by Jorge de Montemayor and “Conde Lucanor” by Don Juan Manuel.
There are some indications that the poet was no stranger to the Greek language. In sonnets 153 and 154 we see the strong influence of the epigrams 626 and 627 from Marianus Scolasticus (6th century AD): Connected by a related theme, the two sonnets form a pair, as do the two epigrams. The sonnets imitate the pair-structure that we see in the epigrams. J.A.K. Thompson pointed out quotes from Sophocles’ “Ajax” and Euripides’ “Hekuba” in his book “Shakespeare and the Classics” (1952). Perhaps the learned writer studied the Greek works in the form of Latin translations - he most definitely read the works of Plutarch, Livius, Seneca, Ovid, Virgil, Horaz, Plautus and Terence, effortlessly for his enjoyment. -An impressive feat for a grammar school boy from Stratford (although, as Bill Bryson points out, it is not even certain that he even went there).
The Author obviously loved browsing through shamelessly expensive books; such as the Geneva Bible (translated by William Whittingham, Geneva 1568), the works of Plutarch (translated into French by Jean Amyot, Paris 1567), in “The Anatomy of Man’s Body” (1577) from which he quotes in “Love’s Labours lost” or in divers publications from his favourite author, Chaucer. The author of the plays also had a thorough knowledge of medicine, law, natural science and philosophy. He never once praised his own vast wealth of knowledge however his agile mind could jump from French literature to haematology and to gravitation. (Regarding gravitation he was a follower of the teachings of Tycho Brahe.)
“There is no basis for questioning”, says Professor Stanley Wells. Well he would have to say that, he doesn’t want Stratford-upon-Avon to lose the millions of visitors who go there year for year. One can’t help asking: Why don’t the scholars of the English language around the world ask a little more discerningly: what do we know about the man with the golden ear-ring on the Chandos portrait? Why doesn’t he look like the wonderful bust in Trinity Church Stratford? (It’s safe to assume that the bust had to be an accurate likeness because it was subject to the scrutiny of relatives, friends and neighbours, so: who was the man on the Chandos portrait?)
Chandos portrait: The man with the ear-ring
What about the educations of other poets and dramatists? Did their school records get lost as well?
No they didn’t. Here’s a list of some Elizabethan literary personages with their respective educations.
John Lyly, novelist and dramatist (1554-1606), became a student at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he proceeded to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees and in 1574 applied to Lord Burghley „for the queen’s letters to Magdalen College to admit him fellow.“
George Peele, dramatist (1556-1596), educated at Christ’s Hospital, entered Pembroke College, Oxford, in 1571. In 1574 he moved to Christ Church, taking his B.A. degree in 1577, and proceeding M.A. in 1579.
Thomas Watson, lyrical poet and translator (1557-1592), was educated at Winchester College and Oxford University. He then spent seven years in France and Italy before studying law in London.
Robert Greene, novelist, romancer and dramatist (1558-1592), attended Cambridge University, receiving a B.A. in 1580, and an M.A. in 1583 before moving to London, where he became the first professional author in England.
George Chapman, poet dramatist and translator (1559-1634), spent, according to Wood, „some time in Oxon, where he was observed to be most excellent in the Latin and Greek tongues, but not in logic or philosophy.“
Christopher Marlowe, dramatist, poet and translator (1564-1593), attended The King’s School, Canterbury and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge on a scholarship and received his B.A. degree in 1584, and an M.A. in 1587.
Ben Jonson (1572-1637), Shakespeare’s jealous colleague, attended school in St. Martin’s Lane, and was later sent to Westminster School, where one of his teachers was the singular William Camden.
Only of Will Shaksper do we have to say: He might have gone to grammar school in Stratford, but the records got lost. He obviously went to school somewhere because he was very clever.
“We know more about Shakespeare than we know about any other dramatist of his period”, says Bill Bryson, quoting David Thomas, the happy go lucky archivist from the Public Records Office in Kew. Yes we know a lot about Will Shaksper of Stratford’s dealings with the law, his changes of address, his business partnerships, his financial transactions.
However, during the hundreds of years of groping through dust in the search of a further scrawled signature, five generations of book worms haven’t managed to come up with anything further than Shaksper's unforgivably arid biography:
“Guliemus filius Johannes Shaksper” was christened in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire (population 1500) on 26 April 1564.
His father, John Shaksper (1530-1601) married Mary Arden, the daughter of his land-lord, in 1557. As well as being a glove maker, he was also the bailiff, constable, Alderman and Chamberlain in Stratford on Avon. John and Mary Shaksper had eight children, five of whom survived. In the year 1570 John Shaksper was accused of usury because he loaned the sum of £ 220 to a certain Walter Mussum at an interest rate so high, that he was breaking the law. In 1571 he was accused of acting contrary to the monopoly laws when he dealt with “a couple of tons” of wool. In 1576 he resigned from all public offices. But only because of his father’s offices was William given a free education. John Shaksper was behind with his taxes in 1578 and he was forced to mortgage his wife’s estate in 1579. This points to the probability that John couldn’t pay his son’s school fees after 1576 and that Will Shaksper couldn’t have had any formal education after the age of twelve.
Permission to marry was granted to the eighteen year old “Wm Shaxpere” by the Bishop of Worcester on 27. November 1582. One day later two Stratford citizens, John Richardson and Fulk Sandells, both guarenteed with £ 40 each that there were no legal impediments to the marriage of “willm Shagspere” to “Anne hathwey”. The bride was three months pregnant.
The parish records of Stratford reveal that Will Shaksper of Stratford and Anne Hathaway had three children. Susanna was christened on 26 May 1583 and the twins Hamnet and Judith were christened on 2 February 1585.
(In one of John Shaksper’s court cases, in 1588, William is mentioned under the name “Williemo Shackespere filio”)
At some time in the nineties during “the lost years”, the young man abandoned his wife and children and went to seek his fortune in London. The Stratfordians would have us believe that he might have sought the company of a townsman, the printer Richard Field. And further, that on account of the close proximity of their houses and the trades of the two fathers (John Shaksper- glover, Henry Field -tanner) the Shaksper family and the Field family were friends. However John Shaksper took Henry Field to court over an unpaid debt in 1556. (Hardly a proof of friendship). – We are further led to believe that Will Shaksper wrote the poem “Venus and Adonis” on his kitchen table in Stratford before giving it to Richard Field to be printed, a pleasant myth, but hardly probable.
At the end of 1594 the “lost years” are over and we find Will Shaksper of Stratford in the theatre company “The Lord Chamberlain’s Men”. Apparently, he had taken part in two performances at the court of Queen Elizabeth I on 26 and 29 of December. On 15 March 1595 he received payment for the performances along with Richard Kempe and Richard Burbage. With the stroke of a pen the young, unknown actor is promoted to the status of “author”- in other words, the treasurer of the chamber holds William Shaksper for William Shakespeare, the
