William Shakespeare was christened in the church at the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, England on 26 April 1564, when probably about three days old. This was during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
He had three younger brothers and two younger sisters. His father, John was a glove maker who later became the major of Stratford. He may have had several business interests and certainly owned more than one house in the town.
When Shakespeare was 18, he married Anne Hathaway. Their first daughter Suzanna was born in 1583.
By 1592 Shakespeare was working as writer and actor in London. He joined a theater troupe and began to write plays.
In 1596, William Shakespeare helped his father obtain a coat of arms, allowing John to die a gentleman in 1601 when William inherited his remaining properties in Stratford.
Shakespeare wrote 37 plays in 20 years. He plays generally fall into three categories: tragedies, comedies and histories.
Shakespeare retired from the theater in about 1610. He returned to his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon. He died there on April 23, 1616.
Four hundred years later, people still enjoy reading Shakespeare’s plays and seeing them onstage and in films.
William Shakespeare
