William Shakespeare By: Sierra Rice Block 2

Early Life and Childhood William Shakespeare was born on April 23,1564 in the little town of Stratford, England. He was born in the midst of the Elizabethan age. His parents were John and Mary Shakespeare, and he had several brothers and sisters. William went to grammar school like other boys in Stratford. All of the students were taught Latin and many other languages William’s father served as mayor for a time. He was also a prosperous business man. Stratford-upon-Avon, England

Marriage & Career By 1577, Shakespeare’s father was having some financial difficulties. Because of this Shakespeare had to drop out of school, and had to go to work. At age eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, a woman from a respected family. In the following two years they had three children; a girl named Susanna and then twins named Judith and Hamnet(a version of Hamlet). By 1592, William had become a London actor. In London he learned the ways of the theatre Also by this time he had written many plays. He had great variety and a gift for pleasing the audience. His most popular Success was a series of three plays called Henry VI. He also wrote comedies, and a bloody melodrama.

Marriage & Career cont… In late 1592 the bubonic plague ravaged London, killing ten percent of the population. During this time, all the theatres closed forcing the actors to leave. In his spare time William worked on his first narrative poem, Venus and Adonis. In 1594, Shakespeare began to make a name for himself as a playwright. The deaths of Christopher Marlow, Robert Greene, Thomas Kyd, George Peele, and John Lyly, left the stage open for Shakespeare. Shakespeare became the head playwright with the Lord Chamberlain’s Men and wrote four of his most successful plays. Later, he went on to work at the new theatre called the Globe and wrote several plays for them.

Retirement and Death By 1609, Shakespeare bought the second largest house in Stratford called New Place. On April 23, 1616, Shakespeare died of an unknown illness, exactly fifty-two years from his birth. He also kept a residence in London, and divided his time between country life in Stratford and city life in London. His body was buried at Holy Trinity Church. Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest playwright of all time and his legacy goes on forever.

Some of Shakespeare’s greatest work Plays Henry VI Titus Andronicus The Comedy of Errors Love’s Labours Lost King John Richard III The Merry Wives of Windsor The Taming of the Shrew Two Gentlemen of Verona Twelfth Night As you Like it Much Ado About Nothing The Merchants of Venice A Midsummer Night’s Dream Romeo and Juliet