The Taming of the Shrew

William Shakespeare, byname Bard of Avon or Swan of Avon, (26th April, 1564, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England—23rd April, 1616, Stratford-upon-Avon), was English poet, dramatist, and actor. He is often called the English national poet and considered by many to be the greatest dramatist of all time. He occupies a position unique in world literature. Other poets, such as Homer and Dante, and novelists, such as Leo Tolstoy and Charles Dickens, have transcended national barriers, but no writer’s living reputation can compare to that of Shakespeare, whose plays, written in the late 16th and early 17th centuries for a small repertory theatre, are now performed and read more often and in more countries than ever before.
William Shakespeare was the eldest son of John Shakespeare, a prosperous glover and local dignitary, and Mary Arden, the daughter of a wealthy farmer. There are no records of his education, but he probably went to King’s New School—a reputable Stratford grammar school where he would have learned Latin, Greek, theology and rhetoric—and may have had a Catholic upbringing. He might have seen plays by the travelling theatre groups touring Stratford in the 1560s and 70s. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, and the couple had three children—Susanna Hall, Hamnet Shakespeare, and Judith Quiney.
Shakespeare’s works span tragedy, comedy, and historical works, both in poetry and prose. His extant works, including collaborations, consist of approximately 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. These writings were brought together in what is known as the First Folio. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.
Although Shakespeare is the most-recognised playwright in the world, very little of his life is actually known. No known autobiographical letters or diaries have survived to modern day, and with no surviving descendants, he is a figure both of magnificent genius and mystery. By 1592, he was well-known enough as a writer and actor to be criticized by jealous rival Robert Greene as an “upstart crow” and “Johannes Factotum” (a “Johnny do-it-all”) in his pamphlet Groats-worth of Wit. Although it is difficult to determine the chronology of his works, it is likely that by 1592 he had authored 11 plays, including Romeo and Juliet, Richard III, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
For much of the period from September 1592 to June 1594, the London playhouses were shut because of the plague. During this period, Shakespeare published two epic poems, Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. His success grew through the 1590s. He joined and became a stakeholder of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men who performed before Queen Elizabeth on numerous occasions. He wrote more plays and published several poems; and circulated his sonnet sequence in manuscript. His successes enabled him in 1597 to buy New Place, the second largest house in Stratford. In 1599, his company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men took up residence in the newly built Globe. Julius Caesar was one of the first plays performed there. Performances at the Globe were divided into three seasons with breaks around Christmas when the players performed at court—Lent, when playing was intermittent; and summer when the players toured the provinces escaping the infection and infestation of the city.
After the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1603, her successor, King James I, announced that the Lord Chamberlain’s Men would now be the King’s Men. This patronage was a huge coup for the troupe, but Shakespeare was by no means a puppet playwright and he continued to write plays that posed difficult questions about kingship. The Jacobean works of 1604—08 were darker and include the mature tragedies Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. In 1608, the King’s Men took on a second theatre, a candlelit indoor venue at Blackfriars, whose expensive seats catered to a more elite audience and whose lighting may have influenced the atmosphere of late plays such as The Tempest.
Shakespeare’s legacy is as rich and diverse as his works. His plays have spawned countless adaptations across multiple genres and cultures. His plays have an enduring presence on stage and film. His writings have been compiled in various iterations of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, which include all his plays, sonnets, and other poems.