WILLAM SHAKESPEARE

                       William Shakespeare   Shakespeare's grave   Shakespeare's given coat of arms

          William Skakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. His orignial birth date was unknown, but he was baptized on April 26, 1564. He was an English poet and playwrite and is frequently regaurded as the greatest writer ever to live. His brilliance and pieces are still well known today but only 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and two long narrative poems still exist today. His plays are performed more today than any other play in the world and many of his works have been translated in every major living language.

          At 18 years old he married Anne Hathaway and had three children: a daughter Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judith. Soon later in 1585 he became a successful actor, writer, and owner in a play company called Lord Chamberlain's Men in London. He was said to have went back to his home town around 1613. He then tragically died there 3 years later.

          In the later years many people came into controversey about Shakespeare. His work became very popular but there was no records of his personal life or private life. No one could prove if he even wrote his own plays and poems or if they were written by others. Nothing was known about his looks, religion, or sexuality. This arose problems as many people in later years came to the conclusion that religion and sexuality may decide if the pieces of Shakespeare were appropriate for certain age groups and people in general.

          Shakespeare wrote most of his work between the years 1590 and 1613. His work was mostly composed of comidies, romances, tradgedies, and histories. He was very famously known for his tradgedies such as "Hamlet" and "Macbeth", and his romances such as "Romeo and Juliet". For these he was very respected in his time, but was also tremendously recognized in the 19th and 20th century and still is today.

ELIZABETHAN ACTORS

          Elizabethan Actor                                                                        Theatre where actors frequently held plays

Elizabethan actors were commonly men who could play multiple personalities and roles. Although many people think that actors were all well respected it was not true. Elizabethan actors were though of as rogues and vagabonds. Since plays were sometimes looked at as a threat to society, they began to be regulated. Actors were also subject to suspicion and were constantly disrespected. But some loved them and their work. Queen Elizabeth was the number one person who loved the theater and everything about it.

          Actors were kept at big baronial estates of Lord's. But not all were accepted to one place and many of the actors would wander around and live whereever they were welcome.