William Shakespeare, the eldest son of John and Mary Arden, was born in 1564, probably on April 23 in Stratford, England. He may have attended the local grammar school and studied primarily Latin rhetoric, logic, and literature. At age 18 (1582), William married Anne Hathaway, a local farmer’s daughter eight years his senior and had three children.
Shakespeare’s life can be divided into three periods: the first 20 years in Stratford (his schooling, early marriage, and fatherhood); the next 25 years as an actor and playwright in London; and the last five in retirement back in Stratford where he enjoyed moderate wealth gained from his theatrical successes.
Shakespeare probably left school at 15, which was the norm, and took some sort of job as his father suffered from financial difficulty.
At some point during this time, Shakespeare began his career with a London theatrical company—perhaps in 1589—for he was already an actor and playwright of some note in 1592. Shakespeare apparently wrote and acted for different theatrical groups.
When, in 1592, the Plague closed the theaters for about two years, Shakespeare turned to writing book-length narrative poetry. During this same period, Shakespeare was writing his sonnets, which are more likely signs of the time’s fashion rather than actual love poems detailing any particular relationship. He returned to play writing when theaters reopened in 1594, and published no more poetry.
He became one of the partners in the new Globe Theater in London in 1599.
After Queen Elizabeth’s death in 1603, Shakespeare’s productivity and popularity continued uninterrupted. He invested in London real estate and, one year away from retirement, purchased a second theater, the Blackfriars Gatehouse, in partnership with his fellow actors.
William Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616.
He wrote comedies (Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, Winter Tales, etc.), historical plays (Henry IV, V, VI, VIII, Richard III, etc.), tragedies (Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, etc.) and also poems.
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