Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello - their thoughts and actions are known throughout the world. Oddly enough, almost nothing is known about the playwright who created these characters, William Shakespeare. His literary heritage, perhaps one of the richest in the world: 37 plays, 154 sonnets, two long poems and many poems. However, only two images of him have survived that claim to be authentic; There are no letters or diaries left to reveal his feelings, and Shakespeare's handwriting is evidenced only by a few illegible signatures and 147 lines of a scene he co-wrote for a play written around 1595 but banned by censors. Despite the fact that the achievements of Shakespeare the playwright were recognized by his contemporaries, he himself believed that only poetry would bring him the fame he deserved. The complete collection of his plays was not published until seven years after his death in 1616, and some scholars still argue that not all of them were by the playwright. Potential biographers of Shakespeare have only fragments at their disposal from which they have to reconstruct his life. In the parish register of Stratford-upon-Avon, an English town of about 20,000 people located 33 kilometers south-east of Birmingham, there is a Latin entry for the baptism on April 26, 1564: "Gulielmus, filius Johannes Shaksper" - William, son of John Shakespeare. William was the third child (and first son) of eight children of Mary Arden and her husband, John Shakespeare, a glove maker who later became a town councilor. Most likely, William was born two or three days before the christening. There is no information about his education, but it can be assumed that he studied Latin grammar at Stratford school. His upbringing would also include church attendance and intensive Bible study. In late November or early December 1582, 18-year-old Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a successful farmer, eight years his senior. Six months later, their daughter Suzanne was born, and in February 1585, twins were born: son Hamlet and daughter Judith. About his life, from this date until 1592, when William Shakespeare, already popular actor and an aspiring playwright, appeared in London, nothing is known.
Upstart Crow
It is largely on the basis of this caustic and contemptuous remark by Robert Greene that historians consider the three parts of Henry VI to be Shakespeare's first play. Most likely, it was written before 1592, when Shakespeare was an aspiring actor and played in one of the London theater troupes, such as the Queen's Troupe. In January 1593, a plague epidemic broke out in London, and Privy Council Queen banned "all plays, bear and bull baiting, bowling, and all gatherings of any number of people (except sermons and divine services in churches)." Theaters reopened only in the fall of 1594. By the time the plague had subsided, Shakespeare had acquired a patron, the handsome young Earl of Southampton, to whom he dedicated his poems Venus and Adonis and Lucretia. Venus and Adonis, published in 1593, was his first published work. And when theaters reopened, Shakespeare joined the Lord Chancellor's company, with which he would remain inseparable until his retirement from the stage 18 years later. The ledger of Queen Elizabeth's Treasurer lists William Shakespeare as one of the three "servants of the Lord Chancellor" who were paid a sum to appear before the Queen at her Greenwich Palace on 26 and 28 December 1594. As comedies, tragedies and historical dramas appeared one after another, not only Shakespeare's fame grew, but also his wealth: he soon became a shareholder of the troupe and its main playwright. Most likely, he staged his own plays. It is also known that Shakespeare continued to act - both in his own plays and in the plays of other authors, including his young protégé Ben Jonson. His best role was considered to be that of Hamlet's father's ghost, and Shakespeare's younger brother recalled his role as the old servant Adam in As You Like It. Despite the fact that Shakespeare was rather indifferent to the publication of his theatrical plays, by the end of the century several of them were published - both with his consent and without his knowledge, often without even indicating the name of the author. In some cases, the playwright had to publish corrected texts of plays that were published in incomplete or distorted form. In February 1599, Shakespeare joined other members of the Lord Chancellor's company, who, having rented a plot of land on the south bank of the Thames, built a large new theater- "Globe". Already in the fall, the Globe opened with the play “Julius Caesar.” Armoy, to Stratford We have no record of Anne Hathaway moving to London with her three children to live with her husband. On the contrary, family famous actor and the playwright apparently lived in Stratford, first in a small house in Henley Street, and after 1597 in a beautiful three-story house with five gables, located in the back of the court on Chapel Street opposite the church that Shakespeare went to as a boy. Their son Hamlet died at age 11, but both of Shakespeare's daughters married during their father's lifetime, and his eldest daughter Susanna bore his only granddaughter, Elizabeth Hall. After 1612, Shakespeare finally returned to Stratford, and on March 25, 1616, he wrote his will - separately bequeathing his “second and best bed” to his wife Anne Hathaway, with whom he lived for 33 years. He died a month later, on April 23, almost his 52nd birthday.
In Search of Shakespeare
Shakespeare's works are unusually multifaceted. At one time, doubts were expressed that they could come from the pen of one person - especially such a relatively poorly educated one as the far from brilliant actor from Stratford. The celebrated plays, with their intricate plots and unforgettable characters, are striking in their depth and breadth human feelings and reflect the author’s knowledge in the field of history, literature, philosophy, law and even court etiquette. How did this provincial, who belonged to the lower strata of society, know how aristocrats behave and lawyers speak? Maybe the actor allowed his name to be used educated person who occupied a high position and wanted to keep his authorship secret? In 1781, the English priest J. Wilmot, having studied the archives of Stratford, came to a striking conclusion: a man of Shakespeare's origin did not have the education and experience to create these immortal works. Not wanting to publish his work, Wilmot burned all the notes, however, confiding his suspicions to a friend, whose story about their conversation was published only in 1932. Meanwhile in mid-19th century century, English and American scientists began to put forward similar theories. In 1856, one of them, William Henry Smith, suggested that the author of the plays was Sir Francis Bacon. This philosopher, essayist and statesman held high office under Queen Elizabeth's successor, James I, and was later ennobled by his royal patron. Scientists on both sides Atlantic Ocean seized on Smith's hypothesis, unleashing an avalanche of documents in support of it. The Baconians, as they came to be called, pointed out that Sir Francis had all the qualities that Shakespeare lacked: a classical education, position at court and a good knowledge of jurisprudence. Unfortunately, Bacon clearly had no interest in the theater and, as far as is known, never wrote blank verse. In 1955, the American scholar Calvin Hoffman identified the author of Shakespeare's plays as the Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe, who was threatened with prison and possibly death in 1593 for his heretical views. According to Hoffman's theory, Marlowe staged his own murder in a pub south of London, the real victim of which was a foreign sailor. Having fled to the continent, Marlowe continued to write plays that had already brought him recognition in London, and sent them to England to be staged under the name of Shakespeare. Aristocratic candidates
Neither Bacon nor Marlowe nor the younger playwright Ben Jonson wrote Shakespeare's plays, other literary detectives say. In fact, their author was a nobleman who either considered it beneath his dignity to write for the theater, or was afraid of displeasing the queen by openly expressing controversial issues. political views. Nominated candidates of aristocratic origin and contemporary with Shakespeare include William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby, Roger Manners, 5th Earl of Rutland, and Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. Despite the fact that Lord Derby showed great interest in the theater and even wrote several plays, it should be noted that he outlived Shakespeare by 26 years, during which not a single new Shakespearean play appeared. As for Lord Rutland's candidacy, he was only 16 years old in 1592, the year in which at least three of Shakespeare's plays were written and performed. And Lord Oxford died in 1604, although Shakespeare's masterpieces such as King Lear, Macbeth and The Tempest continued to appear until 1612, the date of his supposed return to Stratford. Despite intriguing hypotheses about a mysterious author hiding under the name of a country actor, most scholars today recognize William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon as the author of great works. Shakespeare was recognized as a genius during his lifetime, and his contemporaries did not have the slightest doubt about his authorship. It is useless to try to explain where he got the experience and talent necessary to create his masterpieces. Isn't it better to be grateful young man, who 400 years ago went to London, leaving his humble past behind him. His action made the world a much richer place.
Great English poet and playwright. His works have become classics of world literature and are still relevant today. He was able to introduce more than 2,000 new words into the speech of the English people. The life of this man is full of legends and mysteries, and scientists still cannot reveal the secret of his personality. Could a simple, poorly educated London theater actor have written so brilliant works? Was this the right person hiding under the mask of this talented poet? Despite the fact that the answers have not yet been found, he is rightfully considered the best playwright in world history. William Shakespeare is a Stratford man.
Brief biography of William Shakespeare
As can be learned from church records, the future poet was born and baptized in 1564 in the small town of Stratford on the Avon River north of London. His family had many children and was considered one of the wealthiest in the city. The father was engaged in moneylending and was subsequently elected to public office, and the mother came from a noble Saxon family.
Historians believe that William attended a local grammar school, where he had the opportunity to study several languages, in particular Greek and Latin. Subsequently, his family goes bankrupt and the future poet will have to leave school and get a job. A few years later, he marries his beloved Anne Hathaway, who will bear him three children.
In 1587, leaving his family, he moved to London, joining one of the theater troupes. In the capital, he was offered various roles in the theater, but, according to researchers, there was no success in the acting field. Having started writing plays for the troupe, he gained popularity among the public. Even the royal nobility came to his plays at the theater.
Then William becomes one of the owners of the capital's Globus Theater, where his performances were staged. The theater subsequently burned down due to cannon fire during one of the productions.
In 1612, after 25 years of work in London, the playwright returned to his hometown and died a few years later.
Creation
To date rare person have not encountered one way or another with the work of William Shakespeare. “Romeo and Juliet”, “King Lear”, “Macbeth”, “Hamlet” - this is a small list of works that are rightfully considered masterpieces of world literature. One play, Macbeth, is performed every four hours around the world.
The first period of his creative life glorified Shakespeare as an author of comedies. They show optimism, human virtues and cheerfulness predominate. The plays end with a happy ending. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “The Taming of the Shrew”, “The Merchant of Venice” appeared from the poet’s pen in the 90s of the 16th century. Historical chronicles also appeared - “Julius Caesar”, “Henry V”. Even in them, Shakespeare managed to show the triumph of the main character and make the ending happy.
One of the most heartfelt works, Hamlet, appeared in the second period of Shakespeare's work. All the heroes of this tragedy suffer, deceive, expose, and the ending turns out to be the complete opposite of what the poet wrote in the first period of his creativity. But at the same time, Shakespeare manages to convey that in tragedy the heroes are able to live and fight. Life has the ability to convey meaning to anyone who seeks it.
In his last works, Shakespeare managed to skillfully combine elements of comedy and tragedy, as well as add fabulousness. Some of the most popular were fantasy plays - “Cymbeline”, “ Winter's Tale" and "Storm". These plays were mostly written for an audience that wanted fun and entertainment.
1. For several centuries, historians have debated whether Shakespeare was the real author of his works. The only handwritten source was his will, in which not a word was mentioned about the works. Another reason was his lack of education. Many literary scholars agree that man could not live without higher education write such deep, versatile works that are still considered world masterpieces.
2. There is no autograph in any of Shakespeare's works. Scientists have to be content with only six signatures that they found in official documents - wills and mortgages on real estate.
3. Many historians believe that Shakespeare committed suicide. The theme of suicide is involved in many of his works. Lady Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Cleopatra, Hamlet - all these heroes either committed suicide or monologued about suicide.
4. Some biographers question his traditional orientation because he dedicated several of his love poems and sonnets to an unknown man. He lived in London for a long time without a family, and his best friend was Count Henry Risley, who is depicted in many portraits in women's dresses and with makeup on his face.
5. It is believed that the playwright was afraid of his own exhumation and this was reflected in some of his works. That is why on his tombstone it is written: “Friend, for the Lord's sake, do not swarm the remains taken by this land; He who is untouched is blessed throughout the ages, And cursed is he who touches my ashes.”
Brief biography of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare is an outstanding English poet and playwright. He is considered the greatest writer of English origin and one of the best playwrights in the world. Shakespeare, according to legend, was born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. On April 26, he was baptized in the Church of the Holy Trinity. The writer's father was a wealthy artisan and was often elected to important positions. There is evidence that he was mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon. Shakespeare's mother came from the old Arden family. Presumably, the boy attended Stratford Grammar School, where he studied Latin and literature.
Upon reaching the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a wealthy landowner, who was several years older than him. They had three children. When William was about 23 years old, he moved to London where he took a job. At first he did any small jobs, and then got a job in the theater. It is not known for certain when his career began, but biographers place this stage in the mid-1580s. In 1592, Shakespeare was already a famous playwright, as well as a member of the Burbage London acting troupe, which received royal status under James I. The first mention of the historical chronicle of the writer “Henry VI”, which was staged on the stage of the Rose Theater, owned by Philip Henslowe, dates back to this time.
In 1599 his company built a new theater on the south bank of the Thames called the Globe. A few years later they acquired another indoor theater, Blackfires. Thanks to his rapid theatrical career, Shakespeare soon became a very rich man. There is information that already in 1597 he acquired one of the largest houses in his native Stratford. Since 1598, his name was replete with leaflets of publications. Combining acting and dramaturgical activities, Shakespeare spent most of his time in London, but went home during breaks. There is evidence that he preferred to play “royal roles” in his theater. For example, he played Hamlet's father, the Chorus in Henry V, etc.
IN early XVII centuries, many theaters in London were closed due to outbreaks of plague. The actors, remaining unemployed, went home. So, shortly before his death, Shakespeare returned to Stratford-upon-Avon. During the years 1606-1607 he wrote several more plays, and in 1613 he stopped writing altogether. It is believed that the last three plays were written jointly with another playwright, John Fletcher. Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616. During his short career, he wrote more than 10 tragedies, 17 comedies, 10 historical chronicles, more than 150 sonnets and many romantic poems. The most famous of his works are A Midsummer Night's Dream, King Lear, Hamlet, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, Othello, Much Ado About Nothing, and of course, Romeo and Juliet " There is no clear chronology of the appearance of Shakespeare's works.
Great playwright of Renaissance England, national poet, awarded world recognition, William Shakespeare was born in the town of Stratford, which is located north of London. Only information about his baptism on April 26, 1564 has been preserved in history.
The boy's parents were John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. They were among the city's wealthy citizens. In addition to farming, the boy's father was engaged in the manufacture of gloves, as well as small moneylending. He was elected to the city's governing board several times, served as constable and even mayor.
According to some reports, John belonged to the Catholic faith, for which at the end of his life he was persecuted, forcing him to sell all his lands. During his life he paid large amounts Protestant Church for failure to attend the service. William's mother was a Saxon born, she belonged to an ancient, respected family. Mary gave birth to 8 children, the third of whom was William.
In Stratford, little William Shakespeare received a good education for those times. As a child, he entered a grammar school, where he studied Latin and ancient Greek. For a deeper and more complete mastery of ancient languages, students were expected to participate in school productions of plays in Latin.
According to some reports, in addition to this educational institution, William Shakespeare in his youth also attended the royal school, which was also located in his hometown. There he had the opportunity to familiarize himself with ancient Roman poetic works.
Personal life
At the age of 18, young William began an affair with the 26-year-old daughter of a neighbor, Anne Hathaway, with whom he soon married. The reason for the hasty marriage was the girl’s pregnancy. In those days, premarital affairs in England were considered the norm; marriage often took place after the conception of the first child. The only condition for such relationships was a mandatory wedding before the birth of the child. When the young couple's daughter Susan was born in 1583, William was happy. All his life he was especially attached to her, even after the birth two years later of twins, a son, Khemnet, and a second daughter, Judith.
There were no more children in the poet’s family, most likely due to the second difficult birth of his wife Ann. In 1596, the Shakespeare couple experienced a personal tragedy: their only heir died during a dysentery epidemic. After William moved to London, his family remained in their hometown. Infrequently, but regularly, William visited his relatives.
Historians build many mysteries about his personal life in London. It is quite possible that the playwright lived alone. Some researchers of the poet’s biography attribute to him love affairs, including with the male sex. But this information remains unproven.
Unknown seven years
William Shakespeare is one of the few authors about whom information was collected literally bit by bit. Very little direct evidence remains of his life. Basically, all information about William Shakespeare was extracted from secondary sources, such as statements of contemporaries or administrative records. Therefore, researchers build mysteries about the seven years after the birth of his twins and before the first mention of his work in London.
Shakespeare is credited with serving a noble landowner as a teacher, and working in London theaters as a prompter, stagehand, and even a horse breeder. But there is no truly reliable information about this period of the poet’s life.
London period
In 1592, a statement by the English poet Robert Greene about the work of young William appeared in the press. This is the first mention of Shakespeare as an author. The aristocrat in his pamphlet tried to ridicule the young playwright, since he saw in him a strong competitor, but who was not distinguished by noble origin and good education. At the same time, mention is made of the first productions of Shakespeare's play Henry VI at the Rose Theater in London.
This work was written in the spirit of the popular English chronicle genre. This type of performance was common during the Renaissance in England; it had an epic narrative nature, scenes and paintings were often unrelated. The chronicles were intended to glorify the statehood of England as opposed to feudal fragmentation and internecine wars.
It is known that William has been a member of the large acting community of the Lord Chamberlain's Men since 1594 and soon becomes its co-founder. The productions brought great success, and the troupe short time became so rich that she allowed herself to build the famous Globe Theater building over the next five years. And by 1608, theatergoers also acquired an enclosed space, which they called Blackfriars.
The success was largely facilitated by the goodwill of the rulers of England: Elizabeth I and her heir James I, who theater group I acquired permission to change my status. Since 1603, the troupe received the name “The King’s Servants.” Shakespeare not only wrote plays, he also took an active part in the production of his works. In particular, information has been preserved that William played the main roles in all of his plays.
State
According to some evidence, in particular about the real estate purchases made by William Shakespeare, he earned enough and was successful in financial affairs. The playwright is credited with engaging in usury.
Thanks to his savings, in 1597 William was able to afford to buy a spacious mansion in Stratford. In addition, after his death, Shakespeare was immediately buried in the altar of the Church of the Holy Trinity hometown. This honor was given to him not for special merits, but because during his lifetime he paid the required amount for his burial place.
Periods of creativity
The great playwright created an immortal treasury that nourishes world culture for more than five centuries in a row. The plots of his plays became an inspiration not only for artists drama theaters, but also for many composers, as well as for film directors. For all my creative life Shakespeare repeatedly changed the nature of writing his works.
His first plays, in their structure, often copied popular genres and plots of the time, such as chronicles, Renaissance comedies (The Taming of the Shrew), and “horror tragedies” (Titus Andronicus). These were cumbersome works with a large number of characters and unnatural syllables for perception. Using classical forms for that time, young Shakespeare learned the basics of writing drama.
Second half of the 90s XVI century was marked by the appearance of dramaturgically refined works for the theater in form and content. The poet is looking for a new form, without deviating from the given framework of Renaissance comedy and tragedy. It fills old obsolete forms with new content. This is how the brilliant tragedy “Romeo and Juliet”, the comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “The Merchant of Venice” were born. The freshness of the verse in Shakespeare's new works is combined with an unusual and memorable plot, which makes these plays popular with audiences of all segments of the population.
At the same time, Shakespeare created a cycle of sonnets, a genre of love poetry that was famous at that time. These poetic masterpieces of the master were forgotten for almost two centuries, but with the advent of romanticism they regained fame. In the 19th century, a fashion arose for quoting immortal lines written at the end of the Renaissance by an English genius.
Thematically, the poems are love letters to an unknown young man, and only the last 26 sonnets out of 154 are an appeal to a black-haired lady. Many researchers see in this cycle autobiographical features, suggesting the playwright's unconventional orientation. But some historians are inclined to think that these sonnets use William Shakespeare’s appeal to his patron and friend the Earl of Southampton in the then accepted secular society form.
At the turn of the century, works appeared in the works of William Shakespeare that made his name immortal in the history of world literature and theater. An almost established, creatively and financially successful playwright creates a number of tragedies that brought him fame not only in England. These are the plays "Hamlet", "Macbeth", "King Lear", "Othello". These works raised the popularity of the Globe Theater to the heights of one of the most visited entertainment venues in London. At the same time, the fortune of its owners, including Shakespeare, has increased several times over a short period.
At the end of his career, Shakespeare composed a number of immortal works that surprised his contemporaries with their new form. They combine tragedy with comedy, and fairy tales woven into the fabric of descriptions of situations from everyday life. First of all, these are fantasy plays “The Tempest”, “The Winter's Tale”, as well as dramas based on ancient subjects - “Coriolanus”, “Antony and Cleopatra”. In these works, Shakespeare acted as a great expert on the laws of drama, who easily and gracefully brings together the features of tragedy and fairy tales, complex high syllables and understandable figures of speech.
Individually, many of dramatic works Shakespeare's works were published during his lifetime. But full meeting works, which included almost all the canonical plays of the playwright, appeared only in 1623. The collection was published on the initiative of Shakespeare's friends William John Heming and Henry Condel, who worked in the Globe troupe. The book, consisting of 36 plays by an English author, was published under the title “First Folio”.
During the 17th century, three more folios were published, which came out with some changes and with the addition of previously unpublished plays.
Death
Since William Shakespeare suffered from a serious illness in the last years of his life, as evidenced by his altered handwriting, he co-authored some of his last plays with another playwright of the troupe, whose name was John Fletcher.
After 1613, Shakespeare finally left London, but did not give up running some affairs. He still manages to take part in his friend’s trial as a defense witness, and also acquires another mansion in the former Blackfriar parish. For some time, William Shakespeare lived on the estate of his son-in-law John Hall.
Three years before his death, William Shakespeare writes his will, in which he leaves almost all his property to his eldest daughter. The English writer died at the end of April 1616 in own home. His wife Anne survived her husband by 7 years.
In the family of the eldest daughter Susan, by this time the granddaughter of the genius Elizabeth had already been born, but she died childless. The family of Shakespeare's youngest daughter Judith, who married Thomas Quiney literally two months after her father's death, had three boys, but they all died in their youth. Therefore, Shakespeare has no direct descendants.
- No one knows the exact date of birth of William Shakespeare. In the arsenal of historians there is only a church record of the baby’s baptism, which took place on April 26, 1564. Researchers suggest that the ritual was performed on the third day after birth. Accordingly, incredibly, the date of birth and death of the playwright fell on the same date - April 23.
- The great English poet had a phenomenal memory, his knowledge could be compared to encyclopedic. In addition to speaking two ancient languages, he also knew the modern dialects of France, Italy and Spain, although he himself never left the English state. Shakespeare understood both the subtle historical issues, and in the current political climate. His knowledge touched on music and painting, and he thoroughly studied a whole layer of botany.
- Many historians are inclined to believe that the poet is gay, citing the fact that the playwright lived separately from his family, as well as his long friendship with the Earl of Southampton, who had the habit of dressing in women's clothing and applying large amounts of paint to his face. But there is no direct evidence of this.
- The Protestant faith of Shakespeare and his family remains in doubt. There is indirect evidence that his father belongs to the Catholic denomination. But during the reign of Elizabeth I it was forbidden to be an open Catholic, so many adherents of this branch simply paid off the reformers and attended Catholic services in secret.
- The only autograph of the writer that has survived to this day is his will. In it, he lists all his property down to the smallest detail, but never mentions his literary works.
- Throughout his life, Shakespeare supposedly changed about 10 professions. He was a theater stable keeper, an actor, a theater co-founder, and a stage director. In parallel with acting William was involved in moneylending business, and at the end of his life he was engaged in brewing and renting out housing.
- Modern historians support the version about unknown writer, who made Shakespeare his figurehead. Even the Encyclopedia Britannica does not reject the version that Count Edward de Vere could have created plays under the pseudonym Shakespeare. According to a number of guesses, it could be Lord Francis Bacon, Queen Elizabeth I, and even a whole group of people of aristocratic origin.
- Shakespeare's poetic style had a great influence on the development English language, forming the basis of modern grammar, as well as enriching the literary speech of the British with new phrases, which used quotes from the works of the classic. Shakespeare left more than 1,700 new words as a legacy to his compatriots.
Famous Shakespeare Quotes
Famous phrases of the classic often contain philosophical thoughts that are expressed very precisely and concisely. Large quantity subtle observations dedicated to the love sphere. Here are some of them:
- “You are so eager to judge the sins of others - start with your own and won’t get to others”;
- “Vows made in a storm are forgotten in calm weather”;
- “With one glance you can kill love, with one glance you can resurrect it”;
- “What does the name mean? A rose smells like a rose, whether you call it a rose or not”;
- “Love runs away from those who chase it, and falls on the necks of those who run away.”
Brief biography of the poet, basic facts of life and work:
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (1564-1616)
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. The exact date of his birth is unknown. The parish register records the baptism of the infant William Shakespeare on April 26, 1564. On this basis, Shakespeare scholars agreed that April 23, 1564 should be considered the birthday of the great playwright.
Stratford-upon-Avon is a small town, but in the Middle Ages it stood at the crossroads of trade routes, and therefore its citizens were quite wealthy people. Since 1553, Stratford began to elect a local body of self-government - a corporation of citizens, which in turn elected a Council that was in charge of all the affairs of the city, even fashion and clothing style.
John Shakespeare, the father of the future poet, comes from peasants. In his youth, he was a glover and traded in livestock and wool, but over time he began to occupy various positions in the city government system, at one time he served as bailiff, and later even headed the city council, although not for long. John married Mary Ardenne, the daughter of a small landowner from Warwickshire, from whom his father leased land. While Shakespeare was already in London, Edward Ardenne, the elder of the poet's mother's family, came into conflict with the Earl of Leicester, the lover of Elizabeth I, was falsely accused of treason and publicly beheaded. The poet's parents were staunch Catholics, which was not welcomed in those days - the royal court was Protestant.
It is assumed that upon reaching the appropriate age, William was sent to Stratford Grammar School - one of the best provincial schools in those days. educational institutions. One can only guess exactly about the poet’s childhood and teenage years. There is an opinion that after leaving school, William helped his father, even slaughtered bulls, and for some time taught in a rural school.
Further information about Shakespeare appears only in the document on permission to marry Anne Hathaway (Anne Hathaway) from Stratford, issued on November 27, 1582, when William was eighteen years old. The daughter of a wealthy farmer, Anna, was eight years older than her husband, and William had known her since childhood. Shakespeare scholars suggest that sonnet 145 was written by the poet in his youth and dedicated to Anne Hathaway. The wedding took place on November 28, 1582, and the bride was pregnant. On May 26, 1583, the young Shakespeares had their eldest daughter, Susan... Twins Hamnet and Judith were born in February 1585.
Around 1587, marked by the execution of Mary Stuart, Shakespeare left his family and, in order to earn money, moved to London, where he almost immediately threw in his lot with the theater. Initially, the poet served as a groom, receiving horses from gentlemen who came to performances. We know almost nothing about his acting activities. It is only known that in the period 1593-1594, the young man joined one of the leading English theater troupes of that time - Richard Burbage's troupe called "The Lord Chamberlain's Men"; that in his plays he played the role of the Ghost in Hamlet and Adam in As You Like It. Shakespeare also played in other people's plays. Thus, he made the last appearance on stage in his life in Ben Jonson’s play “Sejanus”. Apparently, Shakespeare was not particularly popular as an actor, since he played only minor and episodic roles.
IN late XVI centuries, plague epidemics often occurred in England. During such periods, quarantine was declared and theaters were closed. People were leaving the capital. Shakespeare usually holed up either in the castles of his patrons, most often with the Earl of Southampton, a brilliant young nobleman and patron of literature, or in Stratford with his family and was engaged in creative work.
During one of these epidemics, Shakespeare's first poem, Venus and Adonis, was written. The poet published it in 1593. The poem was written in the then fashionable erotic genre and was dedicated to Duke Henry Risley of Southampton. Subsequently, Shakespeare's poetic work became an evidence base for lovers of fried food in subsequent times. Some began to argue that behind the name of Shakespeare the poet was hiding a woman, almost Elizabeth I herself, others insist on his non-traditional sexual orientation.
Be that as it may, already at the end of the 16th century the poem “Venus and Adonis” was very popular and was republished eight times during the poet’s lifetime.
Shakespeare's sonnets, one of the unsurpassed pinnacles of world poetry, were created in the period approximately 1592-1598. The only complete edition of them during his lifetime was carried out in 1609 without the knowledge of the author. The next complete edition was published after the poet’s death in 1640. Most likely, we now know a number of sonnets in a corrupted version. Correct order Their succession is also unknown to us.
Who are Shakespeare's sonnets dedicated to? Thematically, the entire cycle is divided into two groups. The first - sonnets from 1 to 126 - is addressed to the poet's friend; the second - sonnets from 127 to 154 - are dedicated to his beloved, the “dark lady”. Researchers argue about the hero of the sonnets of the first group, and many adhere to the point of view that they are talking not so much about carnal love, but about male friendship in the spirit of Renaissance traditions. Two real historical figures are specifically named - the Duke of Southampton and the seventeen-year-old favorite of the Elizabethan court, Count William Herbert Pembroke, who later became Lord Chamberlain at the court of King James I and in 1609 published a book of his sonnets without Shakespeare's consent. It is known that the young count was a very playful character and seduced many of the queen’s ladies-in-waiting, which repeatedly caused noisy court scandals.
By “dark lady” most often they mean either Elizabeth Verney, the lover and later wife of the Duke of Southampton, or the lady of the court Mary Fitton - another mistress of the Earl of Pembroke, or Emilia Lanier - a lady of “not the most difficult behavior” with whom Shakespeare himself had an affair .
We do not know how the poet’s contemporaries reacted to these small masterpieces. But for three hundred years after their first publication, Shakespeare scholars blushed at the mere mention of his sonnets.
The first evidence of Shakespeare's dramatic works dates back to the 1590s. There is evidence that on December 28, 1594, his play The Comedy of Errors was performed at Gray's Inn. Shakespeare's first published play was Titus Andronicus. This also happened in 1594. During 1597-1598, five more plays appeared in print.
In 1598, the lease on the land where the Burbage brothers' "Theater" was located ended. It was decided to dismantle the old building and build a new one on the south bank of the Thames, in Southwark. The theater was given the name "Globe". The design of the hall in the new theater predetermined the combination of spectators from a wide variety of social and financial backgrounds at one performance, while the theater could accommodate at least 1,500 spectators. The playwright and actors faced the difficult task of holding the attention of a diverse audience. Shakespeare's plays met this task to the maximum extent, enjoying success with audiences of all social classes.
Shakespeare became one of the shareholders of the Globe. The poet received the same right in 1608, when the troupe got the even more profitable Blackfriars Theater, located within the city. It should be noted that Shakespeare was associated with only one theater troupe all his life and never moved to another. He parted with his comrades only when he retired.
Stage experience gave Shakespeare a knowledge of the possibilities of the stage, the characteristics of each actor in the troupe and the tastes of the Elizabethan audience, which we feel in his works. Moreover, if you carefully read his plays, they can tell about the composition of the theater troupe and its development. So, let's say, in terms of quantity female roles in plays, it is possible to determine how many actors working in this role were in the troupe at any given period, even taking into account the invited performers. Their number ranged from two to three. In the same way, you can determine what roles the actors had in the troupe at the time a particular play was written.
Theatrical activities under the patronage of Southampton brought Shakespeare significant income, with the help of which he first tried to strengthen his social status. In 1596, John Shakespeare received the right to a noble coat of arms from the Chamber of Heraldry. The old man was unable to pay all the bureaucratic costs for this on his own. In this regard, the poet’s biographers believe that the case in the Heraldic Chamber was started and paid for by William. The title granted gave Shakespeare the right to sign "William Shakespeare, gentleman." The motto on the coat of arms was written in Old French (as has been the custom since the time of William the Conqueror) and meant “Not without right.”
In 1597 the poet bought a large house with a garden in Stratford called New Place. The house was rebuilt and William's wife and daughters moved in. Shakespeare himself settled in it towards the end of his life.
In 1601, because of the production of Shakespeare's play Richard II, both the playwright and the entire theater troupe almost fell into disgrace and went to prison. The queen herself protected them. John Shakespeare died that same year. His death was a terrible shock for his son. It was from that time that the playwright devoted his work only to tragedy. Immediately after the death of his father, Hamlet was written, followed by Othello (1604), King Lear (1605) and Macbeth (1606).
In 1603, King James I Stuart ascended to the English throne. Contemporaries called him the “poet king”, “the most learned fool” and the libertine. These nicknames perfectly characterize the era of his rule. The king took Shakespeare's troupe under direct patronage - it began to be called "His Majesty the King's Men", and the actors began to be considered the same courtiers as valets. The troupe now often performed at royal court and received good compensation for her work. His share went into Shakespeare’s pocket.
Growing income allowed the poet to invest widely in farming and real estate in both London and Stratford.
Around 1610, Shakespeare left London and returned to his family. However, until 1612 he did not lose contact with the theater. In 1611, the playwright wrote The Winter's Tale, and in 1612 Shakespeare created his last dramatic work play "The Tempest".
In the last years of his life, the poet moved away from literary activity and quietly faded away in the family circle. Most likely, this was due to a serious illness.
Shakespeare's eldest daughter Susan married a doctor, the most respectable Mr. Hall. The poet's youngest daughter, Judith, found herself a husband when she was over thirty. She got a young scoundrel who was not fit for anything.
On March 25, 1616, Shakespeare made his will. Most of Susan and Hall received all the property, less - Judith and her Mr. Queenie. William left a substantial share to his sister Joanna, who, after the death of her husband, was left with three children in considerable need. The poet gave his wife a marital bed and bed linen...
On April 23, 1616, his friends, the famous playwright Ben Jonson and the poet Michael Drayton, came to visit Shakespeare. A small feast was held in their honor. At the end of it, Shakespeare became heated. It was not possible to save the poet, and he died at the same hour.
William Shakespeare was buried in the parish church of Stratford-upon-Avon.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
“All we know about Shakespeare is that he was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, married, had children, went to London, became an actor there, wrote plays and poems, returned to Stratford, made a will and died.” , wrote English author XVIII century. This is really all that is known about the biography of the great poet and playwright. The paucity of information, as often happens, has given rise to many legends and assumptions; Shakespeare’s personality is still debated.
Unfortunately, not a single documentary line from Shakespeare about himself has survived. Therefore, the field for speculation is huge. The first person to question the authorship famous works, there was an American Delia Bacon. She published the book “Uncovering the Philosophy of Shakespeare’s Plays,” in which she doubted that the Shakespeare who was considered the author of Hamlet, that half-educated person who wrote “on inspiration,” was the true author. They say that in order to create such works, you need to be very educated, that talent alone is not enough. And the idea about Shakespeare before that was this: he is talented, but his plays lack depth. And suddenly the researcher proves that they contain extraordinary depths, and not just artistic depths, but philosophical, historical ones, which can only be discovered by a person of enormous historical and cultural knowledge.
Bacon initiated a series of speculations. Was there Shakespeare? Was Shakespeare Shakespeare? Bacon attributed the authorship to Shakespeare's contemporary and namesake Francis Bacon. She was so carried away by her research that she even tried to open Shakespeare’s grave at night with the help of hired workers in order to find any new evidence for her version. Unfortunately, she ended her days in a psychiatric hospital.
It has been suggested that the works of the Earl of Rutland, the Earl of Derby, and the Earl of Oxford were published under the name of Shakespeare. Even Queen Elizabeth was suspected of being the author.
More recently, already at the end of the 20th century, a series of supposedly revealing articles appeared again, in which the authorship of Shakespeare's works is attributed to Lord Southampton.
It is always interesting to argue about great people, to discover something about them, to suspect something about them. So it was and so it will always be...
Sergei Yesenin said that his entire biography is in his poems. So it is with Shakespeare. In his work, he sought the utmost truth of feelings. And in these feelings, especially expressed in sonnets, his entire true biography.
Let's start our conversation about the work of the great Englishman with sonnets.
Who was born under a happy star -
Proud of fame, title and power.
And I was more modestly rewarded by fate,
And for me love is a source of happiness.
Leaves spread lushly under the sun
The prince's confidant, the nobleman's protégé.
But the sun's benevolent gaze goes out,
And the golden sunflower goes out too.
Military leader, darling of victories,
In battle he is the last to be defeated,
And all his merits are lost.
His destiny is disgrace and oblivion.
But there is no threat to my titles
Lifelong: loved, loved, loved.
(Translation of sonnets by S. Marshak)
The sonnet makes strict formal demands on the poet. You can't do without skill here. Today, especially in European and American poetry, there has been a collapse of form. Free verse - so-called free verse, without rhyme, and sometimes without rhythm - filled bookstores. Poetry as an art is degrading quite quickly, which is why the reader loses interest in it.
Shakespeare was a true master of the sonnet. He mastered the form brilliantly.
The English sonnet, like the classical Italian one, consists of fourteen lines written in iambic pentameter. Unlike the Italian sonnet, in English the rhymes of the first quatrain are not usually repeated in the second. An Italian sonnet consists of either two stanzas (eight and six lines), or two quatrains and two tercets. An English sonnet most often consists of three quatrains and one couplet. This couplet seems to sum up the content.
A researcher of this topic, Shakespeare scholar M. M. Morozov writes: “Shakespeare’s sonnets emanate the fire of living feelings... Shakespeare introduced living thought, genuine, intense, hot feelings into the strict form of the sonnet... Shakespeare’s sonnets are imbued with the pathos of life affirmation, an ardent call for the continuation of life. They, like all his work, are directed forward into the future.”
Belinsky said that the hero of all Shakespeare’s works, including sonnets, “is life itself.”
I don’t compete with the creators of odes,
Which painted goddesses
The sky is presented as a gift
With all the earth and ocean blue.
Let them decorate the stanzas
They repeat in verse, arguing among themselves,
About the stars of the sky, about wreaths of flowers,
About the treasures of earth and sea.
In love and in words - truth is my law,
And I write that my dear is beautiful,
Like everyone who is born of a mortal mother,
And not like the sun or a clear month.
I don't want to praise my love,
I'm not selling it to anyone!
Experts believe that the sonnets dedicated to the “friend” are dedications to the Earl of Southampton, whom the poet never tires of praising as a perfect person. The prototype of the “lady”, to whom many sonnets are also dedicated, is unknown, only her image is clear - this is not Dante’s Beatrice, not Petrarch’s Laura, this is a very earthly woman, sometimes morally flawed. But she attracts the poet to her.
But the poet himself is quite earthly and flawed:
Yes, it's true: where have I never been,
In front of no one has he made a fool of himself.
How cheaply he sold his wealth
And insulted love with new love!
Yes, it's true: the truth doesn't matter
I looked into the eyes, but somewhere past.
But youth again found my quick glance, -
While wandering, he recognized you as his beloved.
It's over and I won't do it again
Look for what intensifies passions,
Test love with new love.
You are a deity, and I am entirely in your power.
Find me shelter near heaven
On this pure, loving breast.
Shakespeare wrote many plays. More precisely, he wrote them not for reading, not for printing, not as examples of literature - his tragedies and comedies were scripts or librettos for theatrical productions. He didn't even think about publications. And at the same time such a polished style!
Of course, Shakespeare is great primarily because he brought to drama a great poetic gift that surpassed the talents of all his predecessors. The second is a unique sense of drama, which no one in the world possessed either before or after Shakespeare.
A researcher of the work of the English genius A. Anikst believes that “Shakespeare brought important new artistic principles to drama, which had never existed in art before him. The characters of the heroes in ancient drama had only one important feature. Shakespeare created heroes and heroines endowed with the traits of a spiritually rich living personality. At the same time, he showed the characters of his characters in development. These artistic innovations have enriched not only art, but also the understanding of human nature."
Shakespeare lived in an era favorable to creativity. Although England had an oppressive royal power, the country was on the rise. England began to conquer new lands. People's consciousness was liberated. The theater became the people's favorite entertainment.
Shakespeare had a lot of work, performances were performed almost every day. This, by the way, allowed him to get rich and later buy the largest house in his hometown.
“Romeo and Juliet,” although a tragedy, is so lyrical that it sounds like a hymn of love, and it ends with the moral victory of Romeo and Juliet over the family feud of the Montagues and Capulets.
His early plays are imbued with a life-affirming principle: the comedies “The Taming of the Shrew” (1593), “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1596), “Much Ado About Nothing” (1598), the tragedy about love and fidelity at the cost of life “Romeo and Juliet” (1595 ). In historical dramas - “Richard III” (1593), “Henry IV” (1597-1598) and in tragedies “Hamlet” (1601), “Othello” (1604), “King Lear” (1605), “Macbeth” ( 1606) and in the Roman tragedies - “Julius Caesar” (1599), “Antony and Cleopatra” (1607), “Coriolanus” (1607) Shakespeare interpreted the social and political conflicts of the era as eternal and irremovable, as the laws of the world order. He created bright characters endowed with a strong will and passions, capable of both heroic confrontation with fate and circumstances, self-sacrifice, and ready to break the moral “law” and die for the sake of an all-consuming idea or passion.
To this day, in the cemetery in Verona they show the grave where Juliet is buried, or rather, the tomb. Skeptics believe that Romeo and Juliet did not exist, that their tragedy is a figment of the poet’s imagination. But numerous tourists come and go and put flowers on this tomb. This shows that Shakespeare touched the heart of all humanity.
By the way, Dante in " Divine Comedy" mentions the surnames Montague and Capulet. So maybe there were real young lovers.
Macbeth is Shakespeare's darkest tragedy. The villain and usurper of the throne Macbeth, his wife, Lady Macbeth, who cherished the plan to kill King Duncan - this is where the deep essence of man is revealed: a woman and murder, is this possible? Yes, it is possible, because a woman can do anything.
Me from head to toe
Feed it with villainy. my blood
Thicken. Close the entrance for pity...
And the essence of the tragedy is that Macbeth, a once wonderful and noble man, a true hero in his personal qualities, falling under the influence of bad passion, commits many bloody crimes. Yes, man is the “crown of nature,” as all humanists said, but, as Shakespeare objects, there are a thousand ways for evil to penetrate and nestle into this “crown.” No, personality is diverse - and, perhaps, than more people personality, the more complex it is inner world, the greater the opportunity for evil to manifest itself in it.
Shakespeare's heroes are not street people, they are very significant people - smart, strong-willed, energetic, outstanding. They are elevated to the heights of power, but the humanity in them breaks down or gives way to some kind of passion. It's hard to be an individual.
Here is the famous Hamlet. Royal personality. Gifted beyond measure. But what is Hamlet's true tragedy? The fact that this the most wonderful person broke down, coming face to face with betrayal, deceit, and the murder of loved ones. He lost faith in people, life began to seem meaningless to him. Hamlet's indecisiveness is obvious to everyone, he is condemned for it, but this is what it is. reverse side deep complex noble personality. Shakespeare shows the complexity of human nature. Later, Dostoevsky will advance far in this sense. This is also a discoverer of all the depths of man.
Literary critic S. D. Artamonov writes about Hamlet. "Tragedy of the mind! The tragedy of Shakespeare's entire thinking generation! The crisis of the mental movement called the Renaissance. Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake, Rabelais' friend, publisher and educator Etienne Dolet was burned at the stake, the great scientist, the hope of all mankind Galileo Galilei was hidden in prison and forced to abandon his miraculous discoveries: a newfound world ( New World, America) became the scene of unheard-of atrocities and outrages against local residents for the sake of silver and gold.” It turns out that you can look at “Hamlet” this way. This is why Shakespeare's works are great, that their depth is inexhaustible, they contain not only the human world, but also the whole world surrounding.
Hamlet's famous soliloquy:
Hamlet
To be or not to be, that is the question.
Is it worthy
Souls endure blows and clicks
Offenders of fate or better to meet
With weapons a sea of troubles and put
End of worries? Die. Forget yourself.
That's all. And know that this dream is the limit
Heartache and thousands of hardships,
Inherent in the body. Isn't this the goal?
Desired? Die. Lose yourself in sleep.
Go to sleep. And dream? Here is the answer.
What dreams will you have in that mortal sleep?
When is the veil of earthly feelings removed?
Here's the explanation. That's what lengthens
Our misfortunes last for so many years.
Otherwise, who would bear the humiliation of the century,
The shame of persecution, the antics of a fool,
Rejected passion, silence of the right,
The arrogance of those in power and fate
Great merits before the court of nonentities,
When it's so easy to make ends meet
Dagger strike? Who would agree
Groaning and dragging along under the burden of life,
Whenever the unknown after death,
Fear of a country where no one is from
Didn't come back, didn't bend my will
It is better to put up with familiar evil,
Rather than running away to the unfamiliar.
This is how thought turns us all into cowards.
So the color of natural determination fades
In the dim light of a pale mind,
And plans with scope and initiative
They change paths and fail
Right at the target. Meanwhile, enough! —
Ophelia! Oh joy! Remember
My sins in my prayers, nymph.
(Translation by B. Pasternak)
Hamlet decides to “be” - to rebel against his father’s murderer. Claudius is his enemy. But where is the evidence? Maybe they are slandering Claudius? And so his hesitation begins. To convict Claudius of murder, Hamlet comes up with a performance in which the murder is shown. Hamlet watches Claudius and sees that he has turned pale. Claudius is exposed. And he understands that Hamlet understood everything. This means Hamlet must be killed. The tragedy ends with the death of all the heroes. So, one murder leads to a whole chain of murders.
Our critic V.G. Belinsky saw the heroine of the tragedy, Ophelia, as follows: “Ophelia ranks second after Hamlet. This is one of those creations of Shakespeare in which simplicity, naturalness and reality merge into one beautiful, living and typical image... Imagine a meek, harmonious, loving creature, beautiful image women; a being who is not able to endure the storm of disaster, who will die from rejected love, or, even more likely, from love first divided, and then despised, but who will not die with despair in the soul, but will fade away quietly, with a smile and blessing on his lips, with prayer for the one who destroyed her; will fade away, as the dawn fades in the sky on a fragrant May evening: here is Ophelia for you.”
Hamlet is considered an encyclopedia of wisdom. Indeed, there is a lot of advice here for different occasions. This is how Polonius, for example, teaches his son:
And a rash thought comes from action.
There are a lot of thoughts here about the theater, about power, true and vulgar beauty, about politics...
Shakespeare's four brilliant tragedies - "Romeo and Juliet", "Hamlet", "Othello", "King Lear" - are considered by critics as tragedies of the ages, from youth to old age. The problem of “fathers and sons,” traditional in world literature, was expressed in its most acute form in Shakespeare’s “King Lear.”
The eighty-year-old king divided his kingdom between his two eldest daughters, Goneril and Regan, and disinherited the third, Cordelia, only because she did not consider it worthy to compete with her flattering sisters in expressing love for her father. The angry old man banished Cordelia. However, the two eldest daughters very soon refused their father shelter and shelter.
Power made Lear a tyrant; his best human qualities return to him only when he himself becomes a victim of injustice. Epiphany came to him after he gave up his crown and lands.
Lear learns the full horror of life as a destitute man as he wanders the world. Only the youngest, Cordelia, will be devoted to him and will try to save her father.
Lear, in the end, unable to withstand the shock, goes crazy and dies. All three of his daughters die a violent death.
While the humanists of the Renaissance sang and praised man, Shakespeare showed them what kind of man he is.
Shakespeare - translated means “shaking with a spear.” He shocked the whole world with his creativity. And it especially shocked Russia. In our country, Shakespeare is probably revered like Pushkin. Here is how Academician N.I. Balashov explained this phenomenon:
“In the 18th century, when the “resurrection” of Shakespeare took place in his homeland, nearby - in Spain, France, Italy - there was already a developed modern theater, to which the wave of Shakespeareanism, which seemed to many as a spiritual tsunami, did not take root well, and the Russian theater had not yet been properly formed and “ was open to all roads." And although in Russia the knowledge of the English language was inferior to the knowledge of French, German, Dutch and it was necessary to wade through the then weak French and German adaptations of Shakespeare's plays, intensive work went on. Those accustomed to the French style (Shakespeare came to Russia in P. A. de Laplace’s retelling of the 1745 edition) could not immediately navigate the original.
In 1748, Alexander Sumarokov revolutionized Russian knowledge of Shakespeare. This year, Sumarokov’s tragedy “Hamlet” was published in St. Petersburg with the original’s clearly marked emphasis on the first syllable.
Sumarokov overcame the point of view of the then French criticism of the playwright: “Shakespeare, an English tragedian and comedian, in whom there is a lot of very bad and very good.”
We need to pay attention special attention on Sumarokov’s approach to English pronunciation. It is unknown with whom and how he consulted. But the designation of the correct accent in “Hamlet,” which is close to the English pronunciation of the name Shakespeare, where there is no trace of either the archaic “Shaxper” or the French “Shakespear,” encourages us to take seriously the tragedy, which has been republished and staged many times since the early 1750s. The Russians heard the famous monologue from the stage for the first time:
Will the door of the tomb be opened and the calamity end?
Or should we still endure in this light?
When I die, will I fall asleep... will I fall asleep and sleep?
But what kind of dreams will this night represent?
To die and go into the coffin... the tranquility is lovely;
But what will follow a sweet sleep?..
Unknown.
We know what promises us generously
Deity;
There is hope, the spirit is cheerful, but weak
Nature.
Oh, death! Nasty hour! Minute
Almighty!..
By 1770, Sumarokov’s conflict with the authorities intensified; he moved from St. Petersburg to Moscow and there, inspired by “Richard III,” he wrote a vicious satire on the tyranny of the autocratic monarchy—“Dimitri the Pretender.” Demetrius is depicted as an outcast king who can tell the author from the stage about his atrocities with impunity ("... I am not a crown bearer... but an evil wicked... I am perishing, having destroyed many people").
This move by Sumarokov is also useful for the interpretation of Shakespeare’s “Richard III”. But Sumarokov was not sure that he would not be persecuted. On February 25, 1770, he writes to V. Kozitsky that this tragedy will show Shakespeare to Russia, “but I intend to tear it up.” However, starting from 1771, the tragedy was still staged. It is still on in Moscow, in 1998-1999, at the Perovskaya Theater.
In the 18th century, Shakespeare increasingly accelerated his progress in Russia. In 1786, Shakespeare was translated by Catherine II herself. She started with the comedy “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” perhaps having information that the comedy was commissioned from Shakespeare by Elizabeth I. The Empress called it “This is What It’s Like to Have a Basket and Linen.” Next, Catherine adapted two of Shakespeare’s historical chronicles for the events of Russian history and even undertook to translate “Timon of Athens” in the form of a comedy entitled “The Spendthrift.” Soon an unknown person was transferred in 1783 to Nizhny Novgorod"Richard III". In 1878, the year of its publication, “Julius Caesar, the tragedy of William Shakespeare” was published in Moscow, translated by the young N. M. Karamzin (whose name was not indicated on the title). This translation is also alive: it was republished by A. N. Gorbunov in 1998 among the most worthy.
Since the 19th century, Russian Shakespeare has been flowing like an ocean current. Not only the essence was important, but also poetic form. Russian syllabic-tonic versification is closer to English and German than, for example, French, Italian, and Polish syllabic verse, which made it difficult to adequately convey Shakespeare's verse. Shakespeare for Pushkin is “our father.” Shakespeare's breadth is constantly evident in “Boris Godunov,” and Russian iambic pentameter is honed in the drama. In the 1830s, the convicted Decembrist V. K. Kuchelbecker, in chains in prison, translated Shakespeare and even wrote “Discourse on Eight Historical Dramas of Shakespeare,” published only in 1963 by Yu. D. Levin.
1814-1855 are the years of the life of A. I. Kroneberg, perhaps the first Russian translator of Shakespeare “for centuries,” and a few months before the death of Pushkin, in the village of Rzhavets near Kharkov, the future Moscow professor, classic of Russian Shakespearean studies N. I. Storozhenko ( 1836-1906).
* * *You read the biography (facts and years of life) in a biographical article dedicated to the life and work of the great poet.
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