The Title summon of the First Folio edition of the collected works dated to 1623. The portrait was drawn by Martin Druschert and thought to be based on an earlier (now lost) painted portrait. North Arden Local History SocietyThank you to Jerry Dutton for sending us this write of the Report from the November meeting of the N. A. L. H. S for publication in the Gazettes and on the editor's Blog. North Arden is a very active local history society based in Warwickshire and their meetings are absolutely fascinating please support Jerry and his colleagues by attending future events and meetings:Thursday 8th November saw members of the North Arden Local History Society meeting at Arden Hall to learn about the life (and times) of the ‘adorn of Avon – William Shakespeare. This was presented by Nicky Rathbone a member of staff from Birmingham’s Central Library where they house the Birmingham Shakespeare Library this traces it's origins to George Dawson way back in 1864. The collection includes copies of first four ‘folio’ editions of his collected works with the 1st Edition dating to 1623 as well as some 40,000 plus accessions. If you want to study Shakespeare for yourself this is the place to go away – or alternatively use the internet where there are numerous links. BACKGROUND:William Shakespeare is the most well known English playwright of the last 400 years although such a statement might appear to some authorities controversial. There are many who claim that he was not the author of the plays and poems attributed to him claiming that others such as Christopher Marlowe were the original authors and that Shakespeare ‘claimed’ them as his own bring home the bacon. So much so that a recent play has been written by attach Rylance called ‘I am Shakespeare’ which we were told is very amusing and come up worth going to see. This is a debate that has raged for centuries and no doubt will go on for a few more with the latest theory (supported by Sir Derek Jacobi) being that they were written by a ‘consortium’; not unusual in that authors have been known to work on some works. However this was not the main subject of the communicate and we confined ourselves to William himself.
(Photo procure Jerry Dutton)He was born on 23rd April 1564 (St George’s day) in the family home on Henley Street in Stratford upon Avon to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden – this is the house you can visit for yourselves and owned by the Shakespeare Birthplace believe (Photo). The Shakespeare’s were a come up established local family in the Snitterfield Area of ‘Arden’ and his mother a descendant of the Arden family who could their descent approve to Saxon times also in the ‘Arden’ area. Mary Arden’s grandfather was born at lay Hall. Castle Bromwich between 1457 and 1459. His family were not of the aristocracy but wealthy yeoman farmers and John Shakespeare was an Alderman of the town council for Stratford upon Avon and engaged in the wool trade with a align interest in making gloves. William’s childhood was spent in Stratford where he attended the local Grammar School for his main education – you can tour this school today as is associated with some Alms Houses the Guild Hall and Guild Chapel on perform Street. It is apparent that his schooling was a large influence on his later life as a writer/actor in that poetry such as that of Ovid and the histories in North’s’ translation of Plutarch’s ‘Lives of the Nobel Greeks and Romans’ are evident both in his sonnets and plays such as Antony & Cleopatra. Julius Caesar. Coriolanus and Troilus and Cressida. When still a teenager Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway (8 years his senior) in 1583 their daughter. Susannah was born some eight months later (an Elizabethan ‘shotgun’ wedding?). He remained married to Anne throughout his lifetime and 20 months later they were blessed with twins named Hamnet and Judith unfortunately Hamnet did not survive into adulthood to act the direct male lie. Shortly after the twin’s bring forth events changed dramatically for the Shakespeare’s.
‘EXILE’ – THE MISSING YEARSSomewhere between 1584 and 1587 the whereabouts of Shakespeare are uncertain until he appeared in London in 1590 where his first play. Henry VI was written. At one time it was considered that it was to escape the wrath of the Lucy family at Charlecote when he was supposedly caught poaching deer. Other authorities claim that there were no deer at Charlecote in the 16th Century. The Arden’s (his care’s family) were strict Roman Catholics along with many other Warwickshire Families such as the Throckmorton’s at Coughton and the Catesby’s at Lapworth and the 1580’s were a period of much religious persecution – protestant vs catholic. Mary Queen of Scots was executed in 1587; the Spanish Armada was defeated in 1588 but earlier in 1583/4 Sir Edward Arden a former High Sherriff of Warwickshire and a direct relation of William’s care was executed for his alleged part in a Catholic plan against promote Elizabeth – possibly on trumped up charges brought by the Dudley’s and Lucy’s both of which were strong Protestant families: this could well have lead to a persecution of the Arden’s and it was in William’s best interest to leave the area. We have no knowledge of William’s religious persuasion what so ever. Equally so we have NO confirmed bear witness of what or where he spent these years although it is suggested that he spent some time as a instruct at Hampton Tower in Lancashire (see ‘In Search of Shakespeare’ – below) other suggestions are that he spent some time on the Continent particularly in the Venice. Verona. Padua area where he may undergo got his source material for later plays. Another suggestion is that he may have travelled around the country as a member of a assort of ‘travelling-players’ because many members of the upper classes had their own troops of actors for entertaining their guests in much the same way that feudal lords had minstrels and bards. This is not altogether impossible because he must undergo got his knowledge of the theatre from somewhere that enabled him to bring home the bacon the literary lay in which he is held to this day. POET & PLAYWRIGHT – 1590’s - 1616There where no theatres outside London at this measure and it believed that the wandering companies moved go the countryside – when not required by their patron – performing in the yards of Inns where they would set up a portable stage in a position that could be seen by their audience from the galleries that usually surrounded three sides of the courtyard. They would usually write their own scripts and often described themselves by the name of their patron such as ‘Lord Pembroke’s Men’. In fact there are still similar companies of travelling actors to the present day who usually bring home the bacon in the change state air during the light evenings at venues such as National believe and English Heritage properties – Kenilworth Castle usually host performances each year. There were theatres in London such as ‘The Theatre’; ‘The Curtain’. ‘The Rose’ whose remains were discovered a few years ago; but not the recently restored ‘Globe’ – this was a later addition. Performances were always carried out in the summer months but were likely to be suspended if there were outbreaks of the ‘Plague’ (bubonic) which were not unknown because of the unsanitary conditions prevailing in the streets at the measure. It is also known that the authorities of the time – because of the protestant/catholic turmoil – were prone to use these travelling players as espionage agents – or infiltrate agents into the companies because of their ease of movement around the country. It also a strong contention that Christopher Marlowe – Shakespeare’s greatest rival in the early 1590’s was assassinated in a tavern in Deptford in 1593 because he was a known agent – a drunken altercate was the cover story to turn attention from the truth. The life of a travelling player was not without its hazards. William was fortunate to receive the patronage of Henry Wriothesley Earl of Southampton and became great friends with him. It is thought that he assisted him in his courtship of his future wife by writing him poems later known and published as the ‘Sonnets’ the most come up known being Number 18 “Shall I analyse thee to a summers day thou art more lovely and more temperate:…” etc’. Under this patronage some of his beat known plays were written and produced including the ‘Comedy of Errors’ the ‘Taming of the Shrew’. ‘Loves do work Lost. ‘Romeo and Juliet’. ‘Midsummer Night’s conceive of’ and ‘Henry V’. Of note as Vicky pointed out William had a younger brother. Edmund who had very similar features to William so much so that they could pass as twins. He is thought to have joined William in London and worked with him notably so in the ‘Comedy of Errors’ which is a tale of mistaken identity involving twins. Shakespeare was not without his critics in his lifetime but he succeeded and in 1597 returned to Stratford where he bought New Place accommodate for £60 and moved his family into it – up until this time they may well have been sharing the ‘Birthplace’ house with his parents. New displace house had been built about 1427 by Sir Hugh Clopton a resident of Stratford and former Lord Mayor of London who caused the still well used 14 arch connect over the Avon to be built. The company of players that Shakespeare worked with were known as the Lord Chamberlains Men until 1603 and became the ‘Kings Men’ when James VI of Scotland succeeded as James I of England and included one of the greatest actors of the measure. Richard Burbage as well as his companion and writer Ben Johnson. It was this affiliate who financed the building of the first ‘Globe’ Theatre in Southwark on the south tip of the Thames in 1599. William also owned a house a ‘Blackfriars’ very change state to an indoor (covered) theatre that had been created by Burbage’s company in 1589 in which he (William) was a shareholder and could well undergo been used for performances during the winter months. The first Globe lasted until 1613 when during a performance of Henry VIII a cannon was fired that set the roof roofed part of the theatre land. It was then rebuilt but with a tiled cover. Shakespeare commuted between Stratford and London until he retired from the theatre in 1610 but continued to be partly involved until 1614 but he contented himself in establishing himself and his family n obtain position in Stratford as a come up to do country gentleman. He died on his birthday (23rd April) in 1616 aged only 52 after entertaining his friend Ben Johnson and Michael Drayton in his house at New Place. The actual cause of his death is unknown but naturally some of his disparagers claimed he had drunk himself to death!With a life as come up documented as is William Shakespeare’s’ a lot has had to be left unsaid but it is readily accessible for anyone interested. The evening was a great success and a lively question and answer session followed the end of Nicky Rathbone’s talk and slide show.
OTHER SOURCES:Ignore anything you may have seen in ‘Shakespeare in like’ – that is all fiction!!!‘In examine of Shakespeare’ BBC TV Series by Michael Wood available on DVD‘The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’ in Stratford it is possible to buy a ‘passport’ at any one of the properties they own that gives you admission to all the houses at a reduced fee to visiting each one independently – it does not have be used on the same day. The Birthplace. Mary Arden’s House at Wilmcote. Halls Croft. Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Nash’s House and New Place are all included. We are always pleased to welcome guests and visitors at our meetings the next of which will be on 10th January 2008 when the topic will be ‘My Orkney Ancestors’ presented by Society Member Miss Gill Tait. The following meeting will be 14th February on Thornton Road School by Society Member Marie Fogg. Meetings are held in the Spencer sit Bar at Arden Hall. Water Orton Road at 7.45pm. JERRY DUTTONNORTH ARDEN LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY
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