illustrated portrait of English playwright and poet William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

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Discussion Topic

Shakespeare's sports and hobbies during his youth

Summary:

Shakespeare's youth likely included activities such as playing sports like archery and football, as well as hobbies like fishing, hunting, and participating in traditional celebrations and festivals. These pastimes were common in Elizabethan England and would have influenced his later works.

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What sports did Shakespeare enjoy and what significant event occurred when he was 15?

Much of the biography of William Shakespeare is based on research, inferences from his writings, and leaps of faith on the part of biographers. There is no Shakespeare diary in which he explains what pastimes he enjoyed—or why he made particular decisions about his plays, for that matter. As a result, when considering something like sports, we can make an educated guess, but we do not have much definitive information.

As with so many other aspects of Shakespeare's life, we turn to his plays to see what sports, if any, he was interested in and draw inferences based on that. There are many games that are mentioned throughout his works, including billiards, archery, and football. One might infer from this that Shakespeare had intimate knowledge of these games, perhaps from playing, but one cannot be certain.

What we are fairly certain of is the significant event that took place when he was fifteen. His father, up until that time, had been a successful businessman and even an active participant in public life, but it was at around this time that he withdrew from many if not all of his public activities, and Shakespeare stopped attending school.

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What sports did Shakespeare enjoy and what significant event occurred when he was 15?

William Shakespeare was one of eight children of Mary Arden and John Shakespeare. William was a normal boy. He was the third oldest of the children and enjoyed many sports. He enjoyed football and field sports. It has been reported that he was a poor sport, however, and he often got into conflicts with the referees and umpires during the competitions.

John Shakespeare was fairly comfortable, and because he was an alderman, the children received a good education at no cost to their parents. However, when William was fifteen, his father fell on hard times, and there was not enough money to support the family. William had to go to work. His childhood over, he decided that rather than work only to end up poor like his father, he would become an actor.

William Shakespeare is one of the greatest playwrights who ever lived. His works are still required reading in schools across the world, but he began as a young boy just trying to make a living.

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