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Will’s World

Explore the fascinating life of William Shakespeare, his works, the authorship debate, and the cultural backdrop of Elizabethan England. Get insights into his biography, the sonnets, and the enduring mystery surrounding his plays. Discover the playwright's impact on literature with this comprehensive guide.

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Will’s World

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  1. Will’s World

  2. What’s to Come • Shakespeare’s Bio • Shakespeare’s World • The Authorship Debate • The Sonnets

  3. Shakespeare’s Bio • Born April 23, 1564 in Stratford upon-Avon • Parents were John and Mary • Middle class family of which little is known • Attended King Edward VI School?

  4. Marriage/Family • Married Ann Hathaway on 11/28/1582 • She was 27, he was 18 • Ann gave birth to Susanna on 5/26/1583 (Do the math!)

  5. Lost Years 1586-1592 • Many theories about this period • Catholic underground and teaching? • Deer poaching? • Acting?

  6. London 1592 • Early success as a writer • Turbulent times, Plague, Civil Unrest • University wits and the “upstart crow”

  7. The Sonnets • Alternate income (plague) • Dedicated to W.H. • Addressees are a young man, a dark lady, and a rival poet • 154 poems • Earl of Southampton Henry Wriothesly

  8. Authorship Debate • Did Shakespeare really write those plays? • Why is there a doubt? • If not Shakespeare then who?

  9. Reasons to Doubt? • Will was middle class • No university education • Limited traveling • Name spelled differently on some documents

  10. Then Who Wrote Them? • Oxfordians contend that it is none other than…

  11. Edward de Vere • 17th Earl of Oxford • Member of the Royal Court • 2 Masters Degrees from Oxford University by 17 • Traveled extensively • Not allowed to write plays

  12. Another Contender • Christopher Marlowe • Cambridge and Canterbury • London’s most successful playwright until his murder in a pub in 1593 • Ghostwriter?

  13. Most Scholars Agree • Debate is only conjecture and conspiracy theory • Moot (mock) trial held in 1987 with three Supreme Court Justices • Stratfordians 3 Oxfordians 0

  14. Shakespeare’s England • Elizabeth reverted the country back to the Church of England • Catholic to Protestant to Catholic to Protestant in 12 years. • James I in 1603

  15. Will The Businessman • Co-founder of The Globe 1599 • Open-air • Groundlings • Burned in 1613 during a play • Rebuilt and closed permanently in 1642

  16. The Globe • Women not allowed on stage • As You Like It has a boy playing a girl playing a boy playing a girl!

  17. Retirement 1611? • Left London with fame, money, and a family crest • Moved back to Stratford (New Place) • Wealthy landowner

  18. Death April 23, 1616 • Died of a “fever” contracted after “a merry meeting” • Death leads to some questions…

  19. Death 1616 • Interesting last will • “Second best bed” • Nothing literary • Tombstone “unshakespearean”

  20. He was not of an age but, for all time.-Ben Jonson

  21. The End

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