What is William Shakespeare's employment history?

Answer 1

Dear Mr. Henslowe;

I am applying for a position with your theatrical company. Please find enclosed my resumé.

Yours Sincerely, Wm. Shacksper

Resumé-William Shaxpere

Personal:

Born: April 23, 1564

Marital Status: Married, three children

Address: Henley St., Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire

Education: King's New School, Stratford.

Former Positions Held:

Assistant Glover--John Shakespeare, Stratford

Tutor

Printer's Assistant--Richard Field, London

Objective: To secure employment in the theatrical sector. I am prepared to do anything--hold horses, act on stage, even write scripts. I have written a few sonnets which people have told me are pretty good.

References:

Richard Field, Paul's Churchyard, London

Answer 2

First the infant: He was born in April 1564, some think on the 23rd, to John and Mary Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon, the first son of four and third child of eight. He narrowly escaped dying of the plague.

Then the schoolboy: Although there is no actual record, it is likely that he attended the King's New School (now Edward VI Grammar School) in Stratford. He may not have finished, and he certainly did not go to university.

Then the lover: When he was eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, a girl eight years older than he was. His first child, a daughter called Susanna, was born six months later. A couple of years later, they had twins, Judith and Hamnet.

Then the soldier: After the birth of the twins there is a blank in Shakespeare's history for five to seven years. Nobody has the slightest idea what he was doing or where he was living at this time. One of the many speculations, for which there is no evidence, is that he may have joined the army.

Then the justice: Shakespeare turns up in the early 1590s as a member of the London theatrical scene, and as a writer. He published, to his great profit, two long poems in 1593 and 1594, and had already written a number of plays. In 1594 he became a partner in The Lord Chamberlain's Men, for which he wrote exclusively. He was also an actor with this company. He made enough money to invest in a number of properties, including two theatres in London, one of the biggest houses in Stratford, and a number of other properties there and in London.

The lean and slippered pantaloon: After 1610, Shakespeare began to slow down. He began writing plays together with John Fletcher, who was being groomed to replace him as the house playwright for the Lord Chamberlain's Men (who were by this time known as The King's Men). He retired in 1613 and returned to Stratford.

Last scene of all: Shakespeare died at home in Stratford on April 23, 1616. He was buried in Stratford Church. His grave and the statue erected to his memory can still be seen there. In his will, he left his wife Anne his second-best bed.

Answer 3

Shakespeare had worked for the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later the King's Men) as a director, actor and playwright. He also was a businessman having a share in the Globe and Blackfriars theatres and having loaned money to some people.

Answer 4

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon. His exact date of birth is unknown but he was baptised on April 26, 1564. He had several brothers and sisters. His father was called John Shakespeare and his mother Mary Arden. He married Anne Hathaway, who was eight years older than he was around November 27, 1582. His daughter Susanna was born in March 1583 and he had twins Judith and Hamnet in 1585. In the early 1590s he became an actor and began writing plays. His long poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece were published in 1593 and 1594. In 1594 he became one of the founder members of a theatrical company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men. Over the course of the next 19 years he produced a remarkable series of plays for the Lord Chamberlain's Men, which became London's top theatrical company and was sponsored by the King himself in 1603. Shakespeare also published a collection of sonnets in 1609. He retired to Stratford-upon-Avon in or about 1613 or 1614, having purchased quite a large amount of real property and having accumulated a fair amount of wealth from the theatrical business. He died April 23, 1616 and is buried in Stratford. A collection of his plays, including a number which had not previously been published, was published in 1623 by two of his former colleagues.

Answer 5

• He was baptised on the 26th April 1564
• He had 8 brothers and sisters some of whom died as children
• His parents were called John and Mary Shakespeare
• His father was the mayor of Stratford (their home town)
• He went to school at the local grammar school called the King's New School
• He studied Latin classical authors in school
• He married Anne Hathaway in 1582
• They had a daughter called Susannah and twins called Hamnet and Judith
• He joined the theatre group the Lord Chamberlain's Men in or about 1594
• In 1601 his father died
• In 1599 he became a part owner of the Globe Theatre
• In 1613 the globe burnt down and was rebuilt the next year
• In 1616 on 23rd April Shakespeare died

Answer 6

As the eldest son, Shakespeare ordinarily would have been apprenticed to his father's shop so that he could learn and eventually take over the business, but according to one account he was apprenticed to a butcher because of reverses in his father's financial situation. According to another account, he became a schoolmaster.