William Shakespeare

• Born April 23,1564
• Christened April 26
• Third child, oldest son of John and Mary Shakespeare
• There is little information regarding his education other then that he attended Grammar school in Stratford, this school was run by Oxford graduates
• Shakespeare had vast amounts of general knowledge - birds, animals, music, dance, astrology, medicine, laws etc
• Shakespeare married in 1582 at the age of 18 to Anne Hathaway - she was seven or eight years his senior
• There were rumors that this was not a happy marriage despite the birth of three children, Suzanna, Hamnet and Judith
• Between 1583-1592 there are no records of his activities, rumors include he was a law clerk, held horse reins at the theatre, theatre page, actor etc.
• Shakespeare left his wife and children in Stratford during his time in London
• By 1592 he was recognized as both an actor and a playwright, he was 28
• Robert Greene a fellow playwright accused Shakespeare of borrowing from the plays of others
• Between 1592-1594 the London theatres were closed due to the plague - it was during this time that Shakespeare wrote his earliest sonnets and other narrative poems - this work established him as a poet and paid his bills
• Queen Elizabeth I and King James I both supported the theater and Shakespeare
• He was made an officer of the Royal Household
• After 1603 Shakespeare acted very little
• In 1607 Shakespeare suffered a serious physical breakdown at the age of 43
• He retired from all theatre work in 1610 and returned to Stratford and his family
• Shakespeare died on April 23,1616 at the age of 52
• He was buried in the Chancel of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Stratford
• Shakespeare has been described as a "handsome, well shaped man, very good company and of a ready and pleasant smooth wit."
• Shakespeare wrote 36 plays and 154 sonnets plus other poems
• He wrote historical (Richard III), comedies (Taming of the Shrew), tragedies (Romeo and Juliet) plus other plays that have no specific classification