Today is both the birthday and the anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare.
Born in Stratford upon Avon, he is remembered as one of the greatest writers in English, inventing almost two thousand words that are in our dictionary today, and bringing his vibrant imagination to the burgeoning Elizabethan Theater.
There is still debate about Shakespeare’s life, what happened to him during the lost years between when he was in Stratford, and when he reappeared in London, and how a man of his means could have written the works that he did.
Whether you believe in one of the many alternative theories about who he was, or wasn’t, you can’t deny that his words are moving, even now, four hundred years later.
Let’s remember him with one of my favorite quotes – “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing,” from Macbeth.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com where I have several episodes on both Shakespeare, and the Elizabethan Theater.
Suggested links:
Episode 097: Shakespeare and Love
Episode 44: Elizabethan Theater
Introduction to Shakespeare’s Life
From the shop:
Shakespeare Love Mug
Ps. All products are made on-demand and can take a few weeks to ship.
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast, one of the longest running indie history podcasts, going since 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. She writes books, created the original Tudor Planner (a yearly diary filled with Tudor history) and in 2019 created the world's first Tudorcon (you can "attend" online this year!). She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.