| 
 Very
little is actually known about Shakespeare. A lot of the records
have been destroyed or lost in the last 400 years. What we do
know is based on official documents that are left, when he was
baptized,
marriage records, that kind of thing - and stories!
It's thought that he was born on 23 April 1564. He was certainly
baptized on 26 April. His dad was John Shakespeare, a glover. People
believe that he went to Stratford Grammar School.
On 27 November 1582 he applied for a special marriage licence
to marry Ann Hathaway, because he was only 18, she was 26, and
because she was already pregnant. Their first daughter, Susanna,
was baptised on 26 May the following year. On 2 February 1585 William
and Ann had their twins baptised. They were called Hamnet and Judith.
Hamnet died eleven years later.
From here until he had his first poem published, no-one knows
what he was up to. These are known as the "Lost Years". Some people
think he joined the army and travelled to different European countries.
That's how he knows so much about them in his plays.
Others believe he joined a company of travelling players or actors
and saw Europe that way. There is one story that he left Stratford
because he was caught poaching deer. When he arrived in London
he got a job looking after people's horses, while they watched
the play. Whether it is true or not who knows? But he did end up
in London, quite poor, and helped out in the theatres acting, writing,
and working backstage.
The first official mention of his writing was April 1593 when
his poem Venus and Adonis was registered. A year later he
published The Rape of Lucrece. He wrote the poems because
all the theatres had been closed down due to plague. The poems
are dedicated to his sponsor - The Earl of Southampton.
Meanwhile Shakespeare had built up a good reputation as an actor.
He worked with Richard Burbage, the most famous actor at the time,
in the new company called The Lord Chamberlain's Men.
In 1596 he bought a house, cleverly called 'New Place', for his
wife and children in Stratford, even though he was still working
in London.
By 1599 he was at his peak. His plays and poems were huge successes.
So much so that he and Burbage had the Globe Theatre built in London.
On 29 June 1613 The Globe burnt to the ground. It only took an
hour. Shakespeare did not take part in rebuilding it. By this time
he had moved back to Stratford.
He was buried on Thursday 25 April 1616. A lot of people think
he died on 23 April, the same date as his birth, which is also
St. George's day. |
