The Life and Literary Legacy of William Shakespeare

The Life of William Shakespeare, English Playwright

William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, in England. He was the third of eight children, the son of John Shakespeare, a merchant, and his wife, Mary Arden.

Early Life and Education

William attended primary school in his town. However, he did not finish school or attend university because his father's business was not prosperous, forcing William to become a butcher's apprentice to help support his family.

Marriage and Move to London

In 1582, he married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a farmer. They had a daughter named Susanna and a pair of twins. Shakespeare left for London in 1588, marking the beginning of his illustrious career as a writer, actor, and poet.

He first gained recognition as a theater actor before writing his own plays. He often interpreted the protagonists of his plays on stage. Eventually, he ventured into the world of poetry, where he also triumphed, just as he had in the theater.

After accumulating a fortune as a writer, actor, and poet, he decided to return to his hometown, Stratford-upon-Avon, where he died on April 23, 1616.

Shakespeare's Literary Works

Shakespeare wrote a total of thirty-four plays for the stage, categorized as follows:

• Fourteen Comedies
• Ten Tragedies
• Ten Historical Dramas

Initially, he was known for writing plays centered on England's important historical figures, kings, and nobles. Later in his career, he began focusing on deeper, more human subjects.

Analysis of Macbeth

Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been first performed around 1606. It dramatizes the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for themselves.

The play, divided into five acts, begins with the prophecy of the witches, who name Macbeth Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and future king. Upon fulfilling the witches' prediction, he accepts his fate. However, his insatiable ambition drives him to plot the death of the reigning king.

To attempt to overtake fate—and to associate with witches, who were violently persecuted and punished by the kings of England at that time—was to accept a tragic destiny.

The murder of the king, planned by Macbeth, takes place in his own home. This death must subsequently be silenced with further death.

Macbeth's modern reason is clouded by the dark prophecies of the witches, who ultimately come to dominate the character's soul.