Chapter I. William Shakespeare’s biography 1 W. Shakespeare’s life

Later years and death
Rowe changed into the primary biographer to file the tradition, repeated through Johnson, that Shakespeare retired to Stratford "a few years earlier than his death". He changed into nonetheless operating as an actor in London in 1608; in a solution to the sharers' petition in 1635, Cuthbert Burbagestated that once buying the hire of the Blackfriars Theatre in 1608 from Henry Evans, the King's Men "located guys
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players" there, "which have been Heminges, Condell, Shakespeare, etc.". However, it's miles possibly applicable that the bubonic plague raged in London during 1609. The London public playhouses have been time and again closed in the course of prolonged outbreaks of the plague (a complete of over 60 months closure among May 1603 and February 1610) which supposed there has been frequently no performing paintings. Retirement from all paintings changed into unusual at that time. Shakespeare persisted to go to London in the course of the years 1611–1614. In 1612, he changed into known as as a witness in Bellott v Mountjoy, a courtroom docket case regarding the wedding agreement of Mountjoy's daughter, Mary. In March 1613, he offered a gatehouse withinside the former Blackfriars priory; and from November 1614, he changed into in London for numerous weeks together along with his son-in-law, John Hall. After 1610, Shakespeare wrote fewer performs, and none are attributed to him after 1613. His remaining 3 performs have been collaborations, likely with John Fletcher, who succeeded him because the residence playwright of the King's Men. He retired in 1613, earlier than the Globe Theatre burned down in the course of the overall performance of Henry VIII on 29 June. Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616, on the age of 52. He died inside a month of signing his will, a record which he starts with the aid of using describing himself as being in "best health". No extant modern-day supply explains how or why he died. Half a century later, John Ward, the vicar of Stratford, wrote in his notebook: "Shakespeare, Drayton, and Ben Jonson had a merry assembly and, it seems, drank too hard, for Shakespeare died of a fever there contracted", now no longer an not possible situation due to the fact that Shakespeare knew Jonson and Drayton. Of the tributes from fellow authors, one refers to his fairly unexpected death: "We wondered, Shakespeare, that thou went'st so soon / From the world's level to the grave's tiring room." He turned into survived with the aid of using his spouse and daughters. Susanna had married a physician, John Hall, in 1607, and Judith had married Thomas Quiney, a vintner, months earlier than Shakespeare's death. Shakespeare signed his remaining will and testomony on 25 March 1616;
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