William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare is probably one of English literature’s greatest influences. Not a lot is actually known about him, but we do know about his life comes from court records, wills, marriage certificates and his tombstone.
William was thought to have been born in 1564. We know this from the earliest record we have of his life; his baptism which happened on Wednesday, April the 26th, 1564. We don’t actually know his exact birthday but from this record we assume he was born in 1564. William’s parents were John and Mary Shakespeare. William was third of seven siblings (four brothers and three sisters).
From baptism records, we know William's father was a John Shakespeare, said to be a town official of Stratford and a local businessman. John worked with grain and sometimes was described as a glover maker by trade. He was also one of fourteen officials which formed the town council. William's mother was Mary Arden who married John Shakespeare in 1557. The youngest daughter in her family, she inherited much of her father’s landowning and farming estate when he died.
Very little is known about Shakespeare’s education. We know that the King’s New Grammar School taught boys basic reading and writing. We assume William attended this school since it existed to educate the sons of Stratford but we have no definite proof.
In 1582 William got married. A bond certificate dated November the 28th, 1582, reveals that an eighteen year old William married the twenty-six and pregnant Anne Hathaway. Barely seven months later, they had his first daughter, Susanna. Anne never left Stratford, living there her entire life. Susanna was baptised in Stratford sometime in May, 1583. Baptism records again reveal that twins Hamnet and Judith were born in February 1592. Hamnet, William's only son died in 1596, just eleven years old. William's family was unusually small in a time when families had many children to ensure parents were cared for in later years.
William is believed to have left his family for some twenty years while he pursued his passion in London.
William Shakespeare was born in 1564, and was one of eight children. William's father was a glove-maker, who also held a number of public offices, ranging from Borough Ale-Taster to alderman to bailiff, the highest public office in Stratford ("Shakespeare's Family", par. 1). His mother was born Mary Arden, who was the daughter of a well-to-do landowner of a lesser aristocratic family ("Shakespeare's Family", par. 3). Interestingly, the family gave its name to the nearby Forest of Arden, which turns up in As You Like It ("Shakespeare's Family", par. 3).
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford on Avon, England, in April of 1564 to Mary and John Shakespeare. He was the third child and the eldest son. His father was a tanner, glove-maker, and trader in wool and other precious commodities. William attended the Stratford Grammar school where he studied and received substantial training in Latin. He was married on November 27, 1582, to a woman named Anne Hathaway, who was eight years older than he was. In May of 1583, the couple's first daughter, Susanna was born. The couple had twins in February of 1585, Hamnet and Judith. Throughout his life, Shakespeare wrote thirty-seven plays, and several poems and sonnets. He was also an actor for a short while. Several of Shakespears plays were performed at the famous Globe Theater in England. On April 23, 1616 Shakespeare died, he was buried at the church of Stratford on April 25, 1616.
William Shakespeare was born to Mary and John Shakespeare. John Shakespeare was a glove maker. In his later years John held several political positions including Borough ale taster. Mary Shakespeare was a member of a minor aristocratic family. Shakespeare was the third child of eight and the first to survive past infancy("Shakespeare's" pg 1).
...l 23rd, 1616 in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. Shakespeare’s will left most of his large estate to his oldest daughter, Susanna. ("The Biography of William Shakespeare.") He instructed her to pass it down to “the first son of her body.” Susanna only had one daughter, Elizabeth, who married twice but then died without having any children in 1670, which ending the Shakespeare name. ("Featured Articles.")
"William Shakespeare [ at the age 18 ] married Anne Hathaway [ who was 26 ] on November 28, 1582, in Worcester, in Canterbury Province" (William Shakespeare Biography). Their first child was, a daughter who was named Susanna, born on May 26, 1583. They had twins, Hamnet and Judith, two years later on February 2, 1585. "After the birth of the twins, there are seven years of William Shakespeare's life where no record exist" (William Shakespeare Biography). A tragedy stuck this family when Hamnet died at the age of eleven due to an unknown cause. " In 1597 he was able to purchase a large house, New Place, in his native town" (Encyclopedia International).
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-on-Avon in Warwickshire located in the heart of England on April 23 or 24, 1564. His mother, Mary Arden grew up in a much more prosperous environment than the Shakespeares. His father John, and Mary Arden were married in 1557. John Shakespeare was a wool dealer and glove maker, who became a prominent citizen and well-respected in the community. Eventually, John held a position in the public office. (Bender 13). Subsequently, John Shakespeare experienced financial problems and lost his wealth and governing positions. This, of course, had a big effect on the whole family. William was the third of eight children. The older siblings were sistets Joan, born in 1558 and Margaret in 1562. Both of William's older sisters died very young. (Bender 14). The other dive children were Gilbert born in 1566, a second Joan 1569, Richard 1573, Edmund 1580, and Anne 1580 who died at age eight. (Bender 14).
As a young boy Shakespeare most likely would have attended the Stratford Grammar School, which was established by the church in the thirteenth century (Greenblatt 43). The School was, in Shakespeare's day, under the care of the governing body of Stratford-upon Avon and it was likely that because of Shakespeare's father's elected position he would have been educated there. During Shakespeare's years at the school he would have been taught by possibly three headmasters who durin...
From baptism records, we know William's father was a John Shakespeare, said to be a town official of Stratford and a local businessman who dabbled in tanning, leatherwork and whittawering which is working with white leather to make items like purses and gloves. John also dealt in grain and sometimes was described as a glover by trade.
William’s father, John Shakespeare married Mary Arden in the year 1557. “John and Mary Shakespeare’s first two children, Joan and Margaret, died as babies. Such early death was not unusual because there was no protection against childhood illnesses . It is remarkable that their next child, William, survived” (Greenhill and Wignall 5). It is estimated that William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564. William was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon. Stratford-upon-Avon is a famous tourist attraction today. Hundreds of thousands of people visit Stratford every year to view William’s birthplace, death place, and grave. “William was born when the plague was raging in Stratford. That year nearly fifteen percent of the town’s population died of the killer disease” (Greenhill and Wignall 5). When William was about six he was sent to the King’s New School. The King’s New School was a grammar school. “The school day in the 1500s was long and hard” (Greenhill and Wignall 5). School began as early as six in the morning and ended at five in the afternoon. There were eight hours of teaching in a day and the school day began and ended with prayers. “Schoolwork at the g...
Scholars say that a man without much schooling is unlikely to write such profound stories, ". . . Will Shakespeare of Stratford is not known ever to have attended so much as a single day of school"(Wright). This evidence suggests that there was a man named William Shakespeare, but William had not attended school and was never educated. If he was never educated, how can he know so much about royal families? Prince Charles himself was perplexed at how much information William knew, "as Prince Charles, the Prince of
“William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was and English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s preeminent dramatist” (vodppl.upm.edu 2). He was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK, he also passed away in his hometown. “When Shakespeare died in 1616 the event was barely noticed” (Epstein 7). “Shakespeare’s family was initially prosperous but began having financial difficulties in the 1570’s” (Allen 325). “Shakespeare gained his education by attending the local grammar school, King’s New School, where the curriculum stressed a classic education of Greek mythology and roman comedy”(shakespeareinamericancomunites.org 1). He never carried his educational career to a higher level as in a university. “William Shakespeare was not recognized as an actor, poet, and playwright until 1592” (Allen 346).
England's most talented and well know poet and dramatist was born on April 23, 1564, at Stratford-upon-Avon, located in the cetre of England. His father, John, was a glove-maker and wool dealer involved with money lending. His mother Mary Arden was the daughter of a Farmer. William was the third out of eight children whom all died young. His father became Mayor in 1568, after serving on the town council for many years.
William Shakespeare was a very talented man known for his various works of literature. His works include poems, plays, and sonnets. His works are then broken down into tragedies, comedies, and histories. Shakespeare left this world centuries ago, but his writings continue to live throughout the world today. He has greatly impacted the world of literature and his existence will forever be remembered.
Shakespeare’s childhood impacted him greatly into becoming who he was. Shakespeare’s childhood was neither exceptional nor dreadful; therefore, he had an uneventful childhood. William Shakespeare was evidently born on April 23, 1564, which is commonly known as St. George’s Day. The records from Holy Trinity Church attested that he was baptized there on April 26, 1564 (Pressley). Traditionally in the Elizabethan era, three days after birth of a child it would be baptized. This led many people to believe that Shakespeare was born on the 23 of April due to his baptism date. Shakespeare was born to Mary Arden and John Shakespeare in the quaint yet wealthy town of Stratford. His father was a glove maker, and Mary was from a higher social class; she was a daughter of a landowner (“Shakespeare, William.” 197-207). Shakespeare’s parents were well respected in the town, even though the family was not royalty. Shakespeare’s home in Stratford was no...
He was born in Stratford-on-Avon on April 23rd, 1564. Shakespeare never attended a university and was thought to have been educated at a local school in Stratford. The purpose of this minor school was to prepare scholars for the hard toil of the grammar school. No history, geography, music, handicrafts or physical training was taught. It is evident no doubt that William gained something from the Latin texts he read at school. He loved Ovid and was overjoyed when towards the end of the century Francis Meres wrote: ‘As the soule of Euphorbus was thought to live in Pythagoras: so the sweete wittie soule of Ovis lives in mellifluous an...