Full name of Shakespeare. Works by William Shakespeare

Great playwright Renaissance England, National Poet, Awarded world recognition, William Shakespeare was born in the town of Stratford, which is located north of London. Only information about his baptism on April 26, 1564 has been preserved in history.

The boy's parents were John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. They were among the wealthy citizens of the city. The boy's father, in addition to agriculture, was engaged in the manufacture of gloves, as well as petty usury. He was elected several times to the city's board of directors, he was a constable and even a mayor.

According to some reports, John belonged to Catholic religion, for which at the end of his life he was persecuted, forcing him to sell all his lands. During his life he paid large sums Protestant church for not attending a service. William's mother was a native Saxon, she belonged to an ancient respected family. Mary gave birth to 8 children, the third of which was William.

In Stratford, little William Shakespeare received a good education for those times. As a child, he entered a grammar school, where they studied Latin and ancient Greek. For a deeper and more complete assimilation of ancient languages, students were supposed to participate in school productions of plays in Latin.

According to some reports, in addition to this educational institution, William Shakespeare also attended the royal school in his youth, which was also located in his native town. There he had the opportunity to get acquainted with ancient Roman poetic works.

Personal life

At the age of 18, young William began an affair with the 26-year-old daughter of a neighbor, Anne Hathaway, whom they soon married. The reason for the hasty marriage was the girl's pregnancy. In those days, premarital affairs in England were considered the norm, marriage often took place after the conception of the first child. The only condition for such relationships was a mandatory wedding before the birth of a child. When the couple's daughter Susan was born in 1583, William was happy. All his life he was especially attached to her, even after the birth of twins, a son, Hemnet, and a second daughter, Judith, two years later.

William Shakespeare with his wife and children

There were no more children in the poet's family, most likely due to the second difficult birth of his wife Ann. In 1596, the Shakespeare couple will experience a personal tragedy: during an epidemic of dysentery, their only heir will die. After William moved to London, his family remained in his hometown. Infrequently, but regularly, William visited his relatives.

Historians build many mysteries about his personal life in London. It is possible that the playwright lived alone. Some researchers of the poet's biography attribute to him love affairs, including males. But this information remains unproven.

Unknown seven years

William Shakespeare is one of the few authors about whom information was collected literally bit by bit. Very little direct evidence of his life remains. Basically, all information about William Shakespeare was extracted from secondary sources, such as statements of contemporaries or administrative records. Therefore, about seven years after the birth of his twins and before the first mention of his work in London, researchers are building riddles.

William Shakespeare. The only surviving lifetime portrait

Shakespeare is credited with serving a noble landowner as a teacher, and working in London theaters as a prompter, stagehand and even a horse breeder. But there is no truly reliable information about this period of the poet's life.

London period

In 1592, a statement by the English poet Robert Greene appeared in the press about the work of the young William. This is the first mention of Shakespeare as an author. The aristocrat in his pamphlet tried to ridicule the young playwright, as he saw in him a strong competitor, but who did not differ in noble birth and good education. At the same time, mention is made of the first productions of Shakespeare's play Henry VI at London's Rose Theatre.

Illustration for the play "Henry VI"

This work was written in the spirit of the popular English chronicle genre. This type of performance was common during the Renaissance in England, it was epic in nature, the scenes and paintings were often not connected to each other. The chronicles were called upon to sing of the statehood of England as opposed to feudal fragmentation and internecine wars.

It is known that since 1594 William has been a member of the Lord Chamberlain's Servants, a large acting community and soon becomes its co-founder. Performances brought big success, and the troupe for a short time so rich that she allowed herself to build over the next five years famous building the Globe Theatre. And by 1608, the theatergoers also acquired closed room, which was called "Blackfriars".

The legendary building of the Globe Theater in 1599

In many ways, success was facilitated by the goodwill of the rulers of England: Elizabeth I and her heir James I, who theater group acquired permission to change status. Since 1603, the troupe has received the name "Servants of the King". Shakespeare not only wrote plays, he also took an active part in the staging of his works. In particular, information has been preserved that William played the main roles in all his plays.

State

According to some testimonies, in particular, about the real estate purchases made by William Shakespeare, he earned enough and was successful in financial affairs. The playwright is credited with practicing usury.

William Shakespeare Mansion

Thanks to his savings, in 1597 William was able to afford to buy a spacious mansion in Stratford. In addition, after his death, Shakespeare was immediately buried in the altar of the Church of the Holy Trinity of his native city. Such an honor was given to him not for special merits, but for the fact that during his lifetime he paid the due amount for the place of his burial.

Periods of creativity

The great playwright created an immortal treasury that nourishes world culture for more than five centuries in a row. The plots of his plays have become an inspiration not only for artists drama theaters, but also for many composers, as well as for filmmakers. For all my creative life Shakespeare repeatedly changed the nature of writing his works.

His first plays in their structure often copied genres and plots popular at that time, such as chronicles, comedies of the Renaissance (“The Taming of the Shrew”), “tragedies of horror” (“Titus Andronicus”). These were cumbersome works with a large number of characters and an unnatural style for perception. On the classical forms for that time, the young Shakespeare comprehended the basics of writing a drama.

Illustration for the play "Romeo and Juliet"

Second half of the 90s XVI century was marked by the appearance of dramaturgically perfected in form and content compositions for the theater. The poet is looking for a new form, without departing from the given framework of the Renaissance comedy and tragedy. It fills the old obsolete forms with new content. This is how the brilliant tragedy "Romeo and Juliet", the comedy "Dream in midsummer night", "The Merchant of Venice". The freshness of the verse in the new works of Shakespeare is combined with an unusual and memorable plot, which makes these plays popular with the public of all segments of the population.

At the same time, Shakespeare creates a cycle of sonnets, the famous genre of love poetry at that time. For almost two centuries, these poetic masterpieces of the master were forgotten, but with the advent of romanticism, they regained their fame. In the 19th century, there was a fashion for quoting immortal lines written at the end of the Renaissance by an English genius.

William Shakespeare at work

Thematically, the poems are love letters to an unknown young man, and only the last 26 sonnets out of 154 are an appeal to a black-haired lady. Many researchers see autobiographical features in this cycle, suggesting an unconventional orientation of the playwright. But some historians are inclined to think that these sonnets use William Shakespeare's appeal to his patron and friend the Earl of Southampton in the then adopted secular society form.

At the turn of the century, works appeared in the work of William Shakespeare that made his name immortal in the history of world literature and theater. A practically successful, creatively and financially successful playwright creates a number of tragedies that brought him fame not only in England. These are the plays Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Othello. These works raised the popularity of the Globe Theater to the heights of one of the most visited places of entertainment in London. At the same time, the fortune of its owners, including Shakespeare, short period increased repeatedly.

Illustration for the play "Othello"

At the end of his career, Shakespeare composes a series immortal works, which surprised contemporaries with their new form. They combine tragedy with comedy, and fairy tales are woven into the canvas of describing situations from Everyday life. First of all, these are fantasy plays "The Tempest", " winter fairy tale”, as well as dramas on ancient subjects - Coriolanus, Antony and Cleopatra. In these works, Shakespeare acted as a great connoisseur of the laws of drama, who easily and gracefully puts together the features of tragedy and fairy tale, a complex high style and understandable speech turns.

Individually, many of Shakespeare's dramatic works were published during his lifetime. But the complete collection of works, which included almost all the canonical plays of the playwright, appeared only in 1623. The collection was printed on the initiative of Shakespeare's friends William John Heming and Henry Condela, who worked in the troupe of the Globe. Book of 36 plays English author, saw the light under the name "First Folio".

During the 17th century, three more folios were published, which came out with some changes and with the addition of previously unpublished plays.

Death

Since the last years of his life, William Shakespeare suffered from a serious illness, as evidenced by his altered handwriting, he created some of the last plays in collaboration with another playwright of the troupe, whose name was John Fletcher.

After 1613, Shakespeare finally leaves London, but does not give up doing some business. He still has time to participate in the trial of his friend as a defense witness, and also acquires another mansion in the former Blackfriar parish. For some time, William Shakespeare lives on the estate of his son-in-law John Hall.

Three years before his death, William Shakespeare writes his will, in which he leaves almost all his property to his eldest daughter. The English writer died at the end of April 1616 in his own house. His wife Ann outlived her husband by 7 years.

Monument to William Shakespeare in Leicester Square, London

In family eldest daughter Susan by this time had already been born the granddaughter of the genius Elizabeth, but she died childless. In family youngest daughter Shakespeare's Judith, who married just two months after her father's death to Thomas Quiney, had three boys, but they all died in their youth. Therefore, Shakespeare did not have direct descendants.

• No one knows the exact date of the birth of William Shakespeare. In the arsenal of historians there is only a church record of the baby's baptism, which took place on April 26, 1564. Researchers suggest that the ceremony was performed on the third day after birth. Accordingly, in an incredible way, the date of birth and death of the playwright fell on the same date - April 23.
• The great English poet had phenomenal memory, his knowledge could be compared with encyclopedic. In addition to knowing two ancient languages, he also knew the modern dialects of France, Italy and Spain, although he himself never left the borders of the English state. Shakespeare understood both the subtle historical issues and the current political environment. His knowledge affected music and painting, he thoroughly studied a whole layer of botany.

• Many historians are inclined to think about the poet's unconventional orientation, referring to the fact that the playwright lived separately from his family, as well as his long friendship with the Earl of Southampton, who had a habit of dressing in women's clothes and putting a lot of paint on his face. But there is no direct evidence for this.
• The Protestant faith of Shakespeare and his family remains in doubt. There is circumstantial evidence that his father belonged to the Catholic denomination. But during the reign of Elizabeth I, it was forbidden to be an open Catholic, so many adherents of this branch simply paid off the reformers and attended Catholic worship in secret.

• The only autograph of the writer that has survived to this day is his will. In it, he lists all his property to the smallest detail, but never mentions his literary works.
• Throughout his life, presumably, Shakespeare changed about 10 professions. He was a theater stable keeper, actor, theater co-founder and stage director. In parallel with acting, William conducted usurious business, and at the end of his life he was engaged in brewing and renting out housing.
• Modern historians support the version of unknown writer who made Shakespeare his figurehead. Even the Encyclopædia Britannica does not refuse the version that Count Edward de Vere could create plays under the pseudonym Shakespeare. According to a number of guesses, it could be Lord Francis Bacon, Queen Elizabeth I, and even a whole group of people of aristocratic origin.

• Shakespeare's poetic style had a great influence on the development in English, forming the basis of modern grammar, as well as enriching the literary speech of the English with new phrases, which were used as quotations from the works of the classic. Shakespeare left over 1,700 new words as a legacy to his compatriots.

Famous Shakespeare quotes

Famous phrases of the classic often contain philosophical thoughts which are expressed very precisely and concisely. A large number of subtle observations devoted to the love sphere. Here are some of them:

“You are trying so hard to judge the sins of others - start with your own and you won’t get to strangers”;

"Oaths given in a storm are forgotten in calm weather";

“With one look you can kill love, with one look you can resurrect it”;

“What does the name mean? A rose smells like a rose, even if you call it a rose, even if you don’t”;

"Love flees from those who chase after it, and those who run away, throw themselves on the neck."

Shakespeare's life is little known, he shares the fate of the vast majority of other English playwrights of the era, whose personal life was little interested in contemporaries. There are different views on the personality and biography of Shakespeare. The main scientific trend supported by most researchers is the biographical tradition that has developed over several centuries, according to which William Shakespeare was born in the city of Stratford-upon-Avon in a wealthy but not noble family and was a member of the acting troupe of Richard Burbage. This direction of Shakespeare's study is called "Stratfordianism".

There is also an opposite point of view, the so-called "anti-Stratfordianism" or "non-Stratfordianism", whose supporters deny the authorship of Shakespeare (Shakspere) from Stratford and believe that "William Shakespeare" is a pseudonym under which another person or group of persons was hiding. Doubts about the correctness of the traditional point of view have been known since the 18th century. However, among non-Stratfordians there is no unity as to who exactly was the real author Shakespearean works. The number of probable candidates proposed by various researchers currently amounts to several dozen.

Traditional views ("Stratfordianism")

William Shakespeare was born in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon (Warwickshire) in 1564, according to legend, on April 23. His father, John Shakespeare, was a wealthy artisan (glove maker) and usurer, often elected to various public positions, once elected mayor of the city. He did not attend church services, for which he paid large fines (it is possible that he was a secret Catholic). His mother, née Arden, belonged to one of the oldest English surnames. It is believed that Shakespeare studied at the Stratford “grammar school” (English “grammar school”), where he received a serious education: the Stratford teacher of Latin and literature wrote poetry in Latin. Some scholars claim that Shakespeare attended the King Edward VI School in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he studied the work of such poets as Ovid and Plautus, however school magazines not survived, and now nothing can be said for sure.

The reconstructed Globe Theatre, where Shakespeare's troupe worked

Criticism of traditional views ("Non-Stratfordianism")

Now known autographs of Shakespeare from Stratford

The "non-Stratfordian" line of research casts doubt on the possibility of Shakespeare writing a "Shakespearean canon" from Stratford.

For clarity of terminology, non-Stratfordians strictly distinguish between "Shakespeare", the author of Shakespeare's works, and "Shakspere", a resident of Stratford, trying to prove, in contrast to the Stratfordians, that these personalities are not identical.

Proponents of this theory believe that the facts known about Shakspere are in conflict with the content and style of Shakespeare's plays and poems. Numerous theories have been put forward by non-Stratfordians as to their true authorship. In particular, as candidates for the authorship of Shakespeare's plays, non-Stratfordians name Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlo, Roger Manners (Earl of Rutland), Queen Elizabeth and others (respectively, "Baconian", "Rutlandian", etc. hypotheses).

Non-Stratfordian Arguments

Non-Stratfordians are based, among other things, on the following circumstances:

Representatives of non-Stratfordianism

In 2003, Shakespeare was published. secret history»authors who acted under the pseudonym «O. Cosminius" and "O. Melechtius". The authors conduct a detailed investigation, speaking of the Great Mystification, which (allegedly) resulted not only in the personality of Shakespeare, but also in many others. famous figures era.

In Igor Frolov's book "Shakespeare's Equation, or "Hamlet", which we have not read", based on the text of the first editions of "Hamlet" (,, gg.), A hypothesis is put forward about what historical faces are hidden behind the masks of Shakespeare's heroes.

Dramaturgy

English drama and theater in the time of William Shakespeare

English playwrights, predecessors and contemporaries of William Shakespeare

Main article: Theatrical technique in the era of William Shakespeare

The question of periodization

Researchers of Shakespeare's work (Danish literary critic G. Brandes, publisher of Russian complete collection Shakespeare's works by S. A. Vengerov) in late XIX- at the beginning of the 20th century, based on the chronology of the works, they presented his spiritual evolution from a “cheerful mood”, faith in the triumph of justice, humanistic ideals at the beginning of the path to disappointment and the destruction of all illusions at the end. However, in recent years there has been an opinion that the conclusion about the personality of the author based on his works is a mistake.

In 1930, the Shakespeare scholar E.K. Chambers proposed a chronology of Shakespeare's work by genre, later it was corrected by J. McManway. There were four periods: the first (1590-1594) - early: chronicles, Renaissance comedies, "tragedy of horror" ("Titus Andronicus"), two poems; the second (1594-1600) - Renaissance comedies, the first mature tragedy ("Romeo and Juliet"), chronicles with elements of tragedy, chronicles with elements of comedy, ancient tragedy ("Julius Caesar"), sonnets; the third (1601-1608) - great tragedies, ancient tragedies, "dark comedies"; fourth (1609-1613) - fairy tale dramas with a tragic beginning and happy ending. Some of the Shakespeare scholars, including A. A. Smirnov, combined the first and second periods into one early one.

First period (1590-1594)

The first period is approximately 1590-1594 years.

By literary devices it can be called a period of imitation: Shakespeare is still completely at the mercy of his predecessors. By mood this period was defined by supporters of the biographical approach to the study of Shakespeare's work as a period of idealistic faith in the best sides life: “The young Shakespeare enthusiastically punishes vice in his historical tragedies and enthusiastically sings of high and poetic feelings - friendship, self-sacrifice, and especially love” (Vengerov).

Probably Shakespeare's first plays were the three parts of Henry VI. Source for this and subsequent historical chronicles Holinshed's "Chronicles" served. The theme that unites all Shakespearean chronicles is the change in a series of weak and incapable rulers who led the country to civil strife and civil war and the restoration of order with the accession of the Tudor dynasty. Like Marlowe in Edward II, Shakespeare not only describes historical events, but explores the motives behind the actions of the characters.

S. A. Vengerov saw the transition to the second period “in absence toy poetry of youth, which is so characteristic of the first period. The heroes are still young, but they have already lived a decent life and the main thing for them in life is pleasure. The portion is piquant, lively, but already the gentle charms of the girls of the Two Veronians, and even more so Juliet, are not in it at all.

At the same time, Shakespeare creates an immortal and interesting type, who still had no analogues in world literature - Sir John Falstaff. The success of both parts Henry IV» not in last turn and the merit of this brightest actor chronicle, which immediately became popular. The character is undoubtedly negative, but with a complex character. A materialist, an egoist, a man without ideals: honor is nothing for him, an observant and insightful skeptic. He denies honors, power and wealth: he needs money only as a means of obtaining food, wine and women. But the essence of the comic, the grain of the image of Falstaff is not only his wit, but also a cheerful laugh at himself and the world around him. His power is in knowledge human nature, everything that binds a person is disgusting to him, he is the personification of freedom of the spirit and unscrupulousness. A man of the passing era, he is not needed where the state is powerful. Realizing that such a character is out of place in a drama about an ideal ruler, in " Henry V Shakespeare removes it: the audience is simply informed of Falstaff's death. According to tradition, it is believed that at the request of Queen Elizabeth, who wanted to see Falstaff on stage again, Shakespeare resurrected him in " The Merry Wives of Windsor» . But this is only a pale copy of the former Falstaff. He lost his knowledge of the world around him, there is no more healthy irony, laughter at himself. Only a self-satisfied rogue remained.

Much more successful is the attempt to return to the Falstaff type in the final play of the second period - "Twelfth Night". Here, in the person of Sir Toby and his entourage, we have, as it were, a second edition of Sir John, although without his sparkling wit, but with the same infectious good-natured chivalry. It also perfectly fits into the framework of the “Falstaffian” period, for the most part, a rude mockery of women in "The Taming of the Shrew".

Third period (1600-1609)

The third period of his artistic activity, approximately covering 1600-1609 years, supporters of the subjectivist biographical approach to Shakespeare’s work call the period of “deep spiritual darkness”, considering the appearance of the melancholic character Jacques in comedy as a sign of a changed worldview "As You Like It" and calling him almost the predecessor of Hamlet. However, some researchers believe that Shakespeare, in the image of Jacques, only ridiculed melancholy, and the period of alleged life disappointments (according to the supporters of the biographical method) is not actually confirmed by the facts of Shakespeare's biography. The time of creation by the playwright greatest tragedies coincides with the flowering of his creative powers, the solution of material difficulties and the achievement high position in society.

Around 1600 Shakespeare creates "Hamlet", according to many critics, is his deepest work. Shakespeare kept the plot of the well-known tragedy of revenge, but shifted all his attention to spiritual discord, the inner drama of the protagonist. A new type of hero has been introduced into the traditional revenge drama. Shakespeare was ahead of his time - Hamlet is not the usual tragic hero, carrying out revenge for the sake of Divine justice. Coming to the conclusion that it is impossible to restore harmony with one blow, he experiences the tragedy of alienation from the world and dooms himself to loneliness. According to the definition of L. E. Pinsky, Hamlet is the first "reflective" hero of world literature.

Cordelia. Painting by William F. Yemens (1888)

The heroes of Shakespeare's "great tragedies" are outstanding people in whom good and evil are mixed. Faced with the disharmony of the world around them, they make a difficult choice - how to exist in it, they create their own destiny and bear full responsibility for it.

At the same time, Shakespeare creates drama. Despite the fact that in the First Folio of 1623 it is classified as a comedy, there is almost no comic in this serious work about an unjust judge. Its name refers to the teaching of Christ about mercy, in the course of action one of the heroes is in mortal danger, and the ending can be considered conditionally happy. This problematic work does not fit into a specific genre, but exists on the verge of genres: going back to morality, it is directed towards tragicomedy.

• Sonnets dedicated to a friend: 1 -126
  • Chanting a friend: 1 -26
  • Friendship Trials: 27 -99
    • The bitterness of separation: 27 -32
    • First disappointment in a friend: 33 -42
    • Longing and fears: 43 -55
    • Growing alienation and melancholy: 56 -75
    • Rivalry and jealousy towards other poets: 76 -96
    • "Winter" of separation: 97 -99
  • A celebration of renewed friendship: 100 -126
• Sonnets dedicated to a swarthy lover: 127 -152
• Conclusion - the joy and beauty of love: 153 -154

Dating problems

First publications

It is estimated that half (18) of Shakespeare's plays were published in one way or another during the playwright's lifetime. The folio of 1623 (the so-called "First Folio"), published by Shakespeare's troupe actors John Heming and Henry Condel, is considered to be the most important publication of Shakespeare's legacy. This edition includes 36 Shakespeare's plays - all except "Pericles" and "Two Noble Kinsmen". It is this edition that underlies all research in the field of Shakespeare.

Authorship issues

Plays commonly considered Shakespearean

• The Comedy of Errors (g. - first edition, - probable year of first production)
• Titus Andronicus (g. - first edition, authorship is debatable)
• Romeo and Juliet
• A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Merchant of Venice ( r. - first edition, - probable year of writing)
• King Richard III (r. - first edition)
• Measure for Measure (g. - first edition, December 26 - first production)
• King John (r. - first edition of the original text)
• Henry VI (r. - first edition)
• Henry IV (r. - first edition)
• Love's Labour's Lost (g. - first edition)
• As You Like It (writing - - gg., d. - first edition)
• Twelfth Night (writing - not later, d. - first edition)
• Julius Caesar (writing -, g. - first edition)
• Henry V (r. - first edition)
• Much Ado About Nothing (r. - first edition)
• The Merry Wives of Windsor (g. - first edition)
• Hamlet, Prince of Denmark ( r. - first edition, r. - second edition)
• All's well that ends well (writing - - gg., g. - first edition)
• Othello (creation - no later than the year, first edition - year)
• King Lear (December 26
• Macbeth (creation - c., first edition - c.)
• Anthony and Cleopatra (creation - d., first edition - d.)
• Coriolanus ( r. - year of writing)
• Pericles (g. - first edition)
• Troilus and Cressida ( d. - first publication)
• Tempest (November 1 - first production, city - first edition)
• Cymbeline (writing - g., g. - first edition)
• Winter's Tale (g. - the only surviving edition)
• The Taming of the Shrew ( d. - first publication)
• Two Veronians ( d. - first publication)
• Henry VIII ( r. - first publication)
• Timon of Athens ( d. - first publication)

Apocrypha and lost works

Main article: Apocrypha and Lost Works of William Shakespeare

Love's Efforts Rewarded (1598)

Literary criticism of the works of the Shakespeare Corpus

Russian writer Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy in his critical essay"On Shakespeare and Drama", based on a detailed analysis of some of the most popular works Shakespeare, in particular: "King Lear", "Othello", "Falstaff", "Hamlet" and others - sharply criticized Shakespeare's abilities as a playwright.

Musical Theatre

• - "Otello" (opera), composer G. Rossini
• - "Capulets and Montagues" (opera), composer V. Bellini
• - "The Prohibition of Love, or the Novice from Palermo" (opera), composer R. Wagner
• - "The Merry Wives of Windsor" (opera), composer O. Nikolai
• - "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (opera), composer A. Toma
• - "Beatrice and Benedict" (opera), composer G. Berlioz
• - "Romeo and Juliet" (opera), composer Ch. Gounod
• A. Thomas
• - "Otello" (opera), composer G. Verdi
• - "The Tempest" (ballet), composer A. Toma
• - "Falstaff" (opera), composer G. Verdi
• - "Sir John in Love" (opera), composer R. Vaughan Williams
• - "Romeo and Juliet" (ballet), composer S. Prokofiev
• - The Taming of the Shrew (opera), composer V. Shebalin
• - "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (opera), composer B. Britten
• - "Hamlet" (opera), composer A. D. Machavariani
• - "Hamlet" (opera), composer S. Slonimsky
• - "King Lear" (opera), composer S. Slonimsky

• A crater on Mercury is named after Shakespeare.
• Shakespeare (according to the Stratfordian position) and Cervantes both died in 1616
• Shakespeare's last direct descendant from Stratford was his granddaughter Elizabeth (b. 1608), daughter of Susan Shakespeare and Dr. John Hall. Three sons of Judith Shakespeare (married Queenie) died young without issue.

Notes

Bibliography

• Anikst A. A.. Shakespeare theater. M.: Art, . - 328°C. 2nd ed.: M., Drofa Publishing House, . - 287 p. - ISBN 5-358-01292-3
• Anikst A. Shakespeare: The Dramatist's Craft. M .: Soviet writer, . - 607 p.
• Anikst A. Shakespeare. M.: Mol. guard, . - 367 p. ("Life of Remarkable People")
• Anikst A. Shakespeare's work. - M .: Goslitizdat, . - 615 p.

William Shakespeare was born April 23, 1564 in small town Stratford-upon-Avon (Eng. Stratford-upon-Avon). His father, John Shakespeare, was a glove maker, and in 1568 he was elected mayor of the city. His mother, Mary Shakespeare of the Arden family, belonged to one of the oldest English families. It is believed that Shakespeare studied at the Stratford "grammar school", where he studied Latin language, the basics of Greek and received knowledge of ancient mythology, history and literature, reflected in his work. At the age of 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, from whom a daughter Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judith were born. Between 1579 and 1588 commonly called "lost years", because. there is no exact information about what Shakespeare did. Around 1587, Shakespeare left his family and moved to London, where he took up theatrical activities.

The first mention of Shakespeare as a writer, we find in 1592 in the dying pamphlet of the playwright Robert Greene "For a penny of a mind bought for a million remorse", where Greene spoke of him as dangerous competitor("upstart", "crow flaunting our feathers"). In 1594, Shakespeare was listed as one of the shareholders of Richard Burbage's troupe "Servants of the Lord Chamberlain" (Chamberlain's Men), and in 1599 Shakespeare became one of the co-owners of the new Globe Theater. By this time, Shakespeare had become a fairly wealthy man, buys the second largest house in Stratford, receives the right to a family coat of arms and the title of nobility - a gentleman.For many years, Shakespeare was engaged in usury, and in 1605 he became a church tithe farmer.In 1612, Shakespeare leaves London and returns to his native Stratford. On March 25, 1616, a will was drawn up by a notary and on April 23, 1616, on his birthday, Shakespeare dies.

The entire career of Shakespeare - the period from 1590 to 1612. usually divided into three or four periods.

I (optimistic) period (1590-1600)

The general character of the works of the first period can be defined as optimistic, colored by a joyful perception of life in all its diversity, a belief in the triumph of the smart and the good. During this period Shakespeare for the most part writes comedies:

The theme of almost all of Shakespeare's comedies is love, its emergence and development, the resistance and intrigues of others, and the victory of a bright young feeling. The action of the works takes place against the backdrop of beautiful landscapes flooded with moonlight or sunlight. This is how it appears before us Magic world Shakespeare's comedies are seemingly far from fun. Shakespeare has a great ability, talent to combine the comic (the duels in wit between Benedict and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, Petruchio and Catharina from The Taming of the Shrew) with the lyrical and even tragic (the betrayals of Proteus in The Two Veronians, the machinations of Shylock in " Merchant of Venice"). Shakespeare's characters are amazingly multifaceted, their images embody the features characteristic of Renaissance people: will, desire for independence, and love of life. Especially interesting are the female images of these comedies - equal to men, free, energetic, active and infinitely charming. Shakespeare's comedies Shakespeare uses various genres comedies - a romantic comedy ("A Midsummer Night's Dream"), a comedy of characters ("The Taming of the Shrew"), a sitcom ("Comedy of Errors").

During the same period (1590-1600) Shakespeare wrote a number of historical chronicles. Each of which covers one of the periods English history.

About the time of the struggle of the Scarlet and White Roses:

On the preceding period of struggle between the feudal barons and the absolute monarchy:

The genre of dramatic chronicle is peculiar only to the English Renaissance. Most likely, this happened because the favorite theatrical genre of the early English Middle Ages was mysteries with secular motifs. The dramaturgy of the mature Renaissance was formed under their influence; and in the dramatic chronicles, many mystery features are preserved: a wide coverage of events, many characters, a free alternation of episodes. However, unlike the mysteries, the chronicles do not present bible story and the history of the state. Here, in essence, he also refers to the ideals of harmony - but the harmony of the state, which he sees in the victory of the monarchy over the medieval feudal civil strife. In the finale of the plays, good triumphs; evil, no matter how terrible and bloody was his way, overthrown. Thus, in the first period of Shakespeare's work on different levels- personal and state - the main Renaissance idea is interpreted: the achievement of harmony and humanistic ideals.

During the same period, Shakespeare wrote two tragedies:

II (tragic) period (1601-1607)

It is considered the tragic period of Shakespeare's work. Dedicated mainly to tragedy. It was during this period that the playwright reaches the pinnacle of his work:

There is no longer a trace of a harmonious sense of the world in them; eternal and insoluble conflicts are revealed here. Here the tragedy lies not only in the clash of the individual and society, but also in internal contradictions in the heart of a hero. The problem is brought to a general philosophical level, and the characters remain unusually multifaceted and psychologically voluminous. At the same time, it is very important that in the great tragedies of Shakespeare there is a complete absence of a fatalistic attitude towards fate, which predetermines tragedy. The main emphasis, as before, is placed on the personality of the hero, who shapes his own destiny and the fate of those around him.

During the same period, Shakespeare wrote two comedies:

III (romantic) period (1608-1612)

It is considered the romantic period of Shakespeare's work.

Artworks last period his creations:

These are poetic tales leading away from reality into the world of dreams. The complete conscious rejection of realism and retreat into romantic fantasy is naturally interpreted by Shakespeare scholars as the playwright's disappointment in humanistic ideals, the recognition of the impossibility of achieving harmony. This path - from a triumphantly jubilant faith in harmony to tired disappointment - actually went through the entire worldview of the Renaissance.

Shakespeare's Globe Theater

The incomparable world popularity of Shakespeare's plays was facilitated by the playwright's excellent knowledge of the theater "from the inside". Almost all of Shakespeare's London life was somehow connected with the theater, and from 1599 - with the Globe Theater, which was one of the most important centers of cultural life in England. It was here that the troupe of R. Burbage "Servants of the Lord Chamberlain" moved to the newly built building, just at the time when Shakespeare became one of the shareholders of the troupe. Shakespeare played on the stage until about 1603 - in any case, after this time there is no mention of his participation in performances. Apparently, as an actor, Shakespeare was not particularly popular - there is evidence that he performed minor and episodic roles. Nevertheless, stage school was passed - work on the stage undoubtedly helped Shakespeare to better understand the mechanisms of interaction between the actor and the audience and the secrets of audience success. Audience success was very important for Shakespeare, both as a theater shareholder and as a playwright - and after 1603 he remained closely associated with the Globe, on the stage of which almost all the plays he wrote were staged. The design of the Globe hall predetermined the combination of spectators of various social and property strata at one performance, while the theater could accommodate at least 1,500 spectators. The playwright and actors faced the most difficult task of keeping the attention of a heterogeneous audience. Shakespeare's plays maximum degree responded to this task, enjoying success with viewers of all categories.

The mobile architectonics of Shakespeare's plays was largely determined by the peculiarities of the theatrical technique of the 16th century. - outdoor stage no curtain, minimum props, extreme conventionality stage design. This forced to focus on the actor and his stage skills. Each role in Shakespeare's plays (often written for a specific actor) is psychologically voluminous and provides great opportunities for its stage interpretation; the lexical structure of speech changes not only from play to play and from character to character, but also transforms depending on internal development and stage circumstances (Hamlet, Othello, Richard III, etc.). No wonder many world-famous actors shone in the roles of Shakespeare's repertoire.

The Language and Stage Means of Shakespeare

General language dramatic works Shakespeare is extraordinarily rich: according to the studies of philologists and literary critics, his dictionary contains more than 15,000 words. The speech of the characters is replete with all sorts of tropes - metaphors, allegories, paraphrases, etc. The playwright used many forms in his plays. lyric poetry 16th century - sonnet, canzone, alba, epithalamus, etc. White verse, with which his plays are mainly written, is distinguished by flexibility and naturalness. This is the reason for the great attraction of Shakespeare's work for translators. In particular, many masters turned to translations of Shakespeare's plays in Russia. artistic text- from N. Karamzin to A. Radlova, V. Nabokov, B. Pasternak, M. Donskoy and others.

Life of William Shakespeare (briefly)

William Shakespeare

In 1582, an extremely hasty marriage took place between the 18-year-old William Shakespeare and the poor girl Anne Hathaway, who was 8 years older than him. This was probably the result of a careless passion on the part of an ardent young man, in which he later had to repent all his life. Where and how the young people lived at first is also unknown; but when the affairs of his father began to tend almost to complete disorder, the young Shakespeare, about 1586, leaving his family in Stratford (he already had several children), went to London, where he met countrymen who served in the troupe of the Lord Chamberlain. With this troupe, Shakespeare joined, first as an actor, and then as a supplier of plays. He soon gained a big name in theater circles, found friends and patrons among the aristocratic London society, took a privileged position in the troupe of the Lord Chamberlain, and when the troupe's affairs went brilliantly, he increased his funds so much that in 1597 he could buy a house with a garden in Stratford. In 1602 and 1605 Shakespeare bought several more plots of land in Stratford for considerable sums and, finally (about 1608), left London to rest from the unrest of the capital and theater life. However, he did not completely break off ties with the theater, traveled to London on business, hosted friends and comrades on the stage and sent his new plays to them in London. William Shakespeare died at the age of 52 on April 23, 1616.

The first period of Shakespeare's work (briefly)

Based on the study of the works of William Shakespeare, it can be reliably stated that during his London life he worked hard on his education. He undoubtedly achieved a thorough knowledge of French and Italian and in translations he was well acquainted with the best works of classical and modern European literature, the strong influence of which was already reflected in the youthful works of Shakespeare. The poem "Venus and Adonis" (1593), written on a plot borrowed from Ovid, and the poem "Lucretia", in which the well-known story from the first book of Titus Livy is processed, although they show the independence of the young poet in relation to understanding and development psychological types, however, in style, decorated with rhetoric, they entirely belong to the then fashionable Italian school. It also includes those “sweet sonnets” - as their contemporaries called them (published for the first time in 1609), which are so interesting and mysterious in an autobiographical sense, and in which Shakespeare either extols some friend, or depicts his feelings. to some beautiful coquette, then indulges sad thoughts about the frailty of everything earthly.

IN dramatic works early period development of his talent (1587-1594) Shakespeare also did not come out of his contemporary literary movement. Such plays as Pericles, Henry VI, and especially Titus Andronicus (however, their belonging to Shakespeare is disputed), with all the striking touches that give a foreboding of the great master, suffer greatly from the shortcomings of the pompously bloody tragedies of Kid and Marlowe. And the youthful comedies of William Shakespeare (“Two Veronese”, “Comedy of Errors”, “The Taming of the Shrew”) can, like the then fashionable English scene Plavtovsk and Italian comedies, to deserve a reproach for the intricacy of the intrigue, the appearance of the comic, the naivety of the action, although excellent scenes and situations are abundantly scattered here and the characters are vividly outlined. In the comedy Love's Labour's Lost, which can be viewed as a transitional to a more mature period of creativity, Shakespeare is already ridiculing the fashionable, flamboyant style to which he himself paid tribute.

The second period of Shakespeare's work (briefly)

In the next, relatively short period(1595-1601) the genius of William Shakespeare develops more and more freely. In the tragedy "Romeo and Juliet" (see full text and summary), he combined an enthusiastic hymn of love with the funeral song of a young feeling, portrayed love in all its depth and tragedy, as a mighty and fatal force, and in almost simultaneously written comedy "Dream in midsummer night, this very love, inserted into the frame of a fragrant night, in the darkness of which playful elves frolic and arbitrarily unite human hearts, is interpreted as a radiant dream and is clothed in a graceful haze of fantastic colors. In The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare moves on to an analysis of difficult moral problems and shows himself to be a deep connoisseur human soul in all the complexity of her criss-crossing urges, drawing in Shylock a cruel pawnbroker, and tenderly loving son, and an inexorable avenger for the humiliated people. In the comedy Twelfth Night, he opposes unsympathetic puritan intolerance; in the play "All's well that ends well" strikes at the pedigree prejudices, and after that bursts into carefree laughter in the comedy "Much Ado About Nothing".

Pictures from feature film"Romeo and Juliet" with immortal music by Nino Rota

The historical dramas or dramatic chronicles from English history belonging to this transitional period for Shakespeare ("King John", "Richard II", "Richard III", "Henry IV" in 2 parts, "Henry V") represent important step in the development of William Shakespeare. From fantastic stories with universal human types, he now turned to reality, plunged into history with its stubborn struggle of various interests. But, as if weary of prolonged contemplation of the gloomy and often outrageous pictures of English history, in which he met with the demonic image of Richard III, this personified evil, as if wanting to have fun and freshen up a little, Shakespeare writes a sweet, elegant pastoral "As You Like It" and household comedy"The Merry Wives of Windsor" with satirical arrows at the obsolete and decaying chivalry.

The third period of Shakespeare's work (briefly)

In the third, most mature period of creativity, from the pen of William Shakespeare came works as great in breadth of conception, clarity of art, images and psychological depth, as perfect in terms of composition, conciseness and strength of language, flexibility of verse. The human heart has already revealed to Shakespeare all its secrets, and with some elemental, unsurpassed, divinely inspired power, he creates one immortal creation after another and in the grandiose personalities of his heroes embodies all the diversity of human characters, all the fullness of world life in its eternal and immutable manifestations. The delight of love and the anguish of jealousy, ambition and ingratitude, hatred and deceit, pride and contempt, the torments of an oppressed conscience, the beauty and tenderness of a girl's soul, the unquenchable ardor of a mistress, the strength of a mother's feelings, the fidelity of a wife offended by suspicion - all this passes before us in a long line of Shakespearean images, all this lives, worries, trembles and suffers, all this is revealed to us in amazing pictures, sometimes full of blood and horror, sometimes imbued with the aroma and bliss of love, sometimes imprinted with tenderness and quiet sorrow.

William Shakespeare is one of the greatest playwrights and poets in history. His works are studied in all schools of the world, and his plays have been translated into all major languages ​​and staged on theater stages more often than plays by any other authors.

Shakespeare's works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 4 poems and 3 epitaphs. Shakespeare is called the national poet of England, and his surname is translated from English as "a terrific spear."

However, there were those who were skeptical about the work of the English writer. One of his most authoritative critics was. He publicly criticized Shakespeare's abilities as a playwright.

At the same time, the great Russian playwright called Shakespeare an "objective poet" and greatly admired him. considered Chekhov a successor of Shakespearean traditions.

Death

In the last years of his life, William Shakespeare lived in his native city, where he continued to write plays. What he did is still impossible to say due to the lack of any reliable historical information.

Recently discovered in the family collection is a portrait of an Elizabethan (1610). Some art historians claim that this is the only lifetime portrait of William Shakespeare.

Biographers studying Shakespeare's manuscripts have noted that at the end of his life, his handwriting became more sweeping and uncertain. Based on this, some of them put forward the version that the playwright was seriously ill.

After his death, all his property passed to his daughters. An interesting fact is that at the place where Shakespeare lived his last years, a monument was later erected to him.

If you liked the biography of Shakespeare - share it in in social networks. If you like biographies of great people in general, and in particular, subscribe to the site. It's always interesting with us!

Liked the post? Press any button: