William Shakespeare: The Greatest Playwright

Summary

Dieses Video-Skript präsentiert William Shakespeare als den größten Schriftsteller der Welt, dessen Werke in jede Sprache übersetzt wurden und die Menschheit tief beeinflusst haben. Es erzählt von seinem Leben in Stratford-upon-Avon, seiner Heirat mit Anne Hathaway, den 'verlorenen Jahren' und seiner Karriere als Schriftsteller und Akteur in London. Die Skripterfassung enthüllt auch Spekulationen über seine Liebesleben, die mögliche Mitarbeit an der King James-Bibel und seine berühmte 'Erste Folio'. Schließlich reflektiert Shakespeare in seinem letzten Werk 'Der Sturm' über Vergebung, Liebe und das menschliche Leben.

Takeaways

• 🎭 William Shakespeare gilt als der größte Schriftsteller aller Zeiten und hat die Literatur tief beeinflusst.
• 📜 Es wird vermutet, dass Shakespeare die erste englische Übersetzung der King James-Bibel verfasst haben könnte.
• 📚 Während seines Lebens veröffentlichte Shakespeare 38 Dramen, 154 Sonette und mehrere Gedichte.
• 🌏 Seine Schriften wurden in jede Sprache der Welt übersetzt, was ihn zu einem weltweit beliebten Autor machte.
• 🏡 Shakespeare wurde im April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, geboren. Sein Vater war ein Handschuherzeuger und hatte auch illegal mit Wolle gehandelt.
• 🚼 Shakespeare heiratete mit 18 Jahren die 26-jährige Anne Hathaway, nachdem er sie schwanger gemacht hatte, was damals als schändlich galt.
• 🤔 Die Jahre zwischen 1585 und 1592, als Shakespeare in London ankam, werden als 'die verlorenen Jahre' bezeichnet, da über sein Leben in dieser Zeit kaum etwas bekannt ist.
• 🎭 In der Elizabethanischen Ära expandierte die Wirtschaft Englands, und die Kunst genoss eine große Beliebtheit. Shakespeare begann seine Karriere als Schauspieler in London.
• 👑 Nachdem König James I die Lord Chamberlain’s Men gefördert hatte, änderten sie ihren Namen in 'The King’s Men'.
• 🏡 1597 kaufte Shakespeare ein Haus für seine Familie in Stratford-upon-Avon, nachdem er erfolgreich genug war, um dies zu finanzieren.
• 🔥 1613 ging die Globe Theatre in Flammen auf, was Shakespeare dazu brachte, mit dem Schreiben zu stoppen.
• ✍️ Nach Shakespeares Tod sammelten seine Kollegen seine Schriften für die Nachwelt in der 'First Folio' zusammen.
• 💭 Shakespeares Figuren sind komplex und reflektieren die menschliche Bedingung, was sein Werk über die Jahrhunderte hinweg nachhaltig macht.

Q & A

Wer wird in dem Skript als der größte Schriftsteller aller Zeiten bezeichnet?

William Shakespeare wird als der größte Schriftsteller aller Zeiten bezeichnet.

Wie viele Stücke, Sonette und Gedichte hat Shakespeare während seines Lebens veröffentlicht?

Während seines Lebens hat Shakespeare 38 Stücke, 154 Sonette und mehrere Gedichte veröffentlicht.

Woher stammt der Glaube, dass Shakespeare möglicherweise die erste englische Übersetzung der King James-Bibel geschrieben haben könnte?

Einige Historiker glauben, dass Shakespeare die erste englische Übersetzung der King James-Bibel geschrieben haben könnte, aufgrund seiner umfassenden Sprachfähigkeiten und seines Einflusses auf die englische Literatur.

Welche berufliche Tätigkeit hat Shakespeares Vater vor seinem Amt als High Bailiff ausgeübt?

Shakespeares Vater, John Shakespeare, war ein Handschuhmacher und hatte auch ein Nebengeschäft mit dem Handel von Wolle, was jedoch ohne Lizenz illegal war.

Warum hat Shakespeare nur bis zum Alter von 13 Jahren die Schule besucht?

Shakespeare hat nur bis zum Alter von 13 Jahren die Schule besucht, weil sein Vater nach einem legalen Skandal die Schulgeldzahlung nicht mehr leisten konnte.

Was war das Alter von Anne Hathaway, als sie Shakespeare heiratete?

Anne Hathaway war 26 Jahre alt, als sie Shakespeare heiratete.

Was ist die Bedeutung der 'verlorenen Jahre' in Bezug auf Shakespeares Leben?

Die 'verlorenen Jahre' beziehen sich auf die Zeit zwischen dem Geburtsort seiner Zwillinge 1585 und dem Zeitpunkt, an dem er 1592 nach London zog, um Schriftsteller zu werden. In dieser Zeit gibt es keine Aufzeichnungen über sein Leben, und viele Theorien sind daher reine Spekulation.

Wie hat die wirtschaftliche Expansion im englischen Elizabethanischen Zeitalter Shakespeares Karriere beeinflusst?

Die wirtschaftliche Expansion im Elizabethanischen Zeitalter hat zu einer Zunahme der Kunst und Kultur geführt, was Shakespeare geholfen hat, als Schriftsteller und Schauspieler erfolgreich zu werden.

Was war das einzige Mal, dass Shakespeare in seinem Testament über seine Frau schrieb, und was stand dort?

Das einzige Mal, dass Shakespeare in seinem Testament über seine Frau Anne Hathaway schrieb, war in der Form eines Vermächtnisses: 'Item I give unto my wife are the second-best bed, and the furniture.'

Wie erklärt man die dauerhafte Beliebtheit von Shakespeares Werken?

Shakespeares Werke sind dauerhaft beliebt, weil er die menschliche Natur und gemeinsame Emotionen und Lebenserfahrungen tief untersucht hat, was zu komplexen Charakteren und nachdenklichen Geschichten führt, die über Generationen hinweg anziehen.

Was könnte die Inspiration für Shakespeares Charakter Prospero in 'The Tempest' sein?

Prospero in 'The Tempest' könnte von Shakespeares eigener Lebenserfahrung und seinen Überlegungen zum Vergebung, zur Liebe und zur menschlichen Natur inspiriert sein, vor allem angesichts der Tatsache, dass das Stück eines seiner letzten war und er möglicherweise über sein eigenes Leben nachgedacht hat.

Outlines

00:00

🎭 Leben und Werke Shakespeares

Der Abschnitt beschreibt William Shakespeare als den größten Schriftsteller der Welt, dessen Werke in jede Sprache übersetzt wurden und weltweit beliebt sind. Shakespeare, der im Jahr 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon geboren wurde, stammte aus einer Familie von Landwirten und wurde von seinem Vater, einem Handschuhmacher und ehemaligen Bürgermeister, erzogen. Trotz eines frühen Rückzugs von der Schule und einer Zeit der Unsicherheit in seinen jungen Jahren, heiratete er Anne Hathaway und hatte drei Kinder. Die 'verlorenen Jahre' zwischen 1585 und 1592, als er nach London zog, um Schriftsteller zu werden, sind von Spekulationen geprägt, darunter die Möglichkeit, dass er einen Soldaten oder Rechtsanwalt war. Seine Karriere begann als Mitglied der Lord Chamberlain’s Men, einer Schauspieltruppe, für die er vor allem als Schauspieler arbeitete, bis seine Dramen und Sonette an Popularität gewannen und er zu einem der meistgelesenen Autoren der Welt wurde.

05:03

🎨 Shakespeares beruflicher Aufstieg und Erfolg

Dieser Abschnitt konzentriert sich auf Shakespeares beruflichen Aufstieg während der elisabetanischen Ära, einer Zeit wirtschaftlicher Expansion und wachsender Beliebtheit der Künste. Shakespeare begann seine Karriere als Mitglied der Lord Chamberlain’s Men, einer Schauspieltruppe, die später von König James I gefördert wurde und den Namen 'The King’s Men' erhielt. Seine Dramen, die ursprünglich historische Figuren wie König Heinrich VI. und Richard III. behandelten, zeichneten sich durch ihre Popularität und finanziellen Erfolg aus, was dazu beitrug, dass die Truppe die Bühne des Globe Theatre mietete. Nachdem er 1596 mit 'The Comedy of Errors' erfolgreich wurde, konnte er 1597 sein eigenes Haus in Stratford-upon-Avon kaufen. Die Geschichte der Truppe, die das Globe Theatre nach einem Mietvertragsstreit selbst niederbauen und über den Themse flussübergreifen ließ, stärkte ihren Ruf und Shakespeares beruflichen Erfolg.

10:05

💖 Liebe, Familie und Spekulationen über Shakespeares Sexualität

In diesem Abschnitt werden Aspekte von Shakespeares Privatleben und Spekulationen über seine Sexualität erörtert. Es wird diskutiert, dass Shakespeare möglicherweise bi-sexuell war, was durch die Darstellung von Zärtlichkeiten zwischen Männern auf der Bühne der elisabetanischen Ära nahegelegt wird. Seine Sonette, insbesondere 'Fair Youth', deuten auf eine romantische Beziehung zu einem jungen Mann hin, was durch die Andeutung einer 'frauenhaften' Schönheit des Adressaten noch unterstreicht. Zudem wird die Theorie erörtert, dass er eine Liebesaffäre mit einer 'dunklen Dame' hatte, die in der Sonette 'The Dark Lady' beschrieben wird. Die Zeit, die er mit seiner Familie in Stratford-upon-Avon verbrachte, bleibt unklar, jedoch wird die tiefe Trauer über den Tod seines Sohnes Hamnet und die daraus resultierende Inspiration für das Stück 'Hamlet' thematisiert.

15:09

🔥 Der Untergang des Globe Theatre und Shakespeares letzte Jahre

Der vierte Abschnitt beschreibt den Brand des Globe Theatre im Jahr 1613 und Shakespeares darauf folgende Pause in der Schreibtätigkeit. Nach dem Brand, der während einer Vorstellung von 'Henry VIII' durch einen Schießunfall verursacht wurde, zog Shakespeare zurück nach Stratford-upon-Avon, wo er drei Jahre später starb. Es wird spekuliert, dass seine zitternde Handschrift in seinen letzten Jahren auf eine späte Syphilis-Erkrankung hindeutet, die zu Nervenschäden und eventuell auch zu Quecksilbervergiftung geführt haben könnte. Shakespeares letzter Wille, in dem er seiner Frau 'das zweitbeste Bett und die Möbel' vermachte, wirft ein besonderes Licht auf seine Beziehung zu Anne Hathaway. Nach seinem Tod sammelten die Mitglieder der King's Men seine Manuskripte zu dem 'First Folio', um sie für zukünftige Generationen zu bewahren. Shakespeares Schreibweise, die die menschliche Bedingung und die Komplexität der Charaktere hervorhebt, hat seine Werke zu einem unvergleichlichen Phänomen gemacht, das Jahrhunderte überdauert hat.

Keywords

💡Shakespeare

William Shakespeare ist als einer der bedeutendsten englischen Schriftsteller und Dramatiker bekannt. Sein Werk hat die Weltliteratur tief beeinflusst und ist in jede Sprache übersetzt. Im Video wird seine Bedeutung als größter Schriftsteller aller Zeiten hervorgehoben und seine lebensgeschichtlichen Ereignisse sowie seine Werke werden diskutiert.

💡Stratford-upon-Avon

Stratford-upon-Avon ist die Geburtsstadt Shakespeares und ein wichtiger Bezugspunkt für sein frühes Leben. Im Video wird erwähnt, dass er dort geboren wurde und später immer noch mit seiner Familie in Verbindung stand, obwohl er später nach London zog.

💡The Globe Theater

Das Globe Theater war die Bühne, auf der viele von Shakespeares Dramen uraufgeführt wurden. Im Video wird die Rolle des Theaters in der Karriere Shakespeares betont, einschließlich des tragischen Brandes von 1613.

💡Dichtung

Shakespeares Werk umfasst Dramen, Sonette und Gedichte. Im Video wird seine Fähigkeit, reine Fiktion in Form von Dramen wie 'The Comedy of Errors' zu schaffen, hervorgehoben.

💡Historische Dramen

Ein Teil von Shakespeares Dramen basiert auf historischen Ereignissen und Figuren, wie z.B. 'König Heinrich VI' und 'Richard III'. Im Video wird diskutiert, dass seine Darstellungen lange als historisch genau angesehen wurden, bevor moderne Forschung zeigte, dass er manchmal die Wahrheit veränderte.

💡Sonette

Shakespeares Sonette sind bekannt für ihre kunstvolle Struktur und tiefe Emotionen. Im Video wird erwähnt, dass er auch Sonette veröffentlichte, die später von wohlhabenden Gönnern unterstützt wurden.

💡König James-Bibel

Die King James Version der Bibel ist eine berühmte englische Übersetzung, an der einige Historiker glauben, dass Shakespeare mitgewirkt haben könnte. Im Video wird spekuliert, dass seine sprachliche Fähigkeit und sein Einfluss dies nahelegen.

💡Hamnet

Hamnet war Shakespeares einziger Sohn, der jung starb. Im Video wird vermutet, dass dieser Verlust ihn inspirierte, das Drama 'Hamlet' zu schreiben, das ähnliche thematische Elemente behandelt.

💡The King's Men

The King's Men war die Schauspieltruppe, für die Shakespeare schrieb und bei der er auch auftrat. Nach der Fürsorgung durch König James I änderte sich der Name von Lord Chamberlain’s Men in The King's Men, was im Video erwähnt wird.

💡First Folio

Das First Folio ist eine Sammlung von Shakespeares Dramen, die von seinen Kollegen nach seinem Tod veröffentlicht wurde, um sein Werk für zukünftige Generationen zu bewahren. Im Video wird das First Folio als wichtiger Schritt zur Etablierung seines Nachlasses dargestellt.

💡Menschheitsbilder

Shakespeares Charaktere sind bekannt für ihre Komplexität und ihre Fähigkeit, universelle menschliche Emotionen und Erfahrungen zu reflektieren. Im Video wird betont, dass dies einer der Gründe ist, warum sein Werk nach so vielen Jahrhunderten immer noch relevant ist und von neuen Autoren inspiriert.

Highlights

William Shakespeare wird als größter Schriftsteller aller Zeiten anerkannt und hat einen enormen Einfluss auf die Literatur geübt.

Shakespeare könnte die erste englische Übersetzung der King James-Bibel verfasst haben.

Während seines Lebens veröffentlichte er 38 Dramen, 154 Sonette und mehrere Gedichte.

Shakespeares Schriften wurden in jede Sprache der Welt übersetzt, was ihn zu einem der wenigen weltweit beliebten Schriftsteller machte.

Die meisten Historiker glauben, dass Shakespeare im April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon geboren wurde.

Sein Vater, John Shakespeare, war ein erfolgreicher Handschuhmacher und hatte eine Nebenbeschäftigung im illegalen Wollhandel.

William Shakespeare besuchte nur die Grundschule bis zum Alter von 13 Jahren, da sein Vater die Schulgeldern nach einem gerichtlichen Skandal nicht mehr bezahlen konnte.

Shakespeare heiratete Anne Hathaway, die 26 Jahre alt war und schwanger war, was in der elisabethanischen Gesellschaft als schändlich galt.

Shakespeare und Anne hatten Zwillinge, Hamnet und Judith, und das Leben in Stratford-upon-Avon beeinflusste seine frühen Jahre stark.

Die Zeit zwischen dem Geburtsort der Zwillinge 1585 und dem Umzug nach London 1592 wird als 'die verlorenen Jahre' bezeichnet.

Shakespeare begann seine Karriere als Schauspieler in London im Alter von 28 Jahren und arbeitete für die Lord Chamberlain’s Men.

Seine Dramen waren so beliebt, dass sogar Mitglieder der königlichen Familie regelmäßig zu seinen Aufführungen kamen.

Nachdem König Jakob I. die Macht übernommen hatte, sponserte er Lord Chamberlain’s Men, und der Name der Truppe wurde in 'The King’s Men' geändert.

Shakespeares erstes vollständig fiktive Drama 'The Comedy of Errors' erschien, als er 32 Jahre alt war.

Seine Schriften haben die Sprache und die Kultur tief beeinflusst, und seine Charaktere sind komplex und reflektieren die menschliche Natur.

Shakespeares Werke, einschließlich 'Hamlet', wurden von der Tragödie seines einzigen Sohnes Hamnet inspiriert, der im Alter von 11 Jahren starb.

Es gibt Theorien, dass Shakespeare möglicherweise nicht alleine gearbeitet hat, da manche Historiker es schwer finden zu glauben, dass ein früh unterbrochener Bildungsweg zu solch hervorragender Schreibfähigkeit führen könnte.

Shakespeares letztes Testament enthält die einzige Erwähnung seiner Frau, in der er ihr das 'zweite beste Bett und die Möbel' vermacht.

Die 'First Folio', die von den Mitgliedern der King’s Men zusammengetragen wurde, bewahrte Shakespeares Dramen für zukünftige Generationen.

Transcripts

“All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their

exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts.”

William Shakespeare was the greatest writer of all time.

He has had the biggest impact on literature for all of human history.

Some historians believe that he may have even written the first English translation of the

King James Bible.

During his lifetime, he published 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and several poems.

His writing has been translated into every single language in the world, making him one

of the only writers who is universally popular with everyone.

So, who was this man?

And how did his life experience shape him into someone so profound, that his words have

lasted for hundreds of years?

Life in Stratford-upon-Avon Most historians believe that William Shakespeare

was born approximately April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England.

His father, John Shakespeare, was the son of successful farmers, and a glove-maker.

John was very popular in town, and made a lot of friends.

One year, he was given the hilarious position of Stratford’s “official ale taster”,

and in 1568, he was appointed as the High Bailiff, which is like a modern-day mayor.

Aside from his glove business, John also had a side hustle trading wool, which was actually

illegal to do without a proper license.

During this time, John bought several properties in Stratford, and was moving up in both financial

and social status.

However, this upward mobility would come to a halt when John was finally caught for illegally

trading wool.

He was forced to go to court and pay substantial fines.

William Shakespeare only attended primary school until age 13, because his father could

no longer pay for the tuition after his legal scandal.

No one is sure what young William did between the ages of 13 to 18, but he most likely worked

with his father to help keep the family business afloat.

According to the records kept by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, William was just 18 years

old when he got a 26 year old woman named Anne Hathaway pregnant.

In Elizabethan England, the age of consent was 21.

So William had to get Anne’s father’s permission for the two of them to get married.

This would have been very shameful in the eyes of Elizabethan society.

Normally, parents helped to arrange marriages with their young daughters and eligible suitors.

Women never had a choice in who they married, and this courtship process often started in

their teenage years.

Girls could get married as young as 12, if their parents gave consent, but the majority

began searching for their daughter’s husbands at age 14 to 15.

With young men, however, most parents allowed their sons to choose their own wife after

the age of consent at 21.

By age 26, women were considered to be an “old maid”, because they would have gone

through over 10 years of courtship and no proposals of marriage.

If a woman went too long without finding a husband, she was considered to have something

seriously wrong with her, and would be labeled as a “witch”.

Anne Hathaway was already 26, and had failed to find a husband.

Many historians speculate that Anne must have seduced the young and naive William Shakespeare,

knowing that it would force them to get married.

This held young Shakespeare back from pursuing his dream for years.

Back then, if a young man was a father, he was no longer eligible to become an apprentice

in a skilled trade.

So getting a woman pregnant as a teenager would essentially sentence a man to a life

of poverty, and he would be doomed to work in the lowest paying jobs for the rest of

his life.

They were married in November of 1582.

Six months later, Anne gave birth to their daughter, Susanna.

As a teenage parent, Shakespeare did not have the money to care for a child, so he and Anne

had to live with William’s parents.

He had 5 younger siblings who were just 2 to 13 years old when his daughter Susanna

was born.

There are no records that give us any insight into how William felt about Anne, but the

lack of evidence speaks volumes, as well.

Most writers can’t help but gush with words of admiration about the people they love.

Considering that he would later create some of the most romantic stories of all time,

we know that he must have fallen in love at some point in his life.

But most historians believe that his inspiration came from affairs he had later in life.

William and Anne went on to have twins- a boy and girl named Hamnet and Judith.

Between the years that his twins were born in 1585, leading up to the point where he

moved to London to become a writer in 1592 have been called “the lost years”.

Back then, it was totally normal for people not to keep records of their own lives, especially

when he was just your average laborer.

But this period of time has become legendary among Shakespeare nerds, who like to imagine

what sort of life would have lead to him to ultimately decide to move to London to become

an actor.

Since there are no records, everything that has been written about the lost years is basically

fan fiction.

The only real clue is a poem from his play As You Like It, which has been called “The

seven ages of man.”

This has people speculating that he may have become a soldier, or a legal clerk.

However, this was written in a work of fiction, so it really may have nothing to do with his

personal life.

For now, much of his young life will simply remain a mystery.

Self-Made Success During the Elizabethan Era, there was an economic

expansion in England.

With more money comes more time for leisure, so citizens were indulging in the arts more

than ever before.

Records of William Shakespeare living in London as an actor began when he was 28 years old.

His wife, Anne, and his children remained living in his father’s home in Stratford-upon-Avon,

and he would send money to support them.

Before he wrote plays, he had been publishing poetry and sonnets with the help of wealthy

patrons.

At the time, becoming an actor was not the dream career that it is today.

In fact, actors were considered to be untrustworthy vagabonds who came from the lowest class of

society.

In this way, his struggles in his earlier life may have been a blessing in disguise,

because if he had a better job, he may have never stooped so low as to run away and join

the theater.

He began working for an acting company called Lord Chamberlain’s Men.

For years, Shakespeare mainly worked as an actor, and would only occasionally submit

a script of a play or a sonnet for the company to perform.

After performing some of his plays, co-workers realized that Shakespeare’s scripts were

the most popular, by far, and they drew the biggest crowds.

It made the most financial sense for the troupe to continue performing Shakespeare’s work

above anyone else’s.

The troupe would rent the stage from the owner of The Globe Theater.

At the time, there were several popular theaters in London called The Rose, The Hope, and The

Swan.

So they were far from being the only company who was trying to capture an audience’s

attention.

The performances at The Globe became so popular, the entire city would come to see Shakespeare’s

work.

The theater was set up to incorporate special effects into their performances like trap

doors and overhead rigging.

At one point, performances at The Globe were so popular, even members of the royal family

would come to see them on a regular basis.

When King James I came into power, he decided to sponsor Lord Chamberlain’s Men, so they

changed the company name to “The King’s Men”.

In the beginning of his playwriting career, Shakespeare wrote biographies about the lives

of King Henry VI and Richard III.

Shakespeare’s plays were considered to be historically accurate for a long time.

However, after discovering the remains of Richard III, scientists realized that while

Shakespeare’s exaggerated his physical appearance, so it is likely that he exaggerated his personality,

too.

By the time he was 32 years old, he came out with his first play that was a complete work

of fiction, called “The Comedy of Errors.”

That same year, in 1596, William’s father John Shakespeare was able to secure a family

coat of arms, which was a sign that their family was now accepted into the upper echelons

of society.

In 1597, William Shakespeare was 33 years old, and his writing career was finally successful

enough so that he could afford to buy his own house for his wife and children in Stratford-upon-Avon.

He called the house “New Place”.

At the time, it would have taken two to three days of travel on horseback to get to London,

so he always kept an apartment in the city.

The stereotype that actors were vagabonds wasn’t too far from the truth.

At the very least, you could say that they were incredibly crafty.

In 1597, the owner of The Globe Theater, Giles Allen, wanted to tear it down so that he could

sell the land.

He abruptly ended the lease with the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.

This would have ruined their careers, since most other theaters in London were full with

their competitors.

But someone came up with a genius solution.

They offered to give Giles Allen free labor to dismantle the theater themselves, in exchange

for them “putting the materials to better use”.

Allen planned to just burn the wood, anyway, so he didn’t see the problem with that.

The theater troupe all got together in the middle of the night to carefully tear down

the theater, and they went to a property across the Thames river.

Then, they used all of these free materials to rebuild the Globe Theater exactly as it

had been, only now, it was across the river.

They had the exact same performance space without having to pay their rent.

This stunt became the talk of the town, and only made their company even more popular,

but the landlord was furious.

Giles Allen tried to take them to court to sue them for the value of the theater.

After reading the contract he signed, the judge found The Lord Chamberlain’s Men not

guilty of any crime, and they had every right to do whatever they wanted with the materials.

For the rest of his life, William Shakespeare’s reputation would continue to grow, and he

was nothing short of a celebrity.

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And let's get back to Shakespear.

Love & Family Now that William Shakespeare was living on

his own and succeeding in his career, he was able to enjoy the freedoms of being a bachelor.

There is some speculation that he may have actually been bisexual.

After all, plays during the Elizabethan Era were always performed with an all-male cast.

Men with fair features would cross-dress to play the female roles, and they would often

kiss on stage.

This was one of the many reasons why actors were considered to be so low-class, as well.

So for a man to choose to leave his wife and kids to run away to the theater, it’s not

so hard to imagine that his sexuality may have had something to do with it.

One of the biggest pieces of evidence is his sonnet, “Fair Youth”, which holds the

famous line; “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”

It is very romantic, but few people realize that it was actually a love poem written about

a young man.

He kept that poem hidden for years, until it was recovered after his death.

It was later edited to remove all of the male pronouns.

But there was one line where he describes the fair youth as having “a woman’s face”.

The most popular theory as to the identity of the “fair youth” is one of his first

patrons, Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton.

He began to financially supporting Shakespeare’s work in the beginning of his writing career,

and they remained loyal friends long after he became a famous playwright.

Looking at the portrait of a young Henry Wriothesley, he truly does look androgynous, and he seems

to be the most likely candidate.

For the historians who feel threatened by the idea that Shakespeare was not straight,

they try to claim that they were just really good friends.

Because, y’know, it’s totally normal for dudes to write love poems about each other,

right?

Yet another poem may have revealed details of one of Shakespeare’s lovers.

This time, in a sonnet called “The Dark Lady”, he describes a woman with black hair

and eyes, with brown skin.

Historians have tried to figure out who this woman was.

There are several theories, including one that he was writing about a famous London

sex worker nicknamed “Black Luce”.

We do not know how much time he spent in Stratford-upon-Avon with his family, but considering how busy

he was working in London, most speculate that he only saw them on holidays.

When William Shakespeare was in his 40’s, his son Hamnet died at just 11 years old.

At the time, the bubonic plague was killing people across England, and one third of the

children died by the age of 10.

Hamnet had been his only son, so his death affected him very deeply.

Most people speculate that the death of his son is what inspired him to write his play

“Hamlet”.

Did He Work Alone?

For years, some historians have speculated that William Shakespeare may not have worked

alone, because they have a hard time believing that someone who stopped his education by

age 13 could not possibly grow up to be the greatest writer of all time.

We do know that a fellow playwright named Thomas Middleton either collaborated, or edited

Shakespeare’s work.

It’s perfectly normal for writers to collaborate on projects together, and he probably got

plenty of feedback from his co-workers in the acting troupe.

However, most modern-day readers will never even see just how impressive his writing truly

was, and a trained eye can see the progression in his style.

The way we pronounce words in the English language has dramatically changed.

In his original scripts, there is even more rhyming and clever puns hidden in the dialogue

that a modern-day reader would never pick up on.

And yet, it’s still incredible, even if we miss half of the jokes.

At the very beginning of this video, we mentioned that he may have had a hand in collaborating

with The King James Bible.

In 1610, King James set out to translate the Bible from Latin to English, but for those

who have studied theology, you already know that the translation is not exact.

William Shakespeare was one of the most respected writers in England at the time, and King James

would have surely gone to see his plays.

So it would only make sense that he may have been at least one of the collaborators on

writing the Bible.

William Shakespeare was 46 years old at the time, and the project began soon after his

birthday.

Historians with way too much time on their hands figured out that in Psalm 46, if you

count out 46 words from the beginning of the verse, you’ll find the word “shake”,

and then if you count 46 words backwards from the end, you’ll find the word “spear”.

Most believe that this is enough evidence to prove that he really did write the book,

and this was the only way he could slip his authorship into the text.

Even though we see his hidden signature, we still do not know if he wrote the entirety

of the King James Bible by himself, or if there were other collaborators.

However, you can take a quotation quiz online called “Bible or Shakespeare?” and you’ll

quickly realize that the writing styles between Shakespeare’s plays and the Bible are so

similar, even fans have trouble knowing the difference.

There is a common saying that Shakespeare was so profound, every single story that has

been written since then cannot help but be influenced by him, or the Bible...And, since

he wrote both, it’s all just him.

The End of A Life.

Beginning of A Legacy In 1613, The Globe Theater burned to the ground

during a performance of “Henry VIII”.

They were shooting off cannons to create a realistic effect of a battle, but they accidently

set fire to the theater.

After the fire, he stopped writing, because there was nowhere for his plays to be performed.

The troupe began to rebuild the theater almost immediately, but for William Shakespeare,

this situation was so traumatic, he needed a break from writing.

He moved back to live with Anne Hathaway in Stratford-up-Avon, and died just 3 years later.

In 2018, a movie called All is True speculated what life must have been like for him during

his short retirement.

Historians have noted that in these last three years, William Shakespeare’s handwriting

was very shaky from hand tremors.

This could have indicated that he contracted syphilis from one of his lovers, and was now

in the later stages of the disease.

Some believe that he was also suffering from mercury poisoning, and this may explain some

of his more dark and tragic work.

In 1616, William Shakespeare was just 52 years old, and on the verge of death.

He wrote his last will and testament, which is where we find the only time he had ever

written about his wife; “Item I give unto my wife are the second-best bed, and the furniture.”

Many husbands made their wives executors of their will, and wrote some romantic words

about how they trusted them with their estates.

But, nope.

That’s all he had to say.

After he died, the men who worked together with William Shakespeare in The King’s Men

gathered together his scripts to preserve them for future generations.

This is known as the “First Folio”.

Later, the poetry that was attributed to him was added to the “Second Folio”, and whatever

they could find was considered his “Complete Works”.

But, of course, there is always a chance that he had written other pieces that the world

never knew about.

Even though these plays were kept by a ragtag group of actors, his words resonated with

people so much, that it became a world-wide phenomenon.

So, what makes Shakespeare’s writing so good?

How has it lasted for hundreds of years, and people are still reading and becoming inspired

by it?

The answer is that Shakespeare took the time to study human beings.

No matter who we are, all people share common emotions and life experiences.

In fiction, characters often get placed in scenarios where it’s easy to find solutions.

The knight slays the dragon.

The princess is rescued by a prince.

Most legendary stories and fairy tales are black-and-white.

But Shakespeare’s characters are truly complex, just like real people.

In real life, we are sometimes put in a situation that is so difficult, there is no absolute

“right thing” to do.

We simply have to follow our intuition and make a choice, and deal with negative consequences

either way.

By tapping into the human condition, his tragedies were heart-wrenching, and his romances were

epic.

But through it all, he tries to insert comedy to help people laugh at even the hardest things

in life.

His characters have helped people to have more empathy for the plight of others, instead

of casting judgement far too quickly.

And every new generation of aspiring writers since then has tried to accomplish the same.

We do not have any journals to help us figure out what went through William Shakespeare’s

mind at the end of his life when he was struggling with a terminal illness.

But we do have some very powerful insights into his mind from one of his last plays called

The Tempest.

He probably knew that he would die soon.

So, within the text of this play, he just may have tried to tell the world some of the

most valuable advice he learned throughout his lifetime.

The main character is a man named Prospero who was trapped on an island with his daughter.

He becomes a sorcerer, and he communes with spirits who give him control over the weather.

At certain points in the story, Prospero seems to be on the brink of madness as he uses his

power to go after his revenge.

But throughout the course of the play, he learns how to forgive his enemies, not judge

people based on their appearances, and embrace love as being one of the most powerful things

in the world.

In the end, Prospero asks the audience for forgiveness for the terrible things he had

done, too, and it was met with thunderous applause.

With this in mind, we’ll leave you with some of the last lines William Shakespeare

wrote in The Tempest; “Our revels now are ended.

These our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits and

Are melted into air.

We are such stuff As dreams are made on, and our little life

Is rounded with a sleep.”