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Which subjects did William Shakespeare likely study at Stratford grammar school?
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William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare, detail of an oil painting attributed to John Taylor, c. 1610. The portrait is called the “Chandos Shakespeare” because it once belonged to the duke of Chandos.
William Shakespeare likely attended the King’s New School in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he received a substantial education centered on a standard Latin curriculum and an introduction to Greek.1
The pedagogy of the time was primarily rhetorical, with Latin serving as the language of instruction. Students at such grammar schools typically engaged in the following activities:1
- Memorization: Students were required to memorize key classical texts.1
- Translation: A core part of the curriculum involved practicing translations back and forth between Latin and English.1
- Oratory: Students frequently delivered speeches in Latin.1
- Theatricals: Students sometimes participated in schoolboy Latin theatricals, performing works or adaptations of classical authors.21
While school records from this period are lost, it is highly probable that Shakespeare, as the son of a prosperous citizen, was enrolled in this rigorous academic environment. This early training provided him with a foundation in classical literature that would later serve as a significant source of inspiration for his own writing.1