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Video about information behind his insults

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Video about information behind his insults

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So you think you know a foul word or two? Shakespeare's insults, put downs and cussing were second to none, and with his insults Shakespeare was most certainly a master of his trade! Read our selection of the top 50 Shakespeare insults below, ordered alphabetically by quote, with play and act/scene listed too. From " a most notable coward" to "Villian, I have done thy mother" Shakespeare had an insult for any occassion.

Top 50 Shakespeare Insults:

1. "A most notable coward, an infinite and endless liar, an hourly promise breaker, the owner of no one good quality."

All's Well That Ends Well (Act 3, Scene 6)

2. "Away, you starvelling, you elf-skin, you dried neat's-tongue, bull's-pizzle, you stock-fish!"

Henry IV Part I (Act 2, Scene 4)

3. "Away, you three-inch fool! "

The Taming of the Shrew (Act 3, Scene 3)

4. "Come, come, you froward and unable worms!"

The Taming Of The Shrew (Act 5, Scene 2)

5. "Go, prick thy face, and over-red thy fear, Thou lily-liver'd boy."

Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 3)

6. "His wit's as thick as a Tewkesbury mustard."

Henry IV Part 2 (Act 2, Scene 4)

7. "I am pigeon-liver'd and lack gall."

Hamlet (Act 2, Scene 2)

8. "I am sick when I do look on thee "

A Midsummer Night's Dream (Act 2, Scene 1)

9. "I must tell you friendly in your ear, sell when you can, you are not for all markets."

As You Like It (Act 3 Scene 5)

10. "If thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool; for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them."

Hamlet (Act 3, Scene 1)

11. "I'll beat thee, but I would infect my hands."

Timon of Athens (Act 4, Scene 3)

12. "I scorn you, scurvy companion. "

Henry IV Part II (Act 2, Scene 4)

13. "Methink'st thou art a general offence and every man should beat thee."

All's Well That Ends Well (Act 2, Scene 3)

14. "More of your conversation would infect my brain."

The Comedy of Erros (Act 2, Scene 1)

15. "My wife's a hobby horse!"

The Winter's Tale (Act 2, Scene 1)

16. "Peace, ye fat guts!"

Henry IV Part 1 (Act 2, Scene 2)

17. "Poisonous bunch-backed toad! "

Richard III (Act 1, Scene 3)

18. "The rankest compound of villainous smell that ever offended nostril"

The Merry Wives of Windsor (Act 3, Scene 5)

19. "The tartness of his face sours ripe grapes."

The Comedy of Erros (Act 5, Scene 4)

20. "There's no more faith in thee than in a stewed prune."

Henry IV Part 1 (Act 3, Scene 3)

21. "Thine forward voice, now, is to speak well of thine friend; thine backward voice is to utter foul speeches and to detract."

The Tempest (Act 2, Scene 2)

22. "That trunk of humours, that bolting-hutch of beastliness, that swollen parcel of dropsies, that huge bombard of sack, that stuffed cloak-bag of guts, that roasted Manningtree ox with pudding in his belly, that reverend vice, that grey Iniquity, that father ruffian, that vanity in years?"

Henry IV Part 1 (Act 2, Scene 4)

23. "Thine face is not worth sunburning."

Henry V (Act 5, Scene 2)

24. "This woman's an easy glove, my lord, she goes off and on at pleasure."

All's Well That Ends Well (Act 5, Scene 3)

25. "Thou art a boil, a plague sore"

King Lear (Act 2, Scene 2)

26. "Was the Duke a flesh-monger, a fool and a coward?"

Measure For Measure (Act 5, Scene 1)

27. "Thou art as fat as butter."

Henry IV Part 1 (Act 2, Scene 4)

28. "Here is the babe, as loathsome as a toad."

Titus Andronicus (Act 4, Scene 3)

29. "Like the toad; ugly and venomous."

As You Like It (Act 2, Scene 1`)

30. "Thou art unfit for any place but hell."

Richard III (Act 1 Scene 2)

31. "Thou cream faced loon"

Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 3)

32. "Thou clay-brained guts, thou knotty-pated fool, thou whoreson obscene greasy tallow-catch!"

Henry IV Part 1 (Act 2, Scene 4 )

33. "Thou damned and luxurious mountain goat."

Henry V (Act 4, Scene 4)

34. "Thou elvish-mark'd, abortive, rooting hog!"

Richard III (Act 1, Scene 3 )

35. "Thou leathern-jerkin, crystal-button, knot-pated, agatering, puke-stocking, caddis-garter, smooth-tongue, Spanish pouch!"

Henry IV Part 1 (Act 2, Scene 4)

36. "Thou lump of foul deformity"

Richard III (Act 1, Scene 2)

37. "That poisonous bunch-back'd toad!"

Richard III (Act 1, Scene 3)

38. "Thou sodden-witted lord! Thou hast no more brain than I have in mine elbows "

Troilus and Cressida (Act 2, Scene 1)

39. "Thou subtle, perjur'd, false, disloyal man!"

The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Act 4, Scene 2)

40. "Thou whoreson zed , thou unnecessary letter!"

King Lear (Act 2, Scene 2 )

41. "Thy sin's not accidental, but a trade."

Shakespeare Insult 45 - Measure For Measure (Act 3, Scene 1)

42. "Thy tongue outvenoms all the worms of Nile."

Cymbeline (Act 3, Scene 4)

43. "Would thou wert clean enough to spit upon"

Timon of Athens (Act 4, Scene 3)

44. "Would thou wouldst burst!"

Timon of Athens (Act 4, Scene 3)

45. "You poor, base, rascally, cheating lack-linen mate! "

Henry IV Part II (Act 2, Scene 4)

46. "You are as a candle, the better burnt out."

Henry IV Part 2 (Act 1, Scene 2)

47. "You scullion! You rampallian! You fustilarian! I'll tickle your catastrophe!"

Henry IV Part 2 (Act 2, Scene 1)

48. "You starvelling, you eel-skin, you dried neat's-tongue, you bull's-pizzle, you stock-fish-O for breath to utter what is like thee!-you tailor's-yard, you sheath, you bow-case, you vile standing tuck!"

Henry IV Part 1 (Act 2, Scene 4)

49. "Your brain is as dry as the remainder biscuit after voyage."

Shakespeare Insult 45 - As You Like It (Act 2, Scene 7)

50. "Virginity breeds mites, much like a cheese."

All's Well That Ends Well (Act 1, Scene 1)

51. "Villain, I have done thy mother"

Titus Andronicus (Act 4, Scene 2)

Shakespeare Insult Generator:

Got the hang of Shakespeare's insult style and want to try your own? Have a go using the chart below. Simply combine one word from each of the 3 text columns below, and prefix with a "Thou":

Shakespeare Insult Infographic:

This stunning Shakespeare insult chart was put together by Charley Chartwell. It charts 100 of Shakespeare's greatest zingers, sorted by topic, with each insult labelled with the play it comes from. Size is 18×24 inches, and available to buy here >>

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So you think you know a foul word or two? Check out the ultimate guide to Shakespeare's insults. Shakespeare, even with his insults, put downs and cussing, was most certainly a master of his trade! Read our selection of Shakespeare insults below...

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Uncover the stories behind the world's greatest storyteller in Stratford-upon-Avon. Explore Shakespeare's family homes, farm and gardens and discover the ways that he continues to influence our everyday lives four centuries on.

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It's Wolf Hall's world now, and we just live in it. Which is excellent. I am all for this, especially if we maintain a gateway into a parallel universe where we can still access modern medicine, cleaning products and meals whose recipes don't begin "First catch your sheep's head". And if we could keep watching briskly efficient documentaries like Shakespeare's Mother: The Secret Life of a Tudor Woman (BBC4), presented by historian and broadcaster Michael Wood, that would be great too.

Although I suppose in that case the life a) wouldn't be so secret and b) watching it as well as living it might cause some kind of event horizon that would bring the whole thing crashing down and leave Mark Rylance, Damian Lewis and assorted other stars of British stage and screen unexpectedly unemployed. (Is anyone else waiting for Benedict Cumberbatch to pop up as Tudorbethan Sherlock, solve the mystery of the princes in the tower and turn the whole thing into a crazy counterfactual that can only be put right by Matt Smith strapping the whole thing to the Tardis and pulling it back through a wormhole?)

BUT. Let us return our attention now to Mary Arden, born around 1535 into an old Warwickshire farming family and just in time to live through all the social, political and religious upheavals Henry VIII's penis had precipitated. I simplify slightly. By the time Mary died, her country had been ruled by five different monarchs and undergone four changes of official religion. Good times.

Despite all this history going on she somehow found time to learn to read, do arithmetic and (maybe) to write, before marrying glovemaker John Shakespeare and having eight children of her own. The third of these was - dum-dum-DAHHH - William Shakespeare himself! Though they didn't know about the "himself" or the exclamation point yet.

They moved to Stratford where John eventually rose to become mayor before getting into wool, trouble and bankruptcy, which forced William to leave school instead of going to university. At 18 he got 26-year-old Anne Hathaway pregnant and they - and the twins that shortly followed - were all under his parents' one roof. Fortunately she was soon miscast, but lucratively so, in Tom Hooper's film adaptation of Les Miserables and ... no, I jest of course. I just couldn't resist.

The family became a target for anti-Catholic harassment and things didn't begin to look up until the late 1580s, when William started making good with his plays in London. By the time Mary died in 1608 she was comfortable once more. Or at least as comfortable as any woman who had borne eight children under Tudorbethan conditions could have ever expected to be.

If there wasn't actually very much about Mary Arden herself in the programme, you could choose to call this a failure of titling rather than programme-making. It was another way of looking at an era that currently has us more than ever in its thrall, and it mapped the personal and political topography very well. Which is not to say there isn't still, therefore, space for a proper look at Mary Arden - or perhaps, a proper look at why we cannot get a proper look at Shakespeare's mother, or wife, or daughters, or most of the women who did not end up as queens or crowned mistresses of kings. What and who gets left out of history could surely be as compelling as another trip round the figures we all know by now quite well. Miranda Richardson and Glenda Jackson could share the voiceover as Elizabeth I and break both acting and TIME ITSELF.

Over on Channel 5 was the opening episode of Britain's Biggest Primary School, the product of six months' filming of the 1,100 seven-to-11-year-olds and 160 staff in the 38 classrooms at Gascoigne primary school in Barking. The first episode, however, focused mainly on 10-year-old Lee and his teachers' attempts to deal with the behavioural problems he has had since his mother died suddenly last year. Which is to say that while dealing with all the concerns of their other 1,099 charges, they are also trying to help a child deal with an unbearable grief.

"But," says Lee, wrestling with the advice his beloved Miss Murphy tries to give him in one of their chats, "I'll never see her again." As your heart broke, anger too flooded out. Where are the services to help him and his teachers with this? Why is his suffering being aggravated by borderline homelessness and relocation miles away from the school that is giving him so much? Why do we put up with a set of systems that compounds instead of alleviating terrible suffering? When is the general election? Will things be any different then?
Topics

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Shakespeare's Mother: The Secret Life of a Tudor Woman review: 'another fascinating view of the Wolf Hall era'

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It's Wolf Hall's world now, and we just live in it. Which is excellent. I am all for this, especially if we maintain a gateway into a parallel universe where we can still access modern medicine, cleaning products and meals whose recipes don't begin "First catch your sheep's head".

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William Shakespeare Biography - The Parents of William Shakespeare
JOHN SHAKESPEARE ( FATHER ) - THE EARLY YEARS MARY ARDEN ( MOTHER )- THE EARLY YEARS THE COURTSHIP OF MARY ARDEN AND JOHN SHAKESPEARE (the Bard's Parents ) THE MARRIAGE OF SHAKESPEARES PARENTS HENLEY STREET, STRATFORD - HOME TO SHAKESPEARE'S PARENTS JOHN SHAKESPEARE - ALE-TASTER OF THE BOROUGH OF STRATFORD THE FAMILY MAN & THE CIVIC DIGNITARY THE FALL OF JOHN POSSIBLE REASONS FOR THE DEMISE OF HIS FATHER THE FAMILY EXPANDS, BUT BAD FORTUNE CONTINUES FOR THE PARENTS THE RISE OF JOHN
John and Mary ( mother and father of the Bard ) started their family in 1558 with the birth of their first child, Joan. Their happiness was short-lived as the baby died of the plague shortly after birth. The plague, commonly referred to as the Black Death, was rampant in England. The plague was often transmitted by the fleas that lived on animals. So farmers and the retailers of farm produce, such as animal hides, were in constant danger of contracting the Black Death. The disease could also be air bound and transmitted from an infected person's breath. So the virulent nature of the disease resulted in frequent outbreaks of the terrible disease for the next hundred years. People must have lived in constant fear for the lives of their children and most families had many children due to the high infant mortality rate - a terrible fear for the parents. Meanwhile John's rise in the Civic world continued and he was elected as Chamberlain of the Borough of Stratford in 1661.The Town Council met daily, and had many important tasks. They heard petitions, made sure the streets were kept clear, and insured that weights and measures were accurate.
Mary became pregnant again and gave birth in 1562 to a second daughter, Margaret. Once again
family life for the new parents was shattered as Margaret only lived for one year. A year later William Shakespeare was born on St Georges Day (the Patron Saint of England) 23rd April 1564. This birthday is not substantiated as there was no Birth Certificate or registration during that period of English history. There is, however, a record of William's baptism in the register of the Holy Trinity Parish Church in Stratford dated 26th April 1564. Given the high mortality rate of infants it was the custom of the Elizabethan parents to have their children baptised three days after their birth and so the birthday of William has been set as April 23rd. In 1665 John became an Alderman of Stratford and with this position came the benefit of free education for his children at the local Grammar School. This was good timing as the family started to expand with the birth of Gilbert in October 1566. John's career was still rising and in 1568 he became the Mayor of Stratford. The joy of the Shakespeare's must have been great when Mary gave birth to another daughter, also called Joan, in 1569 and they became parents once more. In 1570 John became Chief Alderman of Stratford - the pinnacle of his career. Due to his important Civic duties he rightfully sought the title of gentleman and applied for his Coat-of-Arms. The right to a Coat-of-Arms was very prestigious and sought after by many people. The coat-of-arms could be displayed on their door and all their personal items. It was also quite a costly undertaking with an amount of 30 guineas (30 pounds and 30 shillings) to be paid to the College of Heralds. Mysteriously, the application was unsuccessful. Two more children were born to the parents of the Bard, Anne in 1571 and Richard in 1574.

Things could not have been much worse for John and Mary ( mother and father of the Bard ). It was 1592, his parents were in debt and John had been stripped of all Civic duties. But this was all about to completely change. Their errant son William had started to become a success as a poet and was also making his name in Theatres of London. By 1592 William was mixing with the elite. The aristocrats and nobles of the Realm were his friends. In 1594 he would even play before the Queen. And John's fortunes were also rising. On October 20, 1596 by permission of the Garter King of Arms, John Shakespeare, and his children, were granted permission to display a coat-of-arms. His mother and father had achieved a long ambition. The coat-of-arms was gold with a black banner bearing a silver spear. The motto was "Non sans droit" or "not without right". John and his sons were then entitled to put "gentleman" after their name, they were officially part the Gentry. This title was reserved for those who were below knights but who had been granted the right to bear arms. The coat-of-arms could be displayed on their door and all their personal items. It is probable the application was initiated by William who , like his father, was ambitious to rise in the Elizabethan social order. By 1599 his father was reinstated on the Stratford Town Council. His father had regained his social standing, bore a Coat-of-Arms, was a member of the Gentry and he had regained his former wealth. The interpretation of the description of the Coat of Arms granted to Shakspere would have been the choice of the designer chosen by the family. It does not appear with the crest on the Shakespeare monument in Stratford church, nor does it appear anywhere else. The crest design would have not formed part of the Heraldic Documentation. As such an original crest is not in existence there are various interpretations of the Shakespeare Coat of Arms. The image below is an interpretation of the description of the Coat of Arms designed by william-shakespeare.info. John Shakespeare enjoyed his new status until 1601 when John, the father of the great Bard, died at the age of 70. His loyal wife Mary, the mother of the great Bard lived for a further seven years until her death in 1608.

TIMELINE - JOHN AND MARY SHAKESPEARE THE BARD'S PARENTS 1531 Probable year of birth of Shakespeare's father, John Shakespeare1540 Probable year of birth of Shakespeare's mother, Mary Arden Robert Arden dies (Shakespeare's maternal grandfather.) Mary Arden ( mother of the Bard ) was named as one of the Executers of her father's will Marriage of John ( father of the Bard ) at the age of 26 to Mary Arden, aged 17 years John Shakespeare ( father of the Bard ) was elected as ale-taster of the Borough of Stratford Richard Shakespeare dies (Shakespeare's paternal grandfather) Joan, the first child of John and Mary ( mother and father of the Bard ) was born but only survived John Shakespeare ( father of the Bard ) was elected as Chamberlain of the Borough of Stratford Margaret Shakespeare was born - she died one year later William Shakespeare was born John Shakespeare ( father of the Bard ) became Alderman Gilbert Shakespeare was born John Shakespeare ( father of the Bard ) became Bailiff of Stratford (equivalent to Mayor) Another daughter, also called Joan was born John Shakespeare became Chief Alderman John Shakespeare ( father of the Bard ) was accused in the Exchequer Court of Usury for lending John Shakespeare's application to bear a Coat-of-Arms and for the title of Gentleman fails Anne Shakespeare was born Richard Shakespeare was born John ( father of the Bard ) became behind with his taxes He was forced to mortgage Mary's estate, Asbies Anne Shakespeare died Fined 40 for missing a court date Edmund Shakespeare was born William marries Anne Hathaway and six months later John and Mary, his parents, become William's twins, Hamnet and Judith Shakespeare, were born John Shakespeare ( father of the Bard ) was removed from the Board of Aldermen John Shakespeare's ( father of the Bard ) only possession was a house on Henley Street John Shakespeare's ( father of the Bard ) fined for not attending church John's ( father of the Bard ) brother Henry died On October 20 an application was made to the College of Heralds for a Coat-of-Arms and this time John Shakespeare ( father of the Bard ) was reinstated on the Town Council Shakespeare's father, John Shakespeare dies Shakespeare's mother Mary Shakespeare nee Arden dies
1556
1556 1557
1557
1561 1558
1561
1562 1564
1565
for two months
1566
1568 1569
1570
1570 1570
1571
1574 1578
1579
1579 1580
1580
money at the rate of 20% and 25% Interest
1582
1585 1586
1590
1592 1596
1596
1599 1601
1608
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S SIBLINGS

grandparents to Susanna Shakespeare

it was granted

Full details relating to the lives of brothers and sisters of William Shakespeare and can be found in the next section of william-shakespeare.info
William Shakespeare Full and Short Biography
Biography of William Shakespeare - Lives of brothers and sisters - Joan, Margaret, Gilbert, Anne, Richard and Edmund

The Parents of William Shakespeare

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William Shakespeare Biography - The Parents of William Shakespeare JOHN SHAKESPEARE ( FATHER ) - THE EARLY YEARS MARY ARDEN ( MOTHER )- THE EARLY YEARS THE COURTSHIP OF MARY ARDEN AND JOHN SHAKESPEARE (the Bard's Parents ) THE MARRIAGE OF SHAKESPEARES PARENTS HENLEY STREET, STRATFORD - HOME TO SHAKESPEARE'S

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This is just a little bit more about Shakespeare's life

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Since William Shakespeare lived more than 400 years ago, and many records from that time are lost or never existed in the first place, we don't know everything about his life. For example, we know that he was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, 100 miles northwest of London, on April 26, 1564. But we don't know his exact birthdate, which must have been a few days earlier.

We do know that Shakespeare's life revolved around two locations: Stratford and London. He grew up, had a family, and bought property in Stratford, but he worked in London, the center of English theater. As an actor, a playwright, and a partner in a leading acting company, he became both prosperous and well-known. Even without knowing everything about his life, fans of Shakespeare have imagined and reimagined him according to their own tastes, just as we see with the 19th-century family scene at the top of this page.

Primary sources: Shakespeare Documented
Visit Shakespeare Documented to see primary-source materials documenting Shakespeare's life. This online resource of items from the Folger and other institutions brings together all known manuscript and print references to Shakespeare and his works, as well as additional references to his family, in his lifetime and shortly thereafter.

On This Page: Birth and Childhood | Marriage and Children | London Theater | Final Years

William Shakespeare was probably born on about April 23, 1564, the date that is traditionally given for his birth. He was John and Mary Shakespeare's oldest surviving child; their first two children, both girls, did not live beyond infancy. Growing up as the big brother of the family, William had three younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard, and Edmund, and two younger sisters: Anne, who died at seven, and Joan.

Their father, John Shakespeare, was a leatherworker who specialized in the soft white leather used for gloves and similar items. A prosperous businessman, he married Mary Arden, of the prominent Arden family. John rose through local offices in Stratford, becoming an alderman and eventually, when William was five, the town bailiff-much like a mayor. Not long after that, however, John Shakespeare stepped back from public life; we don't know why.

Shakespeare, as the son of a leading Stratford citizen, almost certainly attended Stratford's grammar school. Like all such schools, its curriculum consisted of an intense emphasis on the Latin classics, including memorization, writing, and acting classic Latin plays. Shakespeare most likely attended until about age 15.
On Shakespeare Documented: Primary-source materials relating to Shakespeare's family

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An overview of Shakespeare's life from the Folger Shakespeare Library, including his birth and childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon, his marriage to Anne Hathaway and their children, his work in the London theaters, and his final years before his death in 1616.

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Romeo and Juliet: Act II Scene 2 Through the Years

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Where one is nurtured does not guarantee a genius but can condition a young genius to flourish. William Shakespeare was born in a little town called Stratford- upon-Avon. Shakespeare was born in the same region as his parents who were also long time inhabitants of Stratford.The town inhabited about two thousand in population; a large city with history dating back to the pre-historic times.Stratford was a large conglomeration of people of wealth and poverty.This variety of people also created an urban lifestyle in the aspects of intuitive arts for this time period.Shakespeare was given the opportunities to be in an environment to saturate the life around him into the plays he has become famous for today(Parrott 23).

William Shakespeare was born in a flourishing town filled with large impressive churches, castles, and palaces in an ancient time.Given his amount of time in Stratford there are only two public records of Shakespeare in the urban city.He was baptized and later on in life, married.According to the parish register of Stratford, Gulielmus filius Johannes Shakspere was baptized on Wednesday, April 26 th 1564, the festival of England's patron saint, St. George(Parrott 46).The exact date of his birth is unknown, but with a great depth of knowledge of records, environment information and other forms of literature in the course of this time period can give a great portrayal of the accurate life of William Shakespeare.One example is during this time children were baptized as soon as possible and it was unlikely that William was born before the 21 stor 22 nd of April(Parrott 10).

William was the oldest of the surviving children in his household. There were two sisters who died before him during child birth and delivery. However, he was not the only child in the home. He had three brothers: Gilbert, Richard, and Edmund, and two sisters: Joan and Ann (Parrott 11) . His childhood household upbringing was strict discipline of the Middle Ages. The boys rose early, waited on their parents at the table, kept silent in their presence, and capped their hats to elders on the streets. This was the norm during his time, and there was not a doubt that William was raised in a very traditional home for their culture. However, one change from his parents childhood to those of their kin was education. His parents wanted to provide an educational background for their children because they were never given the opportunity to advance their own knowledge and education. William's parents must have been very proud of him to immediately introduce him into a life which was denied to them (Parrott 72) .

Education started from a very young age in the Shakespeare home.William attended the old Guild School which had been transformed by Edward VI in 1553 into the King's New School of Stratford-upon- Avon(Parrott 21).The master of this new school was paid much higher than any of the similar schools in the area.This type of increase in salary gave much publicity to the new school and attracted the smartest pupils and scholarly professors.Free education was offered to the sons of the citizens of Stratford and since John Shakespeare was a town official and bailiff, he was not going to deprive his child of such an opportunity.During this time, the Queen's reign developed many free schools around the region.This was one of Queen Elizabeth's distinguishing characteristics to give advantages of classical education to the citizens(Parrott 14).

The education of William Shakespeare was intense compared to the education individuals experience in present day society.He also must have entered grammar school mastering the alphabet in the horn-book, which was a book that taught how to spell out simple English, and to write in the old-fashioned script which he continued to use all his life(Parrott 34).Latin was the only language used in the education system of the Queen.In fact only Latin Grammar books from the authors of Colet and Lyly were the only books authorized by the royal proclamation.These were the only books used in the English school and the young boys were forced to learn the grammar book by heart before he understood the language in which they were written.This type of teaching was to learn the Latin way of verbal use, proper dialogue which school masters demanded.Some of the Latin literature pieces which Shakespeare was interested in were play wrights, Virgil, Ovid, Terence, Platus and the praised tragedies of Seneca.Ovid was one of William's favorite pieces of literature and has been known to make quotes from this piece in several of his own works.For example, he referenced Ovid in one of his first poems and borrowed characters for other works.

After several years of grammar school and years of being apprentice for his father,William Shakespeare moved to London around 1587.The new urban lifestyle of London was a perfect environment for a young educated man with a desire to provide literature for these citizens around him.He began enjoying the colorful and influential life of London and started to produce plays and poems.During Shakespeare's time in London, the culture was influenced by the stimulus of the Renaissance.This was the first city to rapidly move into this new culture.It also became the capital Centre of its social, commercial and intellectual life.

Years of success under the Queen was soon ended after her death.There was a period of time during Shakespeare's London period where time was lost.During this time experts think he was a school teacher while writing many of his plays and comedies.However, after the death of the Queen his written work transformed to a tragedy period.His plays and poems were written with a humorous yet dark portrayal. His life continued with his last years back in Stratford.Shakespeare's travels and education only made way for some of the most famous pieces of literature and has continued to be an ongoing series of tremendously genius language and creativity.

Parrott, Thomas Marc. William Shakespeare: A Handbook. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1955.

The source of the background history of William Shakespeare's place of birth, home life and upbringing was from the William Shakespeare: A Handbook by Thomas Marc Parrott. There are several reasons for using Parrott's book and not some of the other more modern books about Shakespeare, however, the main reason was to start with an author in an earlier time period. Our project is a sequence of time and the same principles were placed in the information as well. The other reason for choosing Thomas Parrott's book over the other many pieces of literature in the Valparaiso University Library was the accreditations which Parrott has earned. Thomas Parrott attended Princeton University and also was a professor in the English department. Over his time studying and teaching, he wrote many textual pieces on William Shakespeare. His work has been duplicated over the years and still is being used today for his research. Furthermore, only the basic information was needed in the aspects of our project. The background history was to give way into how and why William Shakespeare was involved with poetry, play writing and other pieces of literature.

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Romeo and Juliet: Act II Scene 2 Through the Years: Early Life of William Shakespeare

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Where one is nurtured does not guarantee a genius but can condition a young genius to flourish. William Shakespeare was born in a little town called Stratford- upon-Avon.

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This is a little bit about what Shakespeare's parents were like and what they did for a living

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Shakespeare's Parents
Shakespeare's father, John, came to Stratford from Snitterfield before 1532 as an apprentice glover and tanner of leathers. John Shakespeare prospered and began to deal in farm products and wool. It is recorded that he bought a house in 1552 (the date that he first appears in the town records), and bought more property in 1556. Because John Shakespeare owned one house on Greenhill Street and two houses on Henley Street, the exact location of William's birth cannot be known for certain.
Sometime between 1556 and 1558 John Shakespeare married Mary Arden, the daughter of the wealthy Robert Arden of Wilmecote and owner of the sixty-acre farm called Asbies. The wedding would have most likely taken place in Mary Arden's parish church at Aston Cantlow, the burial place of Robert Arden, and, although there is no evidence of strong piety on either side of the family, it would have been a Catholic service, since Queen Mary I was the reigning monarch.

We assume neither John nor Mary could write -- John used a pair of glovers' compasses as his signature while Mary used a running horse -- but it did not prevent them from becoming important members of the community. John Shakespeare was elected to a multitude of civic positions, including ale-taster of the borough (Stratford had a long-reaching reputation for its brewing) in 1557, chamberlain of the borough in 1561, alderman in 1565, (a position which came with free education for his children at the Stratford Grammar School), high bailiff, or mayor, in 1568, and chief alderman in 1571. Due to his important civic duties, he rightfully sought the title of gentleman and applied for his coat-of-arms in 1570 (see picture on left). However, for unspecific reasons the application was abruptly withdrawn, and within the next few years, for reasons just as mystifying, John Shakespeare would go from wealthy business owner and dedicated civil servant to debtor and absentee council member.

By 1578 he was behind in his taxes and stopped paying the statutory aldermanic subscription for poor relief. In 1579, he had to mortgage Mary Shakespeare's estate, Asbies, to pay his creditors. In 1580 he was fined 40 pounds for missing a court date and in 1586 the town removed him from the board of aldermen due to lack of attendance. By 1590, John Shakespeare owned only his house on Henley Street and, in 1592 he was fined for not attending church.

However, near the very end of John Shakespeare's life, it seems that his social and economic standing was again beginning to flourish. He once again applied to the College of Heralds for a coat-of-arms in 1596, and, due likely to the success of William in London, this time his wish was granted. On October 20 of that year, by permission of the Garter King of Arms (the Queen's aid in such matters) "the said John Shakespeare, Gentlemen, and...his children, issue and posterity" were lawfully entitled to display the gold coat-of-arms, with a black banner bearing a silver spear (a visual representation of the family name "Shakespeare"). The coat-of-arms could then be displayed on their door and all their personal items. The motto was Non sanz droict or not without right. The reason cited for granting the coat-of-arms was John Shakespeare's grandfather's faithful service to Henry VII, but no specifics were given as to what service he actually performed. The coat-of-arms appears on Shakespeare's tomb in Stratford.

In 1599 John Shakespeare was reinstated on the town council, but died a short time later, in 1601. He was probably near seventy years old and he had been married for forty-four years. Mary Shakespeare died in 1608 and was buried on September 9.

How to cite this article:
Mabillard, Amanda.Shakespeare of Stratford: Shakespeare's Parents. Shakespeare Online. 18 Sept. 2000. < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/shakespeareparents.html >.

References
Rowse, A.L. Shakespeare the Man. London: Macmillan, 1973.
Speaight, Robert. Shakespeare: The Man and his Achievement. New York: Stein and Day, 1977.
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Did You Know? ... The Elizabethans cared as little for spelling as they did for the Spanish and nowhere is their comical disregard for simple consistency more evident than in their treatment of the surname Shakespeare. The misspellings were most egregious before Shakespeare's birth and during his youth, with colorfully bizarre variations found in registers and other legal documents of the time. Read on...

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richard arden mary arden john shakespeare stratford school shakespeare

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Shakespeare's father, John, came to Stratford from Snitterfield before 1532 as an apprentice glover and tanner of leathers. John Shakespeare prospered and began to deal in farm products and wool. It is recorded that he bought a house in 1552 (the date that he first appears in the town records), and bought more property in 1556.

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This is just a little information they found on William's death

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Visit this site dedicated to William Shakespeare including information about The Death of William Shakespeare.Fast and accurate details about The Death of William Shakespeare.Learn about The Death of William Shakespeare.