Every literary university will be remembered by the world for its excellent works and contributions to literature, and its image can always be gradually shaped into a great and respected university because of the wonderful works. , however, when looking at the character’s life, there is still a side that is unknown to the public. Just like "Red Studies" in China, Shakespeare Studies is also an unsolvable mystery in the West. This great playwright has an unshakable supreme status in Western culture and his influence is everywhere. However, he did not leave any letters, diaries, or manuscripts when he was alive. His contemporaries also had no records of him, and people have never known it. His true identity, and even whether the name "Shakespeare" is his real name or a pseudonym, cannot be verified. However, Stephen Greenbrandt, a leading figure in Western academic circles, "deduced" a new Shakespeare from the clues in Shakespeare's works, restored his secular life, and caused a sensation. He came from a remote town and had no university education. He has no education and no prominent family background, but in a short period of time he became the greatest playwright who will always be remembered and the most outstanding representative of Western culture. His name is William, and Will is his nickname, which also means desire. Desire, determination, will... Maybe this is the motivation and source of why he became "Shakespeare".
I have been obsessed with aristocratic life since I was a child. Centuries ago, a priest holding a quill pen wrote in the parish register of Stratford, central England: "The son of John Shakespeare was born in April 1564." Baptized on September 26th." The child was later named "William Shakespeare". When he was a child, Will's family was relatively wealthy. His father, John, was a leather case merchant and wool business. He once served as the mayor of the town and was a public figure in the local area. But he could only make marks for his signatures all his life, and the same was true for his wife Mary. Therefore, they placed great expectations on their eldest son Will. When he was 7 years old, they sent him to the "King's New School" in the town to learn Latin. At that time, Latin was a symbol of culture and upbringing, and also a "stepping stone" to enter the upper class. In school, the teacher asked the students to perform plays in Latin, so Will had the opportunity to learn acting from an early age. Theater troupes often visit the town and perform many traditional plays, especially morality plays that exhort people. The theme is "If you do evil, you will be killed." Sometimes, actors also played abstract "human beings", "youth" or "evil", a symbolism that would be borrowed in later plays by Shakespeare, such as "The Rumor" in "Henry IV" wearing a tongue-painted robe. ", "Time" holding an hourglass in "The Winter's Tale." In many of his plays, the evil party is always punished and deserves it. On traditional festivals, people can make as much noise as they want, and men, women and children of all ages go to the woods to have fun all night long. Deeply rooted in the folk customs of central England, these beautiful blends of nobility and crudeness had a profound impact on Shakespeare's imagination, leaving traces of them in many of his plays. For example, in "A Midsummer Night's Dream", lovers meet in the woods of Athens. There are two things that most likely had a big impact on the young Will. When she was 11 years old, Queen Elizabeth I toured central England accompanied by a large entourage. That grand scene and the excitement of the crowd when the king arrived made him obsessed with the king's charisma all his life, so that he spent most of his writing imagining the lives of kings, nobles, and gentlemen, indulging in the privilege. Sweet anticipation. When he was about to turn 13, his family's financial situation began to decline. The dream of revival haunted Shakespeare throughout his life, and he repeatedly showed a strong desire to regain his lost property, title, and identity in his plays. However, Shakespeare was not frustrated because he could not go to Oxford or Cambridge. The changes in his family made him gain the ability to survive earlier. Since he was a child, he helped his father with his family business, such as making gloves and purchasing wool, so images such as gloves, leather, and wool appeared frequently in his plays. Romeo's desire to be the glove that Juliet wears is a strong expression of love that leaves a deep impression on the audience.
Complete the dream of family rejuvenation. Around the age of 20, Shakespeare left the small town for London. In the first few years, it is said that Shakespeare's occupation in London was as a busboy, watching horses for the audience at the theater door. Later, he was employed by a theater troupe, doing everything from doing odd jobs, playing supporting roles, and being a prompter. He was quick to seize the opportunity. At that time, London was a "perennial market." In the cruel commercial performances, in order to survive, the theater company had to attract more people to the theater and constantly perform new plays. Shakespeare's creative talents were put to use. The most popular playwright in Britain at that time was Christopher Marlowe, whose play Tamerlane shocked Britain. Shakespeare was greatly encouraged when he learned that Marlowe was also born in a small town and that his father was not a wealthy gentleman but an ordinary craftsman. It was apparently because of Marlowe that he made the most important decision in his life: not only to make a living as an actor, but also to try his hand at writing plays. He was determined to write an epic poem like Marlowe, and a British epic poem. Shakespeare's "Henry VI" was staged in London. Audiences flocked to the performance and the performance was a great success. From then on, he became one of the rare playwrights at that time who could make a living by writing scripts. It is said that his writing is extremely easy and he does it in one go. No matter what he writes, he does not need to delete a line. Shakespeare's income became increasingly abundant and he became a shareholder of the theater.
In 1599, the most luxurious theater, the Globe Theater, was built in London. Shakespeare was one of the few investors and owned 1/10 of the theater's equity. He also bought some properties in his hometown and successfully applied for the squire's coat of arms for his father, completing his family's dream of rejuvenation.
Falling in love with a man Shakespeare's career in London was booming, but his wife and children stayed in Stratford. When he was 18 years old, he married 26-year-old Anne Hathaway. Six months later, his daughter Susanna was born. It is said that he regretted this so much that he repeatedly told his audience in his plays that it was important to remain chaste until marriage. In "Twelfth Night", Duke Orsino also suggested: "A woman should choose a man older than herself, so that she can get along with him and not lose her husband's favor." But under the social conditions at the time, , no matter what kind of marriage relationship, it must last a lifetime. Shakespeare therefore chose to live separately in two places. His imagination and experience of love lie outside of marriage. In Shakespeare's works, desire can be seen everywhere. He created the two greatest couples Romeo and Juliet and Antony and Cleopatra. The former is an infatuated boy and girl, and the latter is a noble middle-aged adulterer to express His dream of love. In addition, the love poems written by Shakespeare are unprecedentedly complex and passionate. That series of sonnets was about his complicated relationship with a handsome young man and a dark-skinned woman. That young man was the Earl of Southampton, and Shakespeare's two long poems "Venus and Adonis" (1593) and "The Humiliation of Lucrece" (1594) were dedicated to him. This "young, ridiculous" earl spent his time watching plays every day. He hated marriage. He was fined 5,000 pounds for refusing to marry the granddaughter of the Queen's treasurer, which panicked the family, so they Ask Shakespeare to write a poem to persuade. In the poem, Shakespeare did not admonish the earl for his narcissism. On the contrary, he said, you are not narcissistic enough. Look at yourself in the mirror. Why don't you make a perfect replica of this beautiful face? "No woman can." Zhen Shuruosi doesn’t want you to reclaim her virgin land.” The problem is that Shakespeare urged a young man to impregnate a woman, yet he fell in love with this young man because of his "unparalleled beauty," which dazzled men and shocked women." The poem reads: " You have the face of a woman, shaped by the hands of the Creator, you, my beloved mistress and lover..." The poet imagined that the Creator originally wanted to create a woman when he created him, but because he liked his work too much, he mistakenly added a certain... What happened between them? Who is the dark-skinned woman? But these poems imply that he loves a man, but this man does not belong to him. He had a passion for a woman, but he was very disgusted with her. Many years passed, and his past passions and desires may have faded away. One day in 1610, Shakespeare retired from London and finally returned. He had been neglected for many years by his wife. However, in the will he drafted before his death in 1616, he left all his property, including barns, stables, orchards, land, etc., to his eldest daughter Susanna. Obtained "a silver and gilded bowl" because the man she married apparently disappointed Shakespeare who was younger than her and got pregnant by another woman. As for his wife of 34 years, Anne, Shakespeare only said in his will. I inserted this sentence: Leave my second best bed and bedding to my wife.