William Shakespeare’s Life in London

William Shakespeare is considered to be the one greatest writers of all time, and, as you would expect, he has many achievements in the theatrical world for his plays and poetry. His achievements, however, were not without sacrifice. Shakespeare moved to London to pursue a career as a writer and actor. When he moved for his career, he left his family behind for London theater. During this period, he wrote most of his greatest writings. He wrote a number of well-renowned plays and sonnets during this time. He also constructed the famous Globe Theater and bought the Blackfriars theater on his financial success.
Shakespeare left Stratford for London in 1586 to join a theater company known as Lord Chamberlain's Men which was later known as the King’s Men. Shakespeare learned his trade from a few men that were apart of a theatrical company. Shakespeare learned his craft by imitating the writings of John Lyly, Robert Greene, George Peele, Thomas Lodge, Thomas Nashe, and Christopher Marlowe. “Shakespeare learned his art by imitating these Oxford and Cambridge men.” (798 Rollyson). These men were writers, playwrights, dramatists, and poets, respectively. By 1592 Shakespeare had already established himself as both an actor and a writer in London. He was so well known that he was attacked in print by the playwright Robert Greene in his Groats-Worth of Wit. Greene states “...there is an upstart Crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tiger's heart wrapped in a Player's hide, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blank verse as the best of you: and being an absolute Johannes factotum, is in his own conceit the only Shake-scene in a country.”. London provided the unique opportunity for Shakespeare to be able to collaborate with other playwrights on various poems and plays. This was a unique opportunity for the time because the other playwrights were spread across the Europe in other major cities.
Shakespeare wrote the majority of his greatest works while he loved in London. He wrote the plays Hamlet, Henry V, Macbeth, Richard III, Twelfth Night or What You Will, and Othello, the Moor of Venice while he lived in London, and it is also thought that Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer’s Night Dream, Julius Caesar, and The Taming of the Shrew were written while he lived in London. Also, it is believed that Shakespeare wrote the sonnets while he lived in London.
During his tenure in London Shakespeare became extremely wealthy. He was able to accumulate his wealth, because while he lived in London he had many opportunities to gain wealth. He was able to buy 426 pounds worth of land in Stratford. This was quite considerable at the time because the average pay in England during the 1590s was around 25 pounds a year. Shakespeare's success allowed for him to build the Globe Theater on the South bank of the River Thames and to buy the Blackfriars indoor theater. Shakespeare’s life in London was a life of success and prosperity. He became one of the greatest writers of all time, and he wrote many great works during his time in London. He was able to make himself a considerable fortune using his plays. He was recognized by kings and queens for his prestigious works. During his time in London Shakespeare made himself a name. A name that will last through the ages as one of the greatest writers of all time.