To be or not to be, that is the question!
Or the whole world is a stage and all men and women are just players. They have their exits and entrances. And a man plays many roles in his time.
Or I am someone who was not wise but loved too well.
The most witty and exciting playwright of all time, a man whose stories and deeds continue to inspire numerous Broadway and film productions, a man whose reputation and works go further than his name. I am speaking of none other than the author of several famous plays such as Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, Hamlet and many more, Sir William Shakespeare.
The name Shakespeare is steeped in British culture and history and no one can ever take his place!
Many of us came to know about him either through our school curriculum or after seeing his plays and films or reading one of his translated works.
Regardless of how you know about it, we can all agree that he was an acclaimed and brilliant playwright, probably one of the finest this world could ever have.
But what do we know about this great playwright other than his elaborate stories?
Do we know what inspired her to write such great pieces?
Or do we know why this London playwright is widely known and respected by all generations?
Here we have compiled the 10 secret and interesting facts about William Shakespeare.
So, let's dive right in!
Interesting facts about William Shakespeare
Fact 1: We didn't spell the name William Shakespeare correctly
After 500 years, you might think you know almost everything about William Shakespeare, only to find out you didn't pronounce his name correctly!
Well the truth is, sources say his name was spelled 80 different ways during his lifetime, from Shappere to Shaxberd. Even in the few documents that have survived over the years, he never wrote his signature as William Shakespeare.
Shakespeare belonged to a time when there was no standardized English orthography like we have today. In fact, people didn't know how to spell their names either, which is why different documents had different spellings for his name.
Fact 2: His life from 1585 to 1592 is completely secret
Shakespeare's life from 1584 after the baptism of his twins to 1592 when he was insulted by Robert Greenupstart crowis unknown to the biographers.
However, some biographers say his insult deciphered that he must have made something of his name by then.
But what did this amazing playwright do in those seven lost years of his life?
Well, most people claim he's been touring continental Europe or maybe he's joined an acting company, but no one knows what the reality is.
It seems like this will forever be a perplexing question for historians.
Fact 3: Shakespeare does not belong to the Elizabethan age of writing
While most of us know Shakespeare as a renowned playwright of the Elizabethan era, all of his plays were written after Queen Elizabeth I's death.
And that makes him a Jacobean writer and not an Elizabethan writer.
Fact 4: His parents and children were all illiterate
Well, not in his own right, but according to most biographers, his parents, John and Mary Shakespeare, never learned to read or write, which is not a surprising fact since most people were uneducated during this period.
But not only she, but also his wife and their two children Susanna and Judith proved to be illiterate. That is, unlike Shakespeare, who could write great plays inspired by general events, his parents, wife and children could not even read it.
Fact 5: Shakespeare wrote a curse as an epitaph on his tombstone
Most of the time, people like to write inspirational and religious statements on their tombstones, but William Shakespeare was not one of them. In fact, he wrote a curse for his grave, terrifying anyone who dared move his body.
According to historians, his epitaph read:
Good friend, for Jesus' sake leave it,
To dig and dust locked here
And the crust is what moves my bones.
Shakespeare probably did this because he knew that ordinary parishioners were not granted permanent tenure if buried in the sanctuary, and this verse incantation was intended to prohibit any possible eviction.
That's one of the reasons no one dared approach his grave at Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon. His tomb has remained untouched since 1747.
Fact 6: He has introduced more than 3000 words into the English language dictionary
Shakespeare has been recognized by the Oxford English Language Community for including more than 3000 words in their dictionary. His extended vocabulary ranged from 7000 to 29000 words, which is twice that of an average conversational partner.
It is because he belonged to a period of limited knowledge of English, which is why he was able to discover so many words.
So thanks to Shakespeare for words like misery, enemies, fashion and many more.
Fact 7: We are still speculating about his real date of birth
For most former writers and authors, no one knows Shakespeare's exact date of birth. Mostly only his baptism records from April 26, 1564 have survived. Since the baptism then took place only a few days after his birth, he may have been born around April 20 to 24.
According to most biographers, he was born on April 23; a date now celebrated as the famous bard's birthday.
Fact 8: Shakespeare's death is still a mystery to many
According to John Ward, vicar of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford, Shakespeare, Drayton and Ben Jonson had a lovely meeting one day and it seems they drank too much for Shakespeare to die of a fever he caught there had moved.
However, according to most historians, it is an unsubstantiated anecdote. It should be noted, however, that around this time in 1616 there was an outbreak of typhus known as the New Fever, thereby supporting Ward's death story.
Shakespeare's death is still a mystery. Nobody really knows the cause of death.
Fact 9: He never actually went to college
Although you might think that this gifted writer picked up his writing skills in college, Shakespeare left school and formal education when he was fourteen in 1578.
He attended King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford-upon-Avon from the age of 7 in 1571, but his activities after he left school are unclear. Some sources suggest that he may have worked with his father and brother as a schoolmaster, a lawyer, or a glove maker.
However, other sources are also plausible that speak of how he worked to develop his skills as a literary craftsman while traveling and visiting playhouses.
Fact 10: He was a great actor too
While you must think he was just a good writer, although he was also a great actor. He wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets and performed many of them with other playwrights such as Ben Jonson.
Some say he also honed his acting skills during his lost years.
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William Shakespeare lived two full lives, one before he began writing and the other for his name, fame and money. For literary experts, Shakespeare was a playwright who, in earlier times, laid the groundwork for writing plays for which people revere and respect man.
I hope these facts about William Shakespeare detailed a few things you never knew about him. After all, he was a master playwright!