ShakespearesChildhood4

** Answer prepared by: Kimberly Roos ** In Stratford-upon-Avon, the typical person dealt with many laws and didn’t really care about sanitation. According to J.M. Pressley, the author of the website Shakespeare, Stratford was a small town in the Elizabethan Era and had a population of about 2000 in 1562. A town council, know as “the corporation”, made many laws dealt with many issues in Stratford. The council also made laws, like dogs weren’t allowed in the streets unmuzzled, swearing was prohibited, and everyone has to go to church at least once a month. If people disobeyed the laws, there would be penalties and punishments for them. The town council wasn’t the only one to make laws; the church also made laws on how townspeople should behave. Trade was also very big in Stratford, especially on Thursdays, which were known as Market Days. Amanda Mabillard, the author Shakespeare’s biography, cleanliness was unknown to many people in the Elizabethan Era. Streets were filled with garbage, which led to many people having to walk to travel because of the bad road conditions. There was also horrible smells throughout the towns. The lack of sanitation led to many problems, especially disease. Fires were also very common. There were many serious fires that destroyed many things because of the lack of products to put fires out. William Shakespeare had to deal with laws and bad sanitation problems, just like everyone else. William Shakespeare became educated during his fairly regular childhood. Peter Chrisp, the author of the book, __Shakespeare,__ says that Shakespeare was born sometime in April 1564 in a small town, Stratford-upon-Avon. His parents were Mary Arden and John Shakespeare. There is no proof that Shakespeare went to school and was educated, but his Latin and literature skills show us that he did go to school. At around age four, Shakespeare probably went to a “petty school”. A “petty school” is a small private school for girls and boys. Then, when Shakespeare was either six or seven, he went to a Stratford grammar school, where he learned his basic reading and writing skills from an ABC or horn-book. A horn-book was a piece of wood that’s covered with paper and protected by a sheet of transparent horn At Shakespeare’s school, Latin was the focus of his literary training. When Shakespeare was about thirteen, his father, John Shakespeare had to take William out of school because of their family’s social and financial struggles. Shakespeare studied intensely to become a master at his literary craft and get his wonderful acting skills while traveling and visiting playhouses in Stratford. In Shakespeare’s early years, he supposedly worked for a butcher and he helped run his father’s business. Even though Shakespeare didn’t have a good education, the things he did when he was a child help lead him to becoming the great poet, playwright, and actor that we all know him as. There were many things that inspired Shakespeare to become a playwright throughout his childhood. According to Peter Chrisp, Shakespeare’s main influences can from the classical writers that he studied in school. Some of his ideas and plots came from tales or people that he learned about. Terry A. Gray, author of the web page, Shakespeare: the Biography says that another influence of Shakespeare’s plays and poems was the Queen’s Men. The Queen’s Men was a playing company of actors in English Renaissance Theater. They formed in 1583 and became the most dominant acting company throughout the 1580s. The Queen’s Men was also known as Queen Elizabeth’s Men, who became the first large acting company in English Renaissance Theater. They were able to act a new kind of play because of their large size. In 1587, Queen Elizabeth’s Men visited Stratford. Many people thought that their visit to Stratford was the final thing that led Shakespeare to go to London. Later on, the Queen’s Men started having competition with other companies, like the Admiral’s Men and Lord Chamberlain’s Men, which led to the decline of the Queen’s Men. William Shakespeare’s inspiration to become a playwright came from what he learned and saw from his childhood.
 * WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT SHAKESPEARE’S CHILDHOOD? WHAT WAS SHAKESPEARE’S EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION LIKE IN STRATFORD-UPON-AVON? what was daily life like in stratford-upon-avon? WHAT IN HIS EARLY YEARS MAY HAVE INFLUENCED HIS LIFE AND CAREER? WHO ARE the QUEEN’S MEN AND WHAT ROLE MIGHT THEY HAVE PLAYED IN SHAKESPEARE’S EARLY YEARS? **

Works Cited Aqgesen, Colleen, and Magie Blumberg. //Shakespeare for Kids//. Chicago, Il: Chicago Review Press, Incorporated, 1999. Print. Chrisp, Peter. //Shakespeare//. New York, NY: DK Publishing, Inc., 2002. 6-11. Print. Gray, Terry A. "Shakespeare: The Biography."//Shakespeare//. N.p., 9/21/09. Web. 29 Mar 2010. . Mabillard, Amanda. "Shakespeare's biography."//Shakespeare//. Burst Media, 12/24/09. Web. 29 Mar 2010 Pressley, J.M. "Shakespeare's Biography." //Shakespeare//. Shakespeare Resource Center, 1/8/10. Web. 29 Mar 2010. . "Shakespeare's Stratford." //Shakespeare's Houses//. Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, 2010. Web. 29 Mar 2010.