Biography of William Shakespeare--Rachael.

Shakespeare was born in April of 1564. According to records, he was baptized shortly after birth. He was born in the village of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire. He came from a well off family, with parents that were known around the community. His Mother, Mary Arden, came from a family of landed gentry. His father came from a family of yeomen. He studied Latin and Greek and a local school as a young boy. John Shakespeare most likely took his to plays when they came into town, which was not often. This however, was the first exposure William had to the art of Theater.

When he was 18, he married a woman by the name of Anne Hathaway in 1582. She was 26. Their marriage certificate was issued on November 27th, 1582. Anne came from a respected family, and her father worked hard as a farmer. They had their first child, Susanna, in May of 1583. Susanna was followed two years later by twins, Judith and Hamnet. Their birth was in January of 1585. During most of this time, Shakespeare was in London, and was away from his family quite a bit. A written reference from another playwright shows that Shakespeare was established in the theater systems in London, during his late twenties. This playwright wrote with a hint of jealousy at Shakespeare’s success.

Shakespeare quickly rose in the theater as both an actor and a writer. He had two patrons, the Earls of South Hampton and Pembrooke. Since he was so successful, he was able to purchase New Place, which was the most extravagant home in his home town. By this time, he was in his thirties. Soon after that he became the joint owner of the famous Globe Theater, when it opened in 1599. This addition to his wealth sky rocketed his way of living. He was able to retire soon after their agreement of his ownership, and he returned to Stratford in 1610. His death took place on April 23rd, 1616. This happens to be the date of his birthday, but records cannot prove this as a fact.

During the course of his lifetime, He wrote almost 200 Sonnets ,and a total of 37 plays, which included: Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Timon of Athens, Titus Andronicus, Troilus and Cressida, All’s Well That Ends Well, As You Like It, Comedy of Errors, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Measure for Measure, Merchant of Venice, Merry Wives of Windsor, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado about Nothing, Taming of the Shrew, Tempest, Twelfth Night, Two Gentlemen in Verona, Winter’s Tale, Cymbeline Henry IV Part I, Henry IV Part II, Henry V, Henry VI Part I, Henry VI Part II, Henry VI Part III, Henry VIII, King John, Pericles, Richard II, and Richard III.