William Shakespeare, a Sweet Swan of Avon
“The applause! Delight! The wonder of our stage! …………………………………………………… Thou art a monument without a tomb, And art alive still while thy book doth live, And we have wits to read and praise to give. ……………………………………………… He was not of an age, but for all time!” Ben Jonson The last half of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th centuries are known as the golden age of English literature. It was the time of the English Renaissance, and sometimes it is even called ,,the age of Shakespeare”. By that time England had become a powerful state, English trade was flourishing. The yoke of the feudal barons had been thrown off. New branches of science were developing. At the same time there was mo change for the better in the life of the English people, and the power of gold grew stronger. Shakespeare saw these contradictions and reflected them in his works. William Shakespeare, the greatest and most famous of English writers, and probably the greatest playwright who has ever lived, was born in the town of Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire. In spite of his fame we know very little about his life. The things that we know about Shakespeare’s life begin with the date when he was baptized in the church of Stratford, on April 26, 1564, when he was only a few days old. So he is believed to have been born April 23. His father, John Shakespeare, was a merchant and he had several houses in Stratford. Two of them were side by side in Henley Street, and it was in one of them that William was born. William’s mother, Mary Arden, was a farmer’s daughter of Wilmcote, near Stratford. William lived in Stratford until he was about twenty-one, when he went to London. We do not know why he left Stratford-on-Avon. There is a story that Shakespeare’s first job in London was holding rich men’s horses at the theatre door. But nobody can be sure that this story is true. Later, Shakespeare’s first job in London was holding rich men’s horses at the theatre door. But nobody can be sure that this story is true.