William Shakespeare
By Esme
Shakespeare's background
Shakespeare's birth date is unknown but it is believed it is April 23, 1564. Back then babies were baptized 3 days after birth and Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564. His parent are John and Mary. He was the 3rd of 8 children. First his parents had 2 girls but they did not survive past infancy. After they had 3 boys and 2 girls.
Marriage
He married at the age of 18 to Anne Hathaway who was 26. Anne Hathaway was the daughter of a local farmer. Their first daughter was born 5 months after their marriage and it is believed this was the cause for their marriage. They lived primary apart for 20 years of their marriage because of Shakespeare's career as a poet and play writer. Together they had a daughter named Susanna and twins one called Judith and the other Hamnet who unfortunately died at the age of 11.
Susanna Hall
Daughter
Judith Quiney
Fraternal twin of Hamnet Shakespeare
Hamnet Shakespeare
Fraternal twin of Judith Quiney
Pursuing his dream
In order to pursue his career he moved to London leaving his family behind. Shakespeare wrote his first play around 1590 called Henry VI part 1. He became known as a famous poet and play writer. He started to become succesful as a playwright in 1592. He was invited many times to perform many of his plays in front of the queen. Him and other actors were made officers of the royal household. Unfortunately in 1593 the London theaters closed because of bubonic plague that killed about 5% of the cities residents but Shakespeare used this time to write poetry. The theaters reopened in the spring of 1594.
His Plays
Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets. In 1576 The Globe theater is built in London. It is a wooden theater where many of Shakespeare's famous plays are performed for the first time. In 1601 grievously his father dies and it is believed this was a motivation for Shakespeare to write the Hamlet. Shakespeare's final plays were made around 1613 which consist of Henry VIII, Two Noble Kinsmen, and Cardenio (which is now lost). He wrote these plays collaborating with John Fletcher. In 1613 the Globe theater catched fire and burnt down to the ground.
Most Famous Plays
- Romeo and Juliet
- Midsummer Nights Dream
- Much Ado About Nothing
- Henry V
- Twelfth Night
- Hamlet
- Measure for Measure
- King Lear
- Macbeth
- The Tempest
Death
In 1616 he made some revisions to his last will. He died on April 23, 1616 for an unkonwn cause but it is believed that he died from an infectious disease because his brother in law died a week earlier.