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When and why did Shakespeare become a playwright?
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Shakespeare's exact reasons for becoming a playwright are unknown, as he left no autobiography. He began his career as an actor with The Chamberlain's Men, possibly writing plays to create roles for himself, earn money, or simply out of enjoyment. His first known plays were performed between 1590 and 1593. By 1592, he was recognized as a playwright, and he wrote most of his works between 1598 and 1613, with evidence of performances and publications by 1594.
The simple answer to this question is that we do not know. William Shakespeare did not write any sort of autobiography in which he explained his reasons for writing plays. Although we do know the dates of the first productions of his plays, that is not the same as dates of composition; he could have written the plays months or years before they were actually produced.
What we do know is that he started his theatrical career as an actor in The Chamberlain's Men. He could have initially written plays to create better roles for himself or because he saw writing them as a way to earn more money. Possibly, though, he just enjoyed writing plays. His career combined writing plays and managing a company of actors, and so his later works may have been written to provide unique material for his company.
For dates, we know that the three parts...
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ofHenry VI were first performed over the years 1590-1592, and Richard III and Comedy of Errors in the 1592-1593 theatrical season. The Two Gentlemen of Verona and The Taming of the Shrew may have been written slightly earlier (1589-1590) but the evidence is somewhat speculative.
When did William Shakespeare become a playwright?
In 1592, Shakespeare was criticized as being an "upstart crow." This was said about him in print by a rival dramatist. Thus, we know he was writing plays by then.
In between 1592 and 1594, the plague closed theaters so we don't see the evidence between those years. But when they opened back up in 94 Shakespeare was a part of starting up the Lord Chamberlain's Men, an acting group. Some evidence of Titus Andronicus, The Comedy of Errors, and Henry VI being written and performed exists.
It is not known for sure exactly when Shakespeare started to write his own plays. It is not even known when exactly his plays were first performed. It was too long ago and the records were not sufficient.
Here's what is more or less known. Shakespeare was born in 1564. By 1592, there is some evidence that plays of his were being performed. By 1594, there are publicatiosn of some Shakespeare plays. Shakespeare wrote most of the works that we know about between 1598 and 1613. He died in 1616.