8-5Retirement



Shakespeare’s Retirement and Later Life

//Answer Prepared by Nathan F.// In Shakespeare’s later years, and before his retirement, he wrote a few plays, including “Henry VIII”, “The Two Noble Kinsmen”, and possibly a play that is now lost called “Cardenio”. “Henry VIII” was most likely one of Shakespeare’s last plays, although according to William-Shakespeare.com many people think that Shakespeare had little, or nothing to do with the play at all.

It is the story of King Henry VIII, who fell in love with Queen Katherine and they were married. After a short while, though, King Henry fell in love with someone else, Anne Bullen (Boleyn) and defied the laws of Rome by divorcing Queen Katherine, who later left and moved to Kimbolton Castle. Anne married King Henry, to become his Queen.

The play “The Two Noble Kinsmen” contains two of the same characters as found in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”: Hippolyta, and Theseus. They are about to get married, when three queens declare war against King Creon of Thebes. Creon has denied proper burial rites to their husbands, so a war breaks out. There are two “noble kinsmen”, Palamon and Arcite, who decide to put aside their hate towards Creon, because their home city is in danger. Palamon and Arcite are cousins, and while imprisoned in Athens, they see Hippolyta’s sister, Emilia, and they both fall in love with her. Arcite is set free, but doesn’t go back to his home instead he disguises himself. Palamon escapes from jail with the help from Gaoler’s daughter, who loves him. The play goes on with much deceitfulness and trickery of love, and in the end, both cousins die: Artice is flung from a horse, while Palamon is given a death sentence.

The play Cardenio, has very little known about it, we don’t even have a surviving copy of it today. We do know however that the play is based off a translation of the story Don Quixote. We also know one or two lines or songs from the play, but don’t know who wrote them or when, we aren’t even sure if it was Shakespeare who wrote the play or if he just was the one who performed it. The play Cardenio is one of the many mysteries about Shakespeare and his life’s work.

Around 1610 Shakespeare retired to Stratford, some believe he retired because of failing health, others believe it was just to get away from London. The house that he retired too and spent his later years in away from London is called “The New Place”. Although he was retired he still did write plays during this time. It was later in his retirement when Shakespeare mysteriously died. After his death his home (the new place) was passed down in his family for generations, until the death of John Bernard; the second husband of Shakespeare’s granddaughter, Elizabeth.

There are many things about the life, and death of Shakespeare that are still left unknown, and although much research is going on, and new information is being found each and every day; we may never know the details of Shakespeare’s live, and later death.

Works Cited "A Country Gentlemen." //Internet Shakespeare Editions//. ??/??/??. 14 Apr 2009 . "Globe Theater Closed." //Globe Theater//. ??/??/??. 14 Apr 2009 . "Shakespeare in Retirement." //Internet Shakespeare Editions//. ??/??/??. 14 Apr 2009 .