Did you know that some people believe that Britain's favorite poet and playwright William Shakespeare never existed? According to one theory, the literary masterpieces attributed to him are in fact the fruit of the work of Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford. Our next publication will tell readers about this interesting hypothesis, as well as about other little known facts from the life of Shakespeare.
The poet's father was a beer taster
The son of the tenant John Shakespeare had nothing for his soul. In 1551 he arrived at Stratfort-upon-Avon. In order to somehow make ends meet, the father of the future poet took on any job: he sold leather goods, wool, malt and corn. And after 5 years, John was appointed the official beer taster. He soon married the daughter of a farmer, Mary of Ardenne. Subsequently, John becomes a moneylender, for some time he holds the post of mayor of the city. And in 1570, Shakespeare's father suddenly falls into debt bondage, as a result of which he was forced to flee from justice.
Shakespeare married an older woman
18-year-old William married the daughter of a farmer Ann Hataway who was 8 years older than him. The union was hastily organized because of the bride's pregnancy. The marriage was registered only in the church, and after 6 months the newlyweds' daughter Susanna was born. The couple subsequently had twins. Few facts remain about Shakespeare's family life. It is only known that the poet's family lived apart.
The poet's parents and children were illiterate
WITH more probability, one can state the fact that William's parents were illiterate. England of that time did not seek to form farm offspring. Surprisingly, John did not need basic reading and writing skills to work as mayor. The poet's father put his signature under his name in the form of a symbol.
William also mastered reading, writing and Latin at the local gymnasium. However, the poet's children were not honored to acquire writing and reading skills - historians believe so. 
There is a "dark spot" in the poet's life
No one still knows what Shakespeare did between 1585 and 1592. After the moment of the baptism of the poet's twins, historical records are interrupted and resumed only during his work on theater stage London.
Historians tend to believe that the future playwright during his unknown period worked as a teacher, studied law, and also traveled around Europe. Eventually, on one of these trips, William joined one of the acting troupes. However, opinions differed on this point. Probably Shakespeare could have escaped from his hometown in connection with the poaching of a deer that belonged to a noble person.
Shakespeare's plays gave rise to many of today's terms
English literature of that time widely popularized various terms and phrases, influenced the formation modern language. So, in everyday speech, Shakespeare's terms are still used: "fashionable", "holy man", "eyeball", "dim". The poet in his works gave rise to the use of expressions: “predetermined”, “in deplorable”, “in one fell swoop”.
William is also credited with creating some of the female names he used in his sonnets. And if such names as Olivia, Miranda, Jessica and Cordelia are popular to this day, then the names of Nerissa and Titania are irretrievably forgotten.
The name and surname of the poet survived several dozen spellings
Under own works Shakespeare never signed his full name. About 80 signatures have come down to us, containing variations of the surname or abbreviations. 
Fans secured his grave from vandals
Shakespeare died at the age of 52, despite the fact that the life expectancy of men of that era was in the region of 30-40 years. The cause of the poet's death is not known for certain, and there are several hypotheses on this score. At that time, grave-robbing vandals flourished in England. Admirers of the playwright's work have secured his last refuge with a literary epitaph with a curse.
The poet wore a golden earring in his ear
Shakespeare is known to have painted self-portraits. On one of the most famous canvases he is depicted with a beard, bald patches, a loose shirt collar, and an earring in his left ear. At that time, wearing an earring for men meant being involved in Bohemia. It is believed that the inspiration fashionable image could be pirates.
American starlings owe their existence to Shakespeare
The poet's works mention more than 600 references to different kinds birds. Some of the species lived at that time exclusively in Western Europe and Asia. They were brought to America in connection with one interesting project, who undertook to import every species of bird ever mentioned in the author's plays. Thus, the population of starlings turned out to be the most adapted to the new conditions. 
Some believe that Shakespeare never existed.
Doesn't it surprise you how a provincial commoner who never went to college went on to become, outside his hometown, one of the most prolific and eloquent authors in history? Even in his early writings a detailed knowledge of international affairs is captured, European history, pitfalls high society. Some theorists have put forward the version that several authors wishing to hide their identity at once used Shakespeare's pseudonym. Among the proposed candidates, in addition to the mentioned Edward de Vere, are also Francis Bacon, Christopher Merlow and Mary Sidney Herbert.
English poet and playwright William Shakespeare is considered the greatest English writer and one of the best playwrights in the world. The extant works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 4 poems and 3 epitaphs. Based on his works, operas, ballets were written, performances are staged and films are made. But the life of this man remains shrouded in mysteries ...
It is still not known exactly when Shakespeare was born. However, it is still generally accepted that he was born on April 23, 1564.
This assumption is based on the fact that the baptism of the future poet took place on April 26 of the same year, under the name of Will Shaksper (at that time this ceremony was carried out three days after the birth of the child), just three days before the outbreak was recorded in church books. plague.
Shakespeare's house in Statford
Shakespeare's father, John, was a glove maker, but over time he was able to reach the post of senior bailiff (the highest elective position in Statford), which was serious for those times. But in 1570, he himself was caught in the illegal wool trade and usury. After that, public life for Shakespeare's father was closed.
The family of John Shakespeare and his wife, Marie Arden, the daughter of a local wealthy landowner, had eight children. William was the third child, but the oldest boy. It is not known exactly, but it is possible that the young Shakespeare was educated at the Royal Edward VI School for Boys.
My adulthood William began as a butcher's apprentice, and then, after leaving his native Stratford, he succeeded in commerce and became a shareholder in the theater. In a word, he was an inhabitant, completely unlike the genius of world literature, who left a rich legacy.
The classic possessed truly encyclopedic knowledge for his time: he perfectly knew not only English history, but also critical processes V European countries, had knowledge of ancient philosophy, jurisprudence, understood navigation, the intricacies of international diplomacy, medicine, spoke several foreign languages, including Latin, Greek, French, Italian, Spanish.
The only known reliable depiction of Shakespeare is an engraving from a posthumous "First Folio" ( 1623 ) workMartin Droeshout
The playwright was well versed in politics, music and botany (researchers counted 63 plant names in his works), had skills in naval affairs, knew a lot about the entertainment of the nobles of that time, for example, falconry and bear baiting.
He may have traveled extensively, but no source confirms that the Stratford Shaksper ever traveled further than London.
At the age of 18, in 1582, William married the already pregnant Anna Hathaway, who at that time was 26 years old. They had three offspring: the eldest daughter Suzanne and two twins Hamnet (son) and Judith (daughter). Susanna was baptized in May 1583, and the twins Judith and Hamnet in February 1585.
Anne's gravestone is carved that she died at the age of 67 in 1623, that is, she was eight years older than her husband. Some of Shakespeare's sonnets addressed to a married lady also testify to a predisposition to older women.
Shakespeare's line will end in the 17th century. Shakespeare's son Hamnit died in childhood, Judith had three children, but they all died childless, Suzanne never had children. In 1670, when Susannah died, the Shakespearean line also ended.
Despite Shakespeare's marriage and the presence of children, creativity researchers put forward different opinions about him. sexual orientation, suggesting his attraction to men, while referring to some of his plays, as well as the fact that Shakespeare lived in London for a long time, while his wife and children were in Stratford.
The playwright's best friend in the capital was Henry Risley, third Earl of Southampton, who used to wear women's clothing and wear everyday makeup.
Henry Risley
William's religion also remains a mystery. Some researchers believe that he and all members of his family were Catholics, but in the time of Shakespeare this religion was prohibited.
Evidence of what Shakespeare did at the beginning of his writing creativity from 1582 to 1592, has not survived. Thus, one can only speculate how he came to his glory.
In the theatrical field, Shakespeare worked first as a watchman, then as an actor, theater producer, who earned a fortune from his work, later becoming a pawnbroker, brewer and homeowner.
In Shakespeare's time, there were no curtains and only a minimum of scenery was used. The situation surrounding the actors was described directly in the text of the performance.
Theatergoers from the time of Elizabeth could buy apples and other fruits during the show, and if the performance did not meet their expectations, various cores were fired at the actors.
In February 1599, Gutberg and Richard Burbage and five other members of the company, including Shakespeare, leased land for the Globe Theater for 31 years. Shakespeare's share in the enterprise in different years ranged from one fourteenth to one tenth.
The theater burned to the ground in 1613 from a fire caused by a cannon during a performance of Shakespeare's play " Henry VIII».
In 1603, the Shakespeare Company became the official director of plays for King James I and changed the name of Lord Chamberlain's Men to The King's Men.
In 1608, the King's Men opened the Blackfire Theatre, after which the later indoor theater buildings were built.
William Shakespeare left to posterity 38 plays, 4 poems, 154 sonnets, 3 epitaphs. In total, his works have been translated into many languages and have had a significant impact on the development of world literature. And the language contributed to the formation of modern English, enriching it with rich phraseological units.
Shakespeare's plays are usually divided into 3 groups: comedies, historical plays and tragedies. Many of them are based on legends and myths of the past, which was quite a common practice in those days.
Almost nothing is known about when, how and where the 154 brilliant sonnets were written, to whom they were dedicated and about chronological order their writing.
Sonnets are considered purely love works, but Shakespeare's masterpieces were often "self-deprecating", bitter and even homoerotic.
Many sonnets are Love letters, addressed to a "beautiful" man, which led historians to speculate about Shakespeare's bisexuality. These hints were traced in the texts of some plays.
IN Shakespearean works contains 2035! words that have never appeared in print before, "critical" - "critical", "frugal" - "thrifty", "excellent" - "magnificent", "countless" - "endless" and many others.
Countless phrases of amazing elegance and depth belong to Shakespeare's pen.
According to the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, Shakespeare wrote one tenth of the most repeated quotations, both in spoken and written English.
Shakespeare created his works during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558 - 1603) and James I, who ruled the country after the death of the queen. Theater and poetry flourished in England at that time. Shakespeare is particularly famous for two poems, Venus and Adonis(1593) and Lucrece(1594), and Sonnets (1609). Sonnets have become popular through the study of all aspects of love.
At one time, Shakespeare was also known as a "quick" writer. According to its editors Heminges (Hemming or Hemings) and Condell, Shakespeare's "thought and hand acted in synchrony," and he expressed his thoughts with such ease that they rarely saw corrections on the materials received from him.
However, despite all the praise, the opinion of some writers was not so positive. So Samuel Pepys called "Dream in midsummer night"the most tasteless and ridiculous play" he had ever seen.
Shakespeare had the gift of understanding the human essence, which was clearly expressed in his work. In his plays you can see real people, elements of personalities of which can be found in Everyday life. Unusually, William was one of the few who gained fame even among his contemporaries.
Suicide is committed 13 times in his plays. Twice in Romeo and Juliet, three times in Julius Caesar, one suicide each in Othello, Hamlet, Macbeth, and finally 5 suicides can be seen in Antony and Cleopatra. Interestingly, Romeo and Juliet was based on real events that happened to two lovers in Italy, Verona. They gave their lives for each other in 1303.
The monument, erected in Stratford in 1623, contains an inscription in Latin: “In the judgments of Pilos, in the genius of Socrates, in the art of Maron. The earth covers him, the people weep for him, Olympus has him.
Around 1611, William Shakespeare retired to Stratford, where his family had once been formed. April 23 is considered to be the date of the writer's death. Shakespeare was buried in the Stratford church of St. Trinity. On the tombstone there is an inscription in which he curses anyone who dares to disturb his “peace”.
It is noteworthy that Shakespeare's testament, which scrupulously lists all household items, down to spoons and forks, does not contain information to whom he will grant his literary heritage. Apart from this document, not a single manuscript belonging to the author has survived.
Modern graphologists, having studied the signature under " last will”, concluded that he was not used to holding a pen in his hand. Other researchers argue that trembling handwriting indicates Shakespeare's illness.
All these facts gave rise to a number of hypotheses that under the name of Shakespeare there is something completely different. historical person. Some researchers categorically argue that Shakespeare did not write his plays at all. More than 50 candidates were considered to be the authors of Shakespeare's works.
The pseudonym "Shakespeare" was not chosen by chance. The de Veres family coat of arms depicts a knight with a spear in his hand, and the literal translation of Shake-speares is “stunning with a spear”.
Almost all of Shakespeare's plays are a vivid parody of the mores of the court, therefore, hiding behind a pseudonym, the count could continue to create. In addition, Edouard de Vere could not publicly declare himself a playwright: in those days, writing for the people was not to face for aristocrats.
He died in 1604, it is not known where his grave is, the researchers claim that his works continued to be published by the family under a pseudonym until 1616 (that was the year Shakespeare died).
In 1975, the Encyclopædia Britannica confirmed this hypothesis, stating: "Edward de Vere is the most likely contender for the authorship of Shakespeare's plays."
Francis Bacon was also ranked among other "authors" of William's best works. But he, being himself a brilliant writer, left a literary legacy in which a style was traced that was completely different from the manner of Shakespeare's writing.
Compilation of material - Fox
William Shakespeare (1564-1606) is one of the most famous poets, writers and playwrights in the world. 154 of his sonnets, 38 plays, 4 poems and 3 epitaphs have come down to us. His most famous works are considered to be "Macbeth", "Romeo and Juliet", "King Lear" and "Hamlet" (a monologue from which everyone knows - to be or not to be). Of course, his other works are no less famous.
1. The period from 1585 to 1592 is called lost years Shakespeare, since there is no information about this time. There are only a lot of assumptions, but not one of them, even for a milligram, has been confirmed and cannot be considered reliable.
Some believe that he worked as a groom, others that he poached, and others generally believe that he was a school teacher.
2. Shakespeare never wanted his plays to be written down and published, as he was opposed to being read anywhere and anytime. He believed that his plays should only be performed on the stage.
3. The lineage of Shakespeare himself was interrupted rather quickly. He had three children, one of whom (son Hemnet) died at the age of 11. At youngest daughter Judith never had children, despite the fact that she was married. At eldest daughter a daughter, Elizabeth, was born, who lived childless all her life, despite the fact that she was married already 2 times. She died in 1670. So he has no descendants.
4. Statistically, Shakespeare is the most quoted author in the world outside of biblical authors.
5. Before his death, Shakespeare wrote cursing lines to those who would try to remove him from the grave or rebury him. They sounded something like this: "Curse the person who touches these stones, I will curse the one who will move my bones."
6. William Shakespeare introduced over 3,000 new words into the English language. All his contemporaries failed to do this, even if you add up their achievements.
7. Not a single original manuscript of the great author has survived to this day. All that has been preserved, written by his hand, is his personal signature on official documents.
8. In 1593-1594 all theaters were closed due to the plague. At this time, Shakespeare even wrote two erotic poems - "Veneoa and Adonis" and "Dishonored Lucretia."
9. Judging by all the works of Shakespeare, his lexicon was about 25,000 words, when the average Englishman's vocabulary was about 4,000 words.
10. There is an opinion that many of Shakespeare's works were not actually written by him, but another author was hiding under the pseudonym Shakespeare, or perhaps a whole group of authors.
People explain their disbelief by the fact that the entire Shakespeare family was illiterate and no document on Shakespeare's literacy was found either. In addition, as mentioned above, not a single manuscript of his has been found, which may indicate that he did not even know how to write.
These are the arguments put forward by the opponents of Shakespeare.
11. Also, some lovers of "yellowness" like to argue that Shakespeare was a representative of non-traditional sexual orientation. Their proof is based on the fact that most of his sonnets are dedicated to some friend.
12. Until now, there is no exact opinion about the appearance of William Shakespeare, but it is argued that the closest is the Droeshout portrait, which most accurately describes Shakespeare's appearance and is similar to the bust on Shakespeare's grave.
William Shakespeare- the great English playwright and poet, author of 36 plays, 154 sonnets, as well as two epic poems. His works: "Hamlet," "Henry V," "King Lear," "Julius Caesar," "Macbeth," "Romeo and Juliet" and others. His personality is mysterious and there are many interesting facts about the biography of William Shakespeare.
For several centuries there have been disputes about whether he was the true author of the works that were published under his name. Some say that Shakespeare never existed.
Interestingly, the first editions of Shakespeare's plays that followed the poems were anonymous.
In 1597, Shakespeare's name appeared for the first time on an edition of the play.
The question of the authorship of Shakespeare's works was raised over a century ago. Literary critics were interested Interesting Facts about Shakespeare's biography: after all, he was a simple Stratford citizen and at the same time he created all these timeless characters. There is very little reliable information about Shakespeare. Many believe that it is extremely implausible that this man, the son of an illiterate merchant, managed to create " Merchant of Venice”, “Henry V”, “King Lear” and other masterpieces. Reportedly, Shakespeare's entire education is rural school. There is no evidence that Shakespeare ever traveled out of the country or studied foreign languages. Yes, his vocabulary would not be enough to create the most famous plays in the world.
There are only a few official documents signed by Shakespeare, with at least 6 different options spelling of Shakespeare's name in English. It is also interesting that, apart from the plays written by him, there are no manuscripts, for example: letters, diary entries- nothing that would be signed with the name of Shakespeare. These facts are confusing. The death of Shakespeare in 1616 was hardly noticed, and this was a rarity among famous writers while. Shakespeare's wife and children (interestingly illiterate) did not inherit any money, because there was no mention of manuscripts or anything like that. Adherents of this theory are Sigmund Freud, Orson Welles, Mark Twain, Charlie Chaplin, Walt Whitman, Sir Derek Jacobi, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Sir John Gielgud. Some of them believe that there are several authors behind Shakespeare's works, others suggest that one of them could be the author. prominent writers and thinkers - Edward de Vere (Earl of Oxford), Christopher Marlow or Francis Bacon.
The most suitable candidate for 
Shakespeare's role is considered Earl of Oxford. This is confirmed by numerous circumstances of his life, which coincide with the works of Shakespeare. It is known that Oxford traveled around Europe for more than a year - where he visited cities with which Shakespeare, the author, was familiar firsthand - these are Milan, Verona, Florence, Mantua and Siena. An interesting fact is the amazing similarity between the life of Oxford and the plot of Hamlet.
Others believe that William Shakespeare of Stratford actually wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets. They are sure that all the works belong to this playwright. Their theory is based on four main arguments:
1. Works published during Shakespeare's lifetime are signed with his name;
2. Ben Jonson in the preface to the "First Folio" called Shakespeare "the Avon swan" (the folio was published only 7 years after Shakespeare's death),
3. Shakespeare's contemporary actors Hemindejs and Condell say that it was Shakespeare who wrote the folio,
4. The epitaph on Shakespeare's grave in Stratford hints that the deceased was still a writer.
Much less is known about Shakespeare than about others. famous actors and playwrights of the time. And the mystery of the authorship of his works seems to remain unsolved.
Several Yet Interesting facts about William Shakespeare:
1. Macbeth is one of the most popular plays in history, it is performed every four hours in the world! (in different places Certainly)
3. Shakespeare was buried at Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon. On the grave is, presumably, his epitaph:
"Damn the man who touches these stones,
And damned will be the one that moves my bones.
4. A crater on Mercury is named after Shakespeare.
5. Shakespeare and Cervantes died in 1616.
Date of birth: 1564
Shakespeare William (William)- one of the greatest playwrights in the world and probably William Shakespeare- the most famous English poet and writer.
William was born in a small village in England. The exact date of birth is unknown, and the figures found in the biography of the poet are not absolutely reliable.
The family of the future poet was ordinary - his father was engaged in crafts, and his mother ran the household. The boy, like all boys, went to primary school learning to read and write. Somewhat later, William began to attend a literary circle, where, perhaps, he became interested in writing.
At the age of 18, the young man was married to Anne Hathaway. The bride was 8 years older than the groom and pregnant at the time of the wedding. According to eyewitnesses, William's wife was bad-looking and had a bad temper.
This did not prevent the family from having three children and being married for seven years. It is not clear how the father of the family earned all these years and how he supported the children.
Soon William decided to finish family life and moved to the capital of England in search of a better life. First he got a job as a groom in theater group R. Burbage.
Soon, for unknown reasons, William is already a partner of the owner of the troupe, and then the owner of the newly formed Globe Theater. Soon the fame of the theater boomed throughout the country, and it became one of the most famous projects of its time. William staged some of his first plays there, they were a great success.
Soon the next, more fruitful and successful period of creativity began. Over a period of six years from 1594, the author created his most the best works, which have become world classics - "Romeo and Juliet", "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and several more complex and large historical chronicles.
Since 1600, the author has also created several immortal works. Then "Hamlet" and more than ten comedies and tragedies were written. A decade later, William also continues to write, but his works become darker, which, perhaps, reflects the corresponding period in his life.
In 1612 he returns to his town, from which he left for London.
There he finds his wife and begins to live with her again, as if all these for long years his absence. True, he returns already a wealthy man with a title of nobility.
At the age of 52 great playwright died and was buried in Stratford.
Achievements of William Shakespeare:
He created a number of works that have become world classics and still appear on the stages of theaters around the world with the same success.
Created new canons for staging plays on stage
Dates from the biography of William Shakespeare:
1564 was born
1578 married E. Hathaway
1590 moved to London
1595 becomes R. Burbage's companion
1598 created "Henry IV"
1599 co-owner of the Globe Theater
1600 the beginning of the third period of creativity
1606 "King Lear"
1612 returned to the city of his childhood
1616 died
Interesting William Shakespeare Facts:
Manuscripts allegedly belonging to Shakespeare periodically pop up
In his works he used a vocabulary of 12,000 words
During his lifetime, he did not receive any awards for his work.
