For a man of such legendary stature, little is known
of the life of William Shakespeare aside from
the dates and limited details of historical events
such as his baptism and death, important legal
transactions, and some appearances in London’s
theater community. We know that Shakespeare
came from humble beginnings. He is believed to
have been born on April 23, 1564 in the small town
of Stratford-upon-Avon to a glove maker and tradesman, John Shakespeare, and his wife, Mary Arden, the daughter
of a landowner. In 1582, at the age of 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway with whom he had three children,
Susanna (b. 1583), and twins Hamnet and Judith (b. 1585). We know that some years after the birth of his twins,
Shakespeare traveled one hundred miles south to London and somehow stumbled into the world of theater. In 1592,
he was listed as an actor with the Lord Strange’s Players, for whom he wrote his first play, the highly successful
Henry VI, Part 1. It is recorded that in 1594 he became a shareholder in one of London’s most popular acting
companies, The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, which became a favorite of Queen Elizabeth and her court. 1599 marked
the opening of the outdoor Globe Theatre in which Shakespeare was also a shareholder. When King James took the
throne in 1603, he issued Shakespeare’s acting company a royal license and a new name, The King’s Men. After
receiving royal attention, the playwright became famous throughout London; when his sonnets were published in
1609, his talents as a poet, a far more respected art form in London at that time, attracted further attention. Between
1610 and 1612, Shakespeare retired to Stratford, where he died on his birthday in1616 at the age of 52. He is buried
in Stratford Parish Church. At the time of his death Shakespeare was recognized as one of England’s most gifted
writers, having written
148 sonnets, three long
poems, and 37 plays
that are in continuous
performance around
the world today.
Shakestistics
Historians believe he was born and
died on the same day—April 23.
More than 80 variations have
been recorded for the spelling
of his name.
King Lear is believed to have been
written between 1605-1606 and is
the 29th play written by the bard.
Combined, his 37 plays consist
of 835,997 words.
He is credited for introducing 1,700+
words into the English language.
4/23
80
29th
835,
997
1,700+
He is also credited as being the
second most-quoted writer in the
English language, after the
various writers of the Bible.
#2
Nearly 400 years after his death,
Google lists approximately
135 million pages as referring
to him.
135,
000,
000
He has no direct descendants;
his only granddaughter, Elizabeth
Barnard, died childless in 1670.
0
Shakespearean
Insults
The English language owes a great debt
to Shakespeare. Not only did he invent
over 1,700 words that we still use today,
he also raised the practice of insult to an
art form. The play, King Lear, contains
some particularly colorful insults between
the characters including:
“A knave, a rascal, an eater of
scraps; a base, proud, shallow,
filthy, lily-livered knave; a
whoreson, glass-gazing rogue;
one that art nothing but the
combination of a beggar,
coward, pander, and the son
and heir of a mongrel bitch.”
– Kent to Oswald Act 2, Scene 2
and
“Thou art a boil,
A plague sore, an embossed carbuncle
In my corrupted blood.”
– King Lear to Goneril Act 2, Scene 4
Try out a few Shakespearean insults on your
own. Below are three columns of words used by
Shakespeare to create insults. Begin your sentence
with “Thou” and then pick one word from each
column below stringing them together. For example
“Thou craven boil-brained maggot-pie.”
COLUMN 1
COLUMN 2
COLUMN 3
artless
bawdy
craven
droning
errant
goatish
impertinent
lumpish
mangled
puny
rank
spongy
unmuzzled
villainous
beef-witted
beetle-headed
boil-brained
dizzy-eyed
elf-skinned
flap-mouthed
hell-hated
ill-breeding
milk-livered
onion-eyed
sheep-biting
swag-bellied
tickle-brained
toad-spotted
barnacle
boar-pig
canker-blossom
clotpole
coxcomb
foot-licker
harpy
horn-beast
hugger-mugger
lout
maggot-pie
measle
minnow
pigeon-egg
For more Shakespearean insults, visit
pangloss.com/seidel/shake_rule.html