Ferry de kerckhove biography of william shakespeare

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The 2025 film Hamnet, adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, revisits the emotional impact of Hamnet’s death and explores how it might have influenced Shakespeare’s writing.

Quotes

  • The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.
  • This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.
  • There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.
  • Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.
  • Lord, what fools these mortals be!
  • To weep is to make less the depth of grief.
  • In time we hate that which we often fear.
  • Men at some time are masters of their fates: the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.
  • What’s done cannot be undone.
  • We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.
  • Madness in great ones must not unwatched go.
  • The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.
  • All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.
  • Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.
  • I say there is no darkness but ignorance.
  • I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.
  • Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.
Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet, King Lear, Othello</i> by William Shakespeare" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1754934037-the-essential-shakespeare-tragedies-collection-hamlet-macbeth-romeo-juliet-king-lear-othello-689a2b0cb2fba.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*" width="1000" height="1000">
The Essential Shakespeare Tragedies Collection: Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet, King Lear, Othello by William Shakespeare
Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, Henry VI, Part 3, Richard III</i> by William Shakespeare" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1754934226-shakespeare-s-war-of-the-roses-history-play-collection-689a2bc5913eb.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*" width="1000" height="1000">
Shakespeare’s War of the Roses History Play Collection: Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, Henry VI, Part 3, Richard III by William Shakespeare
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, Twelfth Night</i> by William Shakespeare" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1754934366-the-essential-shakespeare-comedies-collection-689a2c564abc6.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*" width="1000" height="1000">
The Essential Shakespeare Comedies Collection: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness.

His father was John Shakespeare, a glove-maker who also served as an elected official before suffering business losses that left his family in debt beginning when William was in his teens. Accessed 1 Aug. 2024.


Including Shakespeare’s poetry in your works cited follows similar rules. Based on his physical descriptions, some scholars believe the Dark Lady might have been a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I, a female poet, or even a London prostitute.

Furthermore, scholarly analysis of a letter addressed to Shakespeare's wife indicates that she could have lived with him in London from around 1600 to 1610, suggesting that their marriage wasn’t as distant as previously thought.

Shakespeare’s Lost Years

There are seven years of Shakespeare’s life where no records exist: after the birth of his twins in 1585 until 1592.

This tragic loss later inspired Maggie O’Farrell’s award-winning novel Hamnet (2020) and its 2025 film adaptation Hamnet, starring Paul Mescal as Shakespeare. Read and discuss the text, plus test your own sonnet-writing ability.

Download Free Study Guide


Shakespeare Today

Shakespeare’s influence on our language is deep and everlasting.

In 1642, Puritans outlawed all theaters, including the Globe, which was demolished two years later. Scholars have surmised that he most likely attended the King’s New School, in Stratford, which taught reading, writing, and the classics, including Latin. Studies at Laval University in Québec City.

Examples:

(Hamlet 3.1.55-57)

(Shakespeare 1-2)

As each edition of Shakespeare’s work has different line numbers, make sure to check the accuracy based on the edition you are using.

Hamlet.Folger Shakespeare Library, www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/hamlet/read/. Shakespeare’s plays also introduced or popularized names that have become widespread in the centuries that followed, including Jessica, Miranda, Olivia, and Viola.

Shakespeare’s works are also full of some of the best examples of Elizabethan humor: insults.

One theory is that he might have gone into hiding for poaching game from local landlord Sir Thomas Lucy.

In his will, he left the bulk of his possessions to his eldest daughter, Susanna, who by then was married. They showcase his mastery of form and language, as well as his ability to create compelling narratives and explore complex emotions.

She is a frequent contributor to HISTORY and Biography.com, covering American and European history, politics, pop culture, and more. Ferry was also the personal representative of the Prime Minister for la Francophonie. Among our ranks are book authors and award-winning journalists. They were printed in 1594 in quarto, an eight-page pamphlet-like book.

The genius of Shakespeare’s characters and plots are that they present real human beings in a wide range of emotions and conflicts that transcend their origins in Elizabethan England.

Shakespeare’s family life—especially the death of his only son—continues to resonate in popular culture. Some theories suggest that he may have been working as an actor or a teacher, while others propose that he may have been traveling or involved in other activities.

ferry de kerckhove biography of william shakespeare

In any case, these sonnets alternate between desire, obsession, jealousy, and anguish.

Here are five of his best put-downs, with modern-day translations in the dropdown:

Translation: They have a poisonous tongue and spread lies.

Translation: He’s stupid.

Translation: Take whatever offers you get because you’re unattractive and not everybody’s “cup of tea.”

Translation: You have a sour, cold, and deadpan expression.

Translation: I’m a coward.

Shakespeare Onscreen

Shakespeare’s plays have been continuously performed around the world for more than 425 years, and several of them have been made into movies.

His genius is evident in the timeless themes and characters he created, which continue to resonate with audiences today.