The Life of William Shakespeare

1038 Words3 Pages

The Life of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare is one of the most identifiable icons of England. Shakespeare was one of the greatest and most influential playwright and poet during his lifetime. He is known as the greatest dramatist of all time due to his many poems and plays, such as “Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day?” and Romeo and Juliet. However, despite being so well known in the world of literature, there is not much known about the childhood of William Shakespeare.
William Shakespeare is said to be born on April 23, 1564, although his actual birthday is not known, and was baptized at the holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 26, 1564. William Shakespeare was the third child of John and Mary Arden Shakespeare with two older sisters and three younger brothers. Although much is not known about his education, scholars believe that Shakespeare went to school in King's New School, in Stratford, which taught the basics of literature. On November 28, 1582, when Shakespeare was 18, he got married to a 26 year old women, Anne Hathaway, in Worcester. After about six months of marriage, on May 26, 1583, Anne Shakespeare gave birth to their first child, a daughter by the name of Susanna. Two years later, on February 2, 1585, Anne Shakespeare had given birth to twins, Hamnet and Judith, one of which, Hamnet, died at the age of eleven due to an unknown cause. For seven years, after the birth of the twins, there is no record of William Shakespeare's life. These seven years are known as the "lost years," though it is said that Shakespeare moved to London between the mid-to late 1580s. By the 1590s, Shakespeare started to work as an actor and playwright in London. The very first play that Shakespeare wrote was cal...

... middle of paper ...

...nd sweat to get as far as he did and he is worthy of all the achievements he has received.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. "Shall I compare thee to a summers day? Sonnet 18 a poem by William Shakespeare ." Love Poems. N.p., April 1, 2004. Web. 10 Feb 2011. .
Shmoop Editorial Team. "William Shakespeare Timeline of Important Dates." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. .
"William Shakespeare Biography."Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. .
"William Shakespeare Facts." Absolute Shakespeare. N.p., 2000-2005. Web. 10 Feb 2011. .

Open Document