William Shakespeare (William Shakespeare), a literary giant born on April 23, 1564 and died on April 23, 1616, can be called a bright star in the history of English literature, a literary hero of the European Renaissance, an outstanding representative of the global literary field, and the Chinese community affectionately calls him Shakespeare.
From the late 16th century to the early 17th century, Shakespeare shone on the London stage, not only as a brilliant actor and playwright, but also as a right-hand partner in the Cabinet Ministers' Company. Around 1613 he chose to retire and return to the tranquil city of Stratford-upon-Avon, but only three years later he left us forever.
About Shakespeare's life, it seems to be shrouded in a mysterious fog. Information about him is so scarce and fragmentary that we can only try to piece together fragments of his life through the limited church or court records.
Did Shakespeare really exist?
Some 150 years after Shakespeare's death, questions began to arise about his existence. After all, with so little information about him, could the popular plays really be written by a man named Shakespeare? Some believe that these plays may have been written by his contemporary, Marlowe, others, his friend Ben Joneson, and even those who venture to assume that they were pseudonyms used by Queen Elizabeth to conceal her attention, since the theatre was not accepted by the mainstream of society at the time.
The first biography of Shakespeare, written by Nicholas Rowe in the 18th century, contains very few descriptions of his life, with only 11 articles. However, as time went on, the biography of Shakespeare gradually became richer, and his image was constantly reshaped in people's mouths.
Shakespeare, the beloved literary giant, was not the perfect character we imagined.
He was not a perfect father, as his youngest daughter's choice of marriage was not approved by him, and he left her only £100 in his will. He was not an impeccable husband either, and his drinking habits led to speculation that he might have died of syphilis. As a businessman, he used the hoarding of grain to raise prices during the famine years in his hometown of Strathford, which raised questions about his moral bottom line.
Even Ben Jonson, who praised Shakespeare as a great writer of all generations, was unsparing in pointing out his shortcomings, "he was not proficient in Latin and Greek" and "he lacked in talent and artistry". He also criticized Shakespeare's work for being too lengthy and hoped that he would cut some of the content.
What was Shakespeare's true appearance?
To this day, we still can't be sure of Shakespeare's true face. The world's first portrait of him was based on the bust on his tombstone five years after his death, but the identity of the bust remains a mystery.
In the years that followed, there were many portraits of Shakespeare, but we have no way of verifying which one is the real one. In 2009, a supposedly 400-year-old portrait of Shakespeare attracted a lot of attention, with some even claiming it was the only portrait of Shakespeare.
However, we should perhaps heed Ben Jonson's advice: "Readers, don't pay too much attention to his portrait, but read more of his books." ”
There is also a lot of speculation about Shakespeare's marital relationship. The fact that he had been separated for a long time and that he had left only his wife a second-best bed in his will led to speculation that he might not have had a good relationship with his original partner. However, these speculations are not supported by conclusive evidence.
According to historical records, Shakespeare lived alone in the capital London for a long time due to work, while his wife stayed in his hometown of Stratford to take care of the children. But that doesn't mean he doesn't love his wife. There is information that Shakespeare would go home every year to be with his family for a period of time. After retiring in 1613, he returned to Stratford to spend his old age with his wife. Therefore, there is no conclusive evidence that Shakespeare had a discordant relationship with his wife.
In Shakespeare's will, we may be able to get a glimpse of his different attitudes towards family members. When he discovered that his second son-in-law, Quiney, was having an affair and had caused other women to become pregnant, he expressed his strong displeasure and amended his will on March 25, 1615. In the revised version, he appears unusually stingy with his second daughter, Judith, giving her only £300 share of the inheritance, much less than her sister's. At the same time, he deprived Quney of the right to inherit his estate. Eventually, Shakespeare left most of his wealth to his eldest daughter's family, and gave his wife a "second-best" bed.