William shakespeare life history short
William Shakespeare
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Who Was William Shakespeare?
William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor of the Renaissance era. He was an important member of the King’s Men theatrical company from roughly onward. Known throughout the world, Shakespeare’s works—at least 37 plays, sonnets, and 2 narrative poems—capture the range of human emotion and conflict and have been celebrated for more than years. Details about his personal life are limited, though some believe he was born and died on the same day, April 23, 52 years apart.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: William Shakespeare
BORN: c. April 23,
DIED: c. April 23,
BIRTHPLACE: Stratford-upon-Avon, England, United Kingdom
SPOUSE: Anne Hathaway ()
CHILDREN: Susanna, Judith, and Hamnet
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Taurus
Early Life
The personal life of William Shakespeare is somewhat of a mystery. There are two primary sources that provide historians with an outline of his life. One is his work, and the other is official documentation such as church and court records. However, these provide only brief sketches of specific events in his life and yield little insight into the man himself.
When Was Shakespeare Born?
No birth records exist, but an old church record indicates that William Shakespeare was baptized at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 26, From this, it is believed he was born on or near April 23, , and this is the date scholars acknowledge as Shakespeare’s birthday. Located about miles northwest of London, Stratford-upon-Avon was a bustling market town along the River Avon and bisected by a country road during Shakespeare’s time.
Parents and Siblings
Shakespeare was the third child of John Shakespeare, a glove-maker and leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a local heiress to land. John held official positions as alderman and bailiff, an office resembling a mayor. However, records indicate John’s fortunes declined sometime in the late s.
Shakespeare’s life and inspirations
William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and actor.
Shakespeare’s plays include Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest.
Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in and married Anne Hathaway in They had three children.
Shakespeare spent most of his professional life with an acting company in London, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. In , the acting company built the Globe Theatre.
Shakespeare’s plays are still performed all over the world and have inspired many films, ballets, musicals and operas.
Watch this video about Shakespeare’s life and inspirations
Female presenter: William Shakespeare.
William Shakespeare: What?
Female presenter: I’m talking about you, not to you. Writer, poet, player and his story begins right here in London.
William Shakespeare: What? No I was, I was born in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Female presenter: What? I ain’t going Stratford, it’s miles away.
William Shakespeare: It’s nice.
Female presenter: So…
William Shakespeare: Two tickets to Stratford.
Female presenter: Seriously, forget it. We know his family was well off and that he was well educated; and that he got married at 18 and then he had three kids; and then he became a private tutor; and maybe a sailor in Italy or a poacher, or a fitness instructor.
William Shakespeare: Fitness instructor?
Female presenter: Okay, maybe not. I guess, the only thing we really know about his time in Stratford is that we don’t really know anything for sure.
William Shakespeare: Well…
Female presenter: No one knows the exact details of Shakespeare’s life because no one really wrote anything about people back then; unless you were a king or something. No one wrote about regular people.
Bookshop customer: Uh, excuse me, do you have a copy of Being Kate by the Duchess of Cambridge?
Female presenter: Loads of people would write stuff about kings and queens or write stuff just to please Since William Shakespeare lived more than years ago, and many records from that time are lost or never existed in the first place, we don&#;t know everything about Shakespeare&#;s life. For example, we know that he was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, miles northwest of London, on April 26, But we don&#;t know his exact birthdate, which must have been a few days earlier. We do know that Shakespeare&#;s life revolved around two locations: Stratford and London. He grew up, had a family, and bought property in Stratford, but he worked in London, the center of English theater. As an actor, a playwright, and a partner in a leading acting company, he became both prosperous and well-known. Even without knowing everything about his life, fans of Shakespeare have imagined and reimagined him according to their own tastes. Looking for more in-depth information? Need something you can cite? Read an essay about Shakespeare’s life from the Folger Shakespeare Editions. Read essay Visit Shakespeare Documented to see primary-source materials documenting Shakespeare&#;s life. This online resource of items from the Folger and other institutions brings together all known manuscript and print references to Shakespeare and his works, as well as additional references to his family, in his lifetime and shortly thereafter. William Shakespeare was probably born on about April 23, , the date that is traditionally given for his birth. He was John and Mary Shakespeare&#;s oldest surviving child; their first two children, both girls, did not live beyond infancy. Growing up as the big brother of the family, William had three younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard, and Edmund, and two younger sisters: Anne, who died at seven, and Joan. Their father, John Shakespeare, was a leatherworker who specialized in the soft white leather used for gloves and similar items. A prosperous busines The most famous of all English playwrights was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in William’s father John was a wealthy merchant and a respectable member of the community within the small Warwickshire town. It appears the John’s business interests may have taken a turn for the worse when William was in his early teens, as William failed to follow his father into the family business. Little is known of William’s early life, but it is thought that he may have attended the town’s free grammar school, learning Latin and Greek amongst many other subjects. What he did immediately after leaving school is also a little vague; local Warwickshire legends recall tales of him poaching deer at the nearby Charlecote Estate, and nights of heavy drinking sessions in several of the local village pubs. Perhaps the former would have closely followed the latter! What is known is that an 18 year-old William married Anne Hathaway, a farmer’s daughter from the nearby village of Shottery in Anne was 26 at the time, and very, very shortly after the wedding, their daughter Susanna was born. Two years later Anne gave birth to twins, Hammet and Judith. Many believe that in these early years of marriage, William may well have supported his new family by becoming a schoolteacher. Why William came to leave Stratford and his young family is again unclear; perhaps to seek his fortune in London. He appears to have arrived in the capital sometime around Initially he earned a living as an actor, before his first poem ‘Venus and Adonis’ was published in He certainly started to earn his fortune in the years that followed; between and William’s considerable output, which included six comedies, five histories as well as the tragedy Romeo and Juliet, took the London theatre world by storm. Although generally considered to be happy and prosperous years for William, his personal life was dealt a severe blow by the sudden death of his son Hammet aged 11 in Perhaps in part due to this William Shakespeare: A biography
Primary sources
Early life: Birth and childhood
William Shakespeare