
and female performers to the English stage. He never denies the long standing
rumor that he is Shakespeare’s natural son.
1632
Due to popular demand, The Second Folio is published.
1637 Ben
Jonson dies at the age of 65. Renowned as England’s first Poet Laureate, he is
entombed in Westminster Abbey.
1638
Jonson’s successor as Poet Laureate
is William Davenant.
Primary sources: S.H. Burton, Shakespeare’s Life and Stage
(1989); E.K. Chambers, William Shakespeare: A Study of Facts and
Problems (1930); Marchette Chute, Shakespeare of London (1949);
Martin Fido, Shakespeare (1978); Hesketh Pearson, A Life of
Shakespeare (1961); Henry Tyrrell, The Doubtful Plays of Shakspere (1860);
Louis B. Wright & Virginia A. LaMar, The Folger Guide to Shakespeare (1973).
Today, the popular appreciation of Shakespeare’s life
and work is warped by the pull of opposing extremes. He is regarded as an
object of unquestioning idolatry on the one hand and of unreasoning doubt on
the other.
Idolizing him is bad enough. The fact is that his body
of work is of variable quality. While several plays exemplify his genius,
others are simply good, entertaining scripts (which, in itself, is a worthy
accomplishment). Still others are difficult to produce on stage effectively and
are rarely done. Yet, somehow, a belief has taken root in certain quarters that
his writings are so supremely brilliant, so unfathomably profound, that they
border on the superhuman. This is the same kind of addled thinking that leads
some to consider the Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge to be so awesome that
they could not possibly have been built by ordinary men. They must be
the work of ancient astronauts!
As for Shakespeare, we now have a host of wacky
conspiracy theories concerning the “true authorship” of the plays. It doesn’t
matter that there is neither a precedent in history for such a conspiracy nor a
convincing motive for one in this case. It doesn’t matter that universities do
not offer courses in “How to Be a Genius,” that Shakespeare’s natural gifts and
relative lack of education were widely remarked upon in his own day, or that
the plays themselves are very clearly the product of a professional actor who
knew what works on stage, and whose chief interests appear to have been
gardening, play-acting and historical events as recorded in popular books.
Frankly, it is insulting to actors everywhere to pluck one of their greatest
artists from their ranks because—well, after all—he couldn’t possibly have been
one of them.
I find the ceaseless attention granted by the media to
anti-Stratfordians, Oxfordians and other misguided souls to be very
frustrating. Although it has been said over and over by individuals far more
scholarly and wise than myself, let me add my small voice to the chorus: There
is abundant historical evidence which supports beyond any reasonable doubt that
Shakespeare wrote his own damn plays!
Not only that, but there is plenty of reason to believe
that he lived an amazing life. Just because we don’t know for certain all the
details of that life, it doesn’t mean that his life was lacking in details.
People seem to think that Shakespeare the Man sounds boring. After all, the
reports always describe him as so nice. Ben Jonson was a soldier and a
duelist, Kit Marlowe was a spy and a homosexual—now, those guys were
interesting. But Shakespeare? Nothing cool ever happened to him.
That’s where my Highly Speculative Chronology comes in.
Just as the anti-Stratfordians dispute every single piece of the historical record,
so I take that record at face value and run with it. Did Shakespeare indulge in
a kinky sex life? Maybe. Did he write any one-act plays? Probably. Was he more
involved in a plot to overthrow the government than we’d like to believe? We
don’t know that he was—and we don’t know that he wasn’t.
You may not agree with some of my speculations. That’s
okay. I just hope you come away from this little history with an increased
sense of Shakespeare as a person—one who lived a full life during a
remarkable era, who deserves to be remembered for what he accomplished, and
whose legacy should not be stolen from him.
~ Scott Lynch-Giddings, www.robinhoodplay.com
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