William Shakespeare
Early life
No birth records exist, but it is believed he was born on or near April 23, 1564. He was born
in Stratford England, during this period his hometown was a bustling market town.
Shakespeare was the third child of John Shakespeare, a glove-maker and leather merchant
who also happened to have amassed a small fortune which gave the family a coat of arms,
making William and his siblings “gentlemen”.
The writer had 7 siblings, though three of them did not live past childhood. Their first two
children—daughters Joan and Margaret—died in infancy, so William was the oldest
surviving offspring. He had three younger brothers and two younger sisters: Gilbert, Joan,
Anne, Richard, and Edmund. Anne died at age 7, and Joan was the only sibling to outlive
William.
Childhood and Education
Scant records exist of Shakespeare’s childhood and virtually none regarding his education.
Scholars have surmised that he most likely attended the King’s New School, in Stratford,
which taught reading, writing, and the classics, including Latin. He attended until he was 14
or 15 and did not continue to university. The uncertainty regarding his education has led
some people question the authorship of his work.
Wife and kids
Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway on November 28, 1582, in Worcester, in Canterbury
Province. Hathaway was from Shottery, a small village a mile west of Stratford.
Shakespeare was 18, and Anne was 26 and, as it turns out, pregnant.
Their first child, a daughter they named Susanna, was born on May 26, 1583. Two years
later, on February 2, 1585, twins Hamnet and Judith were born. Hamnet died of unknown
causes at age 11.
Shakespeare’s lost years
There are about 7 years of William’s life that have no records about the poet. This period
begins after the birth of his twins in 1585 until 1592. By 1592, there is evidence
Shakespeare earned a living as an actor and a playwright in London and possibly had
several plays produced. The September 20, 1592, edition of the?Stationers’ Register, a guild
publication, includes an article by London playwright Robert Greene that takes a few jabs at
Shakespeare.
The Globe Theater
By 1599, Shakespeare and several fellow actors built their own theater on the south bank of
the Thames River, which they called the Globe Theater.?Julius Caesar?is thought to be?the
first production?at the new open-air theater. Owning the playhouse proved to be a financial
boon for Shakespeare and the other investors.
In 1613 the theatre caught fire and burned to the ground, but it was quickly rebuilt and
reopened in 1614. The globe was sadly demolished by the puritans in 1644 after all theaters
