William Shakespeare
1564-1616

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, a small market town in Warwickshire, in 1564. His exact birth date is unknown, but as he was baptised on 26 April 1564, his birthday is usually commemorated on St George's Day, 23 April. His parents were John Shakespeare and Mary Arden and he was one of eight children. The family lived in a house on Henley Street, where William is thought to have been born, and the house still stands today. It is known as The Birthplace and it is visited by thousands of people every year. The house was also a shop as John Shakespeare was a glover. He prospered in his trade and became a prominent local man, holding such posts as Bailiff of Stratford and Chief Alderman. William's mother was also a woman of note as her family, the Ardens, were of aristocratic descent. Her father, Robert Arden, was a wealthy land owner and John Shakespeare's father, Richard, rented lands from him. When her father died in 1556, Mary inherited the farmstead she had grown up in, and this house, like The Birthplace, still exists today. By marrying John Shakespeare, Mary married somewhat beneath her, but the marriage was a love match.

Very little is known about William's childhood, but he is thought to have attended the local grammar school, King Edward VI's School. This was just a short distance from his home and he would have been one of forty pupils. The school day was long, beginning at six or seven in the morning and ending at five or six in the evening, and the Tudor curriculum was demanding: Latin, grammar, rhetoric, mathematics, astronomy, music, and classical mythology. School life was not all study, however, for at the end of each term the pupils would put on plays by classical Greek and Roman authors. But as much as William may have enjoyed learning, and acting in these plays, he had to leave school at thirteen or fourteen years of age to help support his family. His father had fallen on hard times and school was not a luxury the Shakespeares could afford. How William helped his family, however, is unknown. Perhaps he worked in his father's shop or on a local farm.

Anne Hathaway

When he was eighteen years old, William fell in love with a woman named Anne Hathaway. She was from Shottery, a village about a mile from Stratford-Upon-Avon, and was eight years older than William. William married her in 1582, perhaps because she was pregnant, and their first child, a daughter named Susanna, was born in 1583. Two years later, Anne gave birth to twins, Hamnet and Judith.

It is not known when exactly William left Stratford-Upon-Avon, and his young family, for London, but by 1592 he had made a name for himself in the city as an actor and playwright. However, his first mention in the historical record is hardly flattering as he was referred to by Robert Greene in his Groats-Worth of Witte as an "upstart crow" who thinks himself "the only Shake-scene in a country". It is important to remember that public theatres were still something of a novelty at this time. The first purpose built playhouse, simply called The Theatre, had only opened in 1576. But the playhouses they were hugely popular. Elizabethan Londoners did not simply watch a play, they completely immersed themselves in it, cheering at moments of triumph, booing at villains, and even throwing objects at the actors! They also enjoyed eating and drinking during a play and cracked nuts constantly!

By 1595 Shakespeare had written a number of plays, including Romeo and Juliet, and had published two narrative poems, Venus and Adonis and The Rape Of Lucrece. William was now a member of the acting company The Lord Chamberlain's Men and, aswell as being their chief dramatist, he was a shareholder in the company. This was one of the most popular acting companies in London and often performed plays before Queen Elizabeth I and her court.

The Globe, London

In 1599 the Lord Chamberlain's men built the now famous Globe Theatre in Bankside, Southwark. It was London's finest theatre yet, rivalling The Swan in size and beauty, and was built to replace The Theatre, which had been dismantled after the ground lease had expired. The Globe was a round, mostly open air theatre, that could hold up to 3,000 spectators. It had roofed balconies and galleries for wealthy spectators to sit and a "pit" or "yard" for poor people to stand. These poor spectators became known as "groundlings" and they would pay a penny to watch a play. Because the theare was open to the elements, it was closed in the winter months. It was also closed, like all the public theatres, during outbreaks of the plague. Shakespeare owned a share in the theatre and most of his plays were performed there.

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth I, Shakespeare's company, The Lord Chamberlain's Men, was awarded a royal patent by the new king, James I, and was renamed The King's Men. It is thought that the great tragedy MacBeth, which is set in Scotland, was written in honour of King James I, who was also the King of Scotland, and it is believed to have been first performed around 1605.

New Place

Although William was now spending a lot of time in London, he returned to Stratford-Upon-Avon, and his family, whenever he could. In 1597 he bought the second largest house in the town, New Place, and was living there for at least a little while in 1598. He also bought other property in and around Stratford-Upon-Avon. Sadly, William's son, Hamnet, had died in 1596, but in 1607 his daughter, Susanna, married John Hall, a distinguished doctor, and gave birth to his first grandchild, Elizabeth, the following year.

As well as writing plays, Shakepeare wrote 154 sonnets, which were first published in 1609. It is thought that this was a pirated edition (published without Shakespeare's permission) but no one knows for sure. What we do know is that a second edition did not appear until 1640. Perhaps because sonnets were not as popular as plays.

After almost two decades of success in London, William retired to Stratford-Upon-Avon sometime around 1610. It is unknown why he chose to retire, but he may have wished to spend more time with his family. Just because he had spent a lot of time away from home, does not mean that he and his wife were estranged, as is sometimes supposed. It was with his wife that he chose to spend the last years of his life, living with her in New Place.

As he was no longer acting, William was not present when The Globe Theatre caught fire during a performance of his play, Henry VIII, in 1613 and burnt to the ground. Fortunately no one was killed and the theatre was rebuilt the following year. As not a single manuscript of Shakespeare's plays survive, many people believe they were destroyed in the fire.

In the February of 1616, William's youngest daughter, Judith, married a winemaker called Thomas Quiney. However, this was not a happy event for William. Not only had the couple married without a license, which was needed for them to marry in lent, resulting in their temporary excommunication from the church, but Quincy had recently got another woman pregnant out of wedlock. This woman, Margaret Wheeler, died during childbirth, as did her baby, and Quincy was prosecuted and fined for his moral misconduct. The whole Shakespeare family was shamed by the scandal and William changed his will so that Judith's new husband would not inherit anything in the event of his death. Most of his estate he bequeathed to his eldest daughter, Susanna. To his wife, he famously left his "second best bed."

William's resting place

On the 23 April 1616, at the age of 52, William died at New Place. Two days later he was buried in Holy Trinity Church, the same church he was baptised in, and his grave is still there today. Above it is a monument, erected some time after his death, that celebrates his literary genius.