Many will agree that you either absolutely adore Shakespeare, or hate him with the fire of a thousand suns (as quoted from 10 things I hate about you). Here are 10 facts you probably didn't know about Shakespeare:
1. He wasn't the only Shakespeare. Yes, he was the better known Shakespeare, but his brother Edmund also participated in London theatre. He was more interested in the acting aspect of theatre than the writing. Edmund was the youngest sibling (six years younger than Shakespeare).
2. It wasn't all doom and gloom. If you've ever studied Macbeth, Hamlet or King Lear, you may recall leaving a lecture feeling almost suicidal, but Shakespeare was in fact a fan of comedy. Think back to characters such as the Fool in Lear; not very funny for us today but would have made an Elizabethan audience roar with laughter.
3. We all use words that Shakespeare invented. Eyeball, bloodstained, radiance, assassination - take your pick.
4. His sonnets aren't all autobiographical. No, they aren't all love letters to his wife Anne Hathaway, sonnets were in fact a way of showing off your technical writing skills. Iambic pentameter, stressed and unstressed syllables, ring any bells?
5. He wasn't rich for all of his career. Shakespeare didn't immediately become rich from his writings, his career was struggle of success as some plays were more popular than others and he even struggled to pay the bills. However, he did end up buying the biggest house in Stratford and had shares in the Globe Theatre.
6. He doesn't have any descendants. Hamnet, Shakespeare's only son, died at the age of 11. Susanna had no children, and Judith's children died. Shakespeare's family tree lived a short life of 25 years after his death.
7. Shakespeare is credited by The Oxford Dictionary for the introduction of almost 3,000 words into the English language.
8. Shakespeare's father followed a very different career path to him. At one point he was getting paid to drink beer. In 1556, he was appointed as the borough's official "ale taster" which meant he would have to check bread and malt liquors.
9. Shakespeare's parents were most likely uneducated and his children were probably illiterate. Nothing is completely certain, however, it is likely that John and Mary Shakespeare never learnt how to read or write and his children were the same, although Susanna could just about scribble her signature down. This wasn't unusual for the Elizabethan period. Shakespeare was one of the lucky few and attended Stratford's grammar school.
10. We probably don't spell Shakespeare's name correctly, and neither did he. Shappere, Shaxberd, Willm Shakp, Willm Shakspere - yup, he's used them all.
Fantastic blog Carys
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