Education2

** What was education and school like in Shakespeare's England? How was it different in urban/rural life? How was it different in noble/merchant/common life? **

 * Answer prepared by: Catherine J. **

William Shakespeare was born into this world in April of 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Here, Shakespeare grew up and went to school and began a life that changed the English language and literature as a whole.The city was a market town, so people often visited to sell cattle or crops and to buy things. It was also a crossroads, so it was a very busy town full of people traveling all around or going to the market. This small city of only about 1,500 people was the birthplace to a new era in our world and is now famous for this icon's hometown.

In Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare went to a petty school, probably at the age of about four. The purpose of this school was to teach the kids early English and Latin, which was very important because you needed to know Latin to go to the university. Children at these petty schools learned to read using a wood board covered with paper, called a hornbook. They also learned prayers and learned how to ask questions and answer them properly. These schools provided a solid base education for the boys and maybe could have let to why Shakespeare was so smart to be able to write all his plays.

Many people wonder what got Shakespeare so into drama? Well, many people do not know about the years of his life called the "Lost Years" between his childhood and when he went to London which was from 1585 to 1592, and we can only surmise possibilities as to what got him interested. One assumption is that a group of men called the Queen's Men came through Stratford-upon-Avon when Shakespeare was young and arose his interest in acting and plays. This group of men went around England and performed small plays and such to different cities. This group had also just lost a group member, so they were short one, and Shakespeare could have joined in with them.

Shakespeare's life is definitely one of the most intriguing lives that people wonder about, not only because of how much we know and how much he changed the world, but because of how much we do not know. There is so much information that would help people learn more that we just do not have, but that is what makes it more interesting and lets people guess about what they think happened in this life of mystery but also fascination.

This is a map of England and it shows where Stratford-Upon-Avon is in relation to other cities in England like London and Manchester.

This is a painting of Stratford-Upon-Avon and what it was said to look like back in Shakespeare's time.

What is Stratford-Upon-Avon like today? This video is an overview of Stratford pictures with history of Shakespeare in it too, showing his old house and other items. Also, it shows what the city is like today and what the buildings look like nowadays.

This is a hornbook in which the children at grammar schools learned to read an write

Byrson, Bill. Shakespeare. The World as a Stage. 1. 1. New York City: HarperPress, September 10, 2007. 80. Print.
 * Works Cited:**

Robert Ingpen, Micheal Rosen. Shakespeare. 1. 1. New York City: Candlewick, October 15, 2001. 104. Print.

Chrisp, Peter. Shakespeare. 1. 1. New York City: DK CHILDREN, Febuary 1, 2002. 94. Print.