The Known Facts about Shakespeare - Essay Example

Shakespeare: A life by Park Honan Introduction Over the last decade, we have seen almost all of the known facts about Shakespeare being modified. Historians and authors are coming up with new research. Park Honan, the author of Shakespeare: A Life makes use of this information to significantly change the perceptions we have had of the poet, playwright and actor. Park Honan himself is an author and academic from Utica, New York. He now is an emeritus professor of English and the American Literature at the University of Leeds, and considered one of the best objective biographers of one of the best literary artists that the world has ever known, William Shakespeare. Shakespeare: A Life is one of the several biographies that he has written. In it, Honan aims to come up with the most accurate and up to date narrative of the bard’s life that is yet to be recorded. While dismissing most other writers who, in his view, always imagine motives and moments in the life of Shakespeare, he mostly relies on contextualized and documentary facts to write the book. The book is therefore a blow by blow account of Shakespeare’s life from his birth to his death. Attention is also given to the political, historical and social world that this poet lived in. This paper is therefore a review of this book and its influence on the knowledge that people now have on Shakespeare. Chapter Review There are several scholars of William Shakespeare who could find something legitimate to criticize in Honan’s book. However, the chapters give details for an interesting read. The book has a list of excellent illustrations, an introduction and a not that marks the conventions that have been used in the text. From this content, it is clear that the writing is semi-formal yet at the same time is friendly to the reader and so is his prose. Given that the world of Shakespeare at this time was one of the most interesting; Honan presents the reader with a wealth of political, cultural and social information about this age. He also includes gossip, anecdotes, conjectures and speculations and the correlation between his work and the details of his life. He thus presents the reader with a variety of suggested answers that one would have about William Shakespeare and the age in which he lived in. Honan divides the book into four parts. These are; Part I: A Stratford Youth Chapter One: Birth Chapter one is title Birth. Honan uses this chapter to talk about the town of Stratford-upon-Avon. It is in this chapter that the birth of William Shakespeare is also discussed. In this chapter, the author takes the reader back into the past on a journey to discover when and how this town came to be. It explains the origin of the name, the political and social circumstances and how these issues affected the people. Overall, this chapter is useful for the background information, and with its straightforward way of writing, it is very easy to comprehend. Though very historical, this chapter gives an understanding on the circumstances of one of the greatest literalist roots and the age in which he lived. While it does not necessarily talk about the birth of William Shakespeare exclusively, it discusses the birth of the town in which he was born. Chapter Two: Mother and Child This chapter discusses the Mary Shakespeare and her first born son, William Shakespeare at their residence on Henley street. It also discusses the conditions that prevailed in the house and neighborhood in which Shakespeare was born and raised by her mother. This chapter also deals with John Shakespeare trade and his means of income that he was using to take care of his family and raise his child. Most importantly the chapter reviews the history of Mary Shakespeare, her family and educational background. It is also in this chapter that Honan notes that the fact that Mary’s father made her one of the only two executors of his estate shows how exceptional she was. Chapter Three: John Shakespeare’s Fortunes We get to know in this chapter that there is some dignity, albeit with some pathetic aspect about John Shakespeare. This is revealed by the dim annals of his town as at the time Shakespeare was growing. While his appearances in most works of Shakespeare are few, this chapter reveals to the reader a high spirited man, who sometimes seems injudicious. His spirits reveal his social status and conditions. It is from this chapter that we get to know that there is no doubt that John Shakespeare, the butcher, the glover, the wool-stapler or corn dealer or all of these combined, at Stratford-upon-Avon was Shakespeare’s father. Chapter Four: To Grammar School This chapter reveals the notoriety of John Shakespeare and why his choice of school was significant. The reason he opted to look for a good school for his son was on the belief that he would inherit his trade. It is also in this chapter that we learn of what influence the borough school had in the life and works of William Shakespeare. Most of the things he learnt at the King’s New School on Church street formed a large part of his literary works. These include his reference to Latin and Science, which were only available to a particular class. The chapter also describes his classmates, schoolmates and the relationship he had with them, and his teachers. Chapter Five: Opportunity and Need It is from this chapter that the fact that the young Shakespeare was good in Latin. However, it is also from the chapter that we learn that after school, at around the age of 15 or 16 years, Shakespeare may have joined his father’s trade. This was common in those years. It also reveals that it may have been true that he was a teacher but shows the impossibility that Shakespeare might have worked for a lawyer because according to Honan, nothing really supports these theories. Chapter Six: Love and Early Marriage In this chapter, Honan starts the account of Shakespeare’s story with a harvest metaphor. While the metaphor has nothing to do with the marriage, it fantasizes as to what went through the poet’s mind on discovering that Anne Hathaway was pregnant. This leaves the reader speculating on what Shakespeare was thinking. It is in the same chapter that we learn that Anne’s age and the position she had in the marriage environment, according to Honan, she was older than most women who got married at that time. We however learn that their marriage was not a happy one. Part II: Actor and Poet of the London Stage Chapter Seven: To London and the Amphitheatre Players It is in this chapter that we get to understand that most of the speculations on Shakespeare’s stay in London may not necessary be true. Honan uses factual language to draw a sort of common sense. In essences, he uses this chapter not to speculate that Shakespeare spent a lot of time in London, not to avoid the company of his wife because he did not love her, but because the city provided him with more opportunities and the kind of work he loved: these are acting and writing. We also learn from this chapter that nobody manages to explain how Shakespeare ended up in London, even Honan himself. Chapter Eight: Attitudes This chapter is more of a revelation of Shakespeare’s character. It shows his evolving duties to his troupe, the attitude he has towards Kyd and Marlowe, his literary work and even what the milieu of London presents. The chapter discusses him more as a person rather than a character in history and in literature. It is more or less a concentration of what he is as a growing person and how he made use of his talent. Chapter Nine: The City in September This chapter revolves around London in summer of 1592. Honan notes that from the banks side of the south of river Thames, the city looked beautiful and tranquil. In retrospect, it is clear that what was coming their way was very major. The haze that hovered over the river was brought by the days that followed. We get to experience the how this river controlled the commerce of the city, the arrangement and locations of businesses and amphitheatres relative to it and the weather in September. The chapter illustrates the impact of the plague, the calamity and destruction that it caused not only to the lives of people but also to their means of livelihood. Most of people’s attitudes towards a lot of things changed at this time, including Shakespeare’s. Chapter Ten: A Patron, Poems and Company Work This chapter reveals the knowledge that Shakespeare had of the readership of the sophisticated people of his time. It is through this context that Honan reveals the essence and importance of having a source of funding for literary works, be the written or drama. It is because of the facts that the chapter reveals that we discover the gist of most of the works he did. Chapter Eleven: A Servant of the Lord Chamberlain This chapter is set in the earlier years of 1594. At this time when the plague was abating. It reveals a recovery from the effects of the plague on most drama troupes and the keen interest that people had started to regain on drama and plays. Most dramatists were also using this time sell their publications. It is here that we learn of the focus of Shakespeare’s work towards accepting patronage that was focused more on poetry. This was not a case for the perfuming arts only. Most other artists allover Europe were seeking patrons for their works and exhibitions. Chapter Twelve: New Place and the Country This chapter reveals the other sides of Shakespeare and his influence in literature. It is also in this chapter that we learn that Shakespeare had not intention to own property in London. He had always intended to go back to his hometown where his wife and children were still waiting for him. Though there are illustrations in this chapter that tend towards a contrary position. Part III: The Maturity of Genius Chapter Thirteen: South of Julius Caesar’s Tower Among other things, this chapter discusses the later years of Queen Elizabeth’s reign. It reveals the struggles of people at the time, the passions they had and the goals they had set. It also reveals how certain professions were despised by people, while others were considered sophisticated and respected. This is also the time that playwright and acting were strongly considered. The chapter thus revolves around these concepts. Chapter Fourteen: Hamlet’s Question This chapter is set in cold winter, and marked the worst moments of the year, that basically became a custom, in Shakespeare’s life. It holds the bleak that such cold times bring, not only in their gloom but also in the work of dramatists and playwrights. The chapter also focuses on the rivalry that was gradually sharpening between different acting troupes, the competitions of creating plays and the tensions that these external conflicts and fights caused within individual troupes ultimately. It is also the time when some of Shakespeare’s best literary works were developed. Most significantly is Hamlet, the source of one of the most renowned questions and frequently used phrases, “To be or not to be?” Chapter Fifteen: The King’s Servants The effects of the success that Hamlet are discussed in this chapter. It reviews the encouragement and effect that it had, not only on Shakespeare but also on his troupe. It gave them the confidence that they would be solvent for a while. In addition, the prestige that came with the success allowed them to walk with heads held high. It is also the time that the company was closing. This was significantly because of the death of the aged Queen Elizabeth and the fact that their patron was now incapacitated. The chapter also discusses the effect of the costly Spanish war that was not coming to an end, on the lives of the wealth and poor, who sustained his works. Chapter Sixteen: The Tragic Sublime In addition to several other aspects revolving around the life of Shakespeare in this chapter, this chapter focuses more on the effects that King James’ reign on the works of Shakespeare. It is also discusses the gossip that revolved around the bard’s relationship and a reputedly beautiful lady known as “Jennet”, a lady who was about four years younger than Shakespeare. It gives a background of this lady and the relationship that existed, even with Shakespeare’s family. Part IV: The Last Phase Chapter Seventeen: Tales and Tempers This is a chapter on the tensions and life of the dramatist later years. Most of this was found in the local council. The chapter also mentions Shakespeare’s son in law. It reveals the possibility of Shakespeare returning to a more beautiful and peaceful places compared to London, where he had done most of his work in literature and spent his life. The latter years of Shakespeare are thus discussed in a peaceful setting. The irony is that it is this chapter that also reveals his relations and perceptions to the now extended family that he had. Chapter Eighteen: A Gentleman’s Choice This chapter revolves around his days with friends and families in Stratford and the personal choices that he made, including the decisions to make a will. It sums up the life of a great bard and dramatist, whose work still keep his name alive almost five centuries since his passing. Shakespeare dies on the 23rd day of the month of April, in the year 1616. He is survived by his wife and his two daughters both of who are married before his death. One of them, Judith, gets married to Thomas Quinev, a wine seller about two months before Shakespeare’s death. Most of his estate is left to the elder daughter, with the provision that she passes it down to her first son. It is through this chapter that we also get to know that Shakespeare did not have a direct line of descendants because all his grandchildren died before they had children. Conclusion In conclusion, it worth noting that there was very little evidence of the life that Shakespeare lived. This had forced biographers to sometimes reach out for far-fetched guess work to find a way of recording his days. It is now clear that many of them will find Shakespeare: A Life, a very good dose for their work. This is because; Honan’s book is more of common sense, a critical study. As a biographer who is leading in his field, Honan is able to bring a sensible view to the task of going through what is now called the “Shakespeare industry”. The synthesis of the material documenting Renaissance England with latest scholastic work, I found, is very revealing to the reader. He manages to link Shakespeare’s life with his own form of literary representation. The book is well written and the plot historically develops, more or less like it would in a movie. It presents us with all that could be reasonably speculated or factually known about the life of Shakespeare. As a reader, I found a clear picture of what the childhood of the bard was or might have been like, in a small English town of Stratford. This town in 1560 had but a dozen streets. I met his father, John Shakespeare, a glove maker at Henley Street who eventually rose to the office of the High Bailiff and Justice of the Peace before financial difficulties wore him down. The book also presents a fascinating portrait of London and the life Shakespeare as an Elizabethan actor. It has also shed some light on the relationship of a young Shakespeare, his courtship of Anne Hathaway, the kind of marriage they had, the attitude he had towards women like Marie Mountjoy, Jennet Davenant and his own daughters. Through this Honan manages to reveal the passions, needs, concerns and habits that Shakespeare had and as a reader one gets to learn. As a work of literature and useful for the course, Honan is able to bring us to the new and fresh details of Shakespeare acquaintance with murder and violent crime in his daily life. It also reveals the power of patronage, conditions of theatre and the personal rivalries that reveal the relationship of Shakespeare and his work. Shakespeare: A Life thus sheds new light on a fascinating and complex life of William Shakespeare. It illuminates the extraordinary development into one of the greatest literary figures of all time. Works Cited Honan, Park, Shakespeare: A Life, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998 Read More