Stratford-upon-Avon: the Short-Lived start and education of Shakespeare

A two-hour train ride from London is a lengthy distance to walk, but so it was for William Shakespeare in the late 16th, early 17th centuries.

Both William’s father and mother were illiterate (“Elizabethan”). When William’s father John was elected as Bailiff of the Borough, it is said that he was presented with the opportunity to send his children to school free of charge (“Elizabethan”). William attended the Edward IV Grammar School from 1571 at the age of 7, until he was 14 – the age range in which children attended Grammar Schools (“Elizabethan”). The system of education in England, at the time of Shakespeare, depended upon the views and religious beliefs of the currently ruling monarch – Queen Elizabeth I was a liberal Protestant (“Elizabethan”).

As a schoolboy during the Elizabethan era, William would have attended a Petty School in which he and his schoolmates learned basic societal norms and procedures, like polite table manners, and they were also required to memorize passages from a book which was in circulation at the time of Elizabeth I outlining the details of the Christian faith. – which technique was meant to produce a ‘good’ Christian student (“Elizabethan”).

After completing his time at the Petty School, William attended the Edward IV Grammar School in Stratford-upon-Avon. At Grammar School children were taught the basics of Latin, which skill could have allowed him to work as a page in the court, or a bounden prentice (Schoenbaum, 73). It is supposed that William acted as an apprentice to his father at some point (Schoenbaum, 73). As William acted as an apprentice to his glover father, his lessons on leather and skins carries over into his writings, such as his reference in Hamlet to parchment being made from sheep skins, thus indicating how much Shakespeare drew from his observational knowledge when writing (Schoenbaum, 75).

Shakespeare’s formal education also taught him the parts of speech, and as soon as spellings became standard and consistent children were taught spelling. Later on children would have learned sentence structure and other advanced writing skills. The teachings and theories of great philosophical masters, such as Horace and Virgil, were also learned in this period of Grammar School (“Elizabethan”). The biographies and accomplishments of great leaders, such as Caesar, were also studied because of the belief that their morals and accomplishments were relevant to the Elizabethan person.

The future founder of Corpus Christi College, Richard Fox, was initially a teacher at the Edward IV Grammar School. Fox and other notable academicians were teachers at the Edward IV at the beginnings of their teaching careers. Keeping this in mind, it is no wonder that literary geniuses, such as Shakespeare, were so mature and adept at writing because they had such experiences with writing masterpieces at young ages.

Six o’clock in the morning until 5 o’clock at night with a two hour break at midday. Shakespeare was used to teaching styles that emphasized repetition and constant examination (“Elizabethan”). Punishments were given if students were found to speak English, as Latin was the only accepted language at designated times at school (“Elizabethan”). Shakespeare’s run-ins with drama only occurred on an end-of-term basis when he and his classmates would act out classical plays.

At the end of his grammar school career, Shakespeare could have attended university with other classmates had it not been for his father’s financial debts as well as his fallen favor in the community. Shakespeare did not attend a university, and therefore, his formal schooling only lasted until the age of 14 (“Elizabethan”). At the age of 15, Shakespeare was first confronted with the dilemma of earning his own living (Schoenbaum, 73).

Some contemporary historians speculate that Shakespeare was brought to London to work in the theatre because of his Catholic religion, where many followers of the “old faith” dwelled (Kermode, 35). How he got to London by means of payment or transportation no one is certain (Kermode, 35). His roots in Stratford-upon-Avon, however, are remembered and revered even in this day.

Works Cited

"Elizabethan Education - The Childhood & Education of William Shakespeare ." William Shakespeare: The Complete Works. 2005. William-Shakespeare info. 5 Jun 2008 .

Kermode, Frank. “The Age of Shakespeare.” Modern Library: New York, 2004.

Schoenbaum, S. William Shakespeare: A Compact Documentary Life. New York: Oxford University Press, 1977.