"Cliff Notes - Twelfth Night" - читать интересную книгу автора (Cliff Notes)

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: THE AUTHOR AND HIS TIMES

It is lucky for us that William Shakespeare lived in a time
of ferment like the Renaissance. In another time, this grandson
of tenant farmers who never went to a university might not have
had the opportunity to become a playwright. During the
Renaissance, England was a place of change and opportunity. The
discovery of the New World brought excitement and wealth. The
old feudal order was passing away. Though the structure of
society was still strictly divided into classes, some movement
between the ranks became possible.

Shakespeare grew up in the small town of Stratford. His
father, John Shakespeare, was a merchant and glovemaker. By the
time of William's birth in 1564, John was doing well. He had
married Mary Arden, the daughter of a well-to-do landowner, and
had held several important offices in the local government. No
records exist to prove the exact date of William's birth, but we
know he was baptized on April 26, 1564. Because most infants
were baptized when they were three days old, April 23 is
traditionally considered Shakespeare's birthday.

After 1577, John apparently came upon financial hard times.
His name disappeared from the list of town councillors and was
entered on the record of those not seen attending church. Most
likely, he was in debt.

Shakespeare probably attended the free grammar school in
Stratford, where he could have received a good education, and a
thorough grounding in the Latin classics. No further official
documentation of his activities exists until his marriage
contract with Anne Hathaway, signed on November 28, 1582. Anne
was older than William by eight years. Their first child,
Susanna, was born in May, 1583. In 1585, Anne gave birth to
twins--Judith and Hamnet.

We don't know how Shakespeare made his living in Stratford.
He may have been a schoolteacher or a private tutor. Tradition
has it that he had to leave Stratford because he was caught
poaching. More likely he went to London in search of
opportunity.

Whatever reason Shakespeare may have had for leaving his home
town, opportunity was clearly what he found in London. The next
surviving public document to mention his name is a pamphlet
written by playwright Robert Greene in 1592. By that time,
Shakespeare had arrived in London and become an actor. What's
more, he had begun writing plays. Greene condescendingly refers
to Shakespeare as an upstart actor who has the nerve to think he