William Shakespeare (biography)

1. By: Brooke Boothe
“To be, or not to be…”
"O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore
art thou Romeo?"
Photograph. An Elizabethan
Exploration! Web. 3 Dec. 2009.
<http://images.google.com/imgres
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imgurl=http://questgarden.com/57/
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2. The baptismal register of the Holy
Trinity parish church, in Stratford has
an entry for William Shakespeare,
born April 26, 1564.
The real birth of Shakespeare is
unknown, but April 23, 1564, has been
his accepted birthday because it is St
George’s Day.
Shakespeare is said to be born in a
house on Henley Street in Stratford,
owned by William's father, John.
Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford:
Shakespeare's Birth Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. (3
Dec. 2009) < http://www.shakespeare-
online.com/biography/Birth.html >.
Scott, Mark W., Tardiff, Joseph C. Shakespeare for Students.
Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc., 1992.
William Shakespeare’s birth place
Photograph. Stratford-upon-avon Town Trail. Web. 3 Dec. 2009.
<http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.stratford-upon-
avon.co.uk/images/wsbpjdf_06.jpg&imgrefurl =http://www.stratford-
upon-avon.co.uk/static_473.htm&usg=__
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%3D21%26um%3D1>.

3. John, Shakespeare’s father, came to
Stratford before 1532 from Snitterfield
as an apprentice glover and tanner of
leathers.
John married Mary Arden sometime
between 1556 and 1558. Mary was the
daughter of a wealthy man who owned
a sixty acre farm called Asbies.
John died in 1601 and Mary died a few
short years later in 1608.
Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford:
Shakespeare's Parents Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000.
(3 Dec. 2009) < http://www.shakespeare-
online.com/biography/Parents.html >.
William, John, and Mary Shakespeare
Photograph. A PICTORIAL BIOGRAPHY. 7 Dec. 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2009.
<http://images.google.com/imgres?
imgurl=http://hearteng.110mb.com/shakespeare/life1.jpg&imgrefurl=http:
//hearteng.110mb.com/shakespeare/life.htm&usg=__5beW4pYJedMRye6
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%3Fq%3Dwilliam%2Bshakespeare%2527s%2Bparents%26hl%3Den
%26um%3D1>.

4. On September 15, 1558, William’s first older sister
Joan was born. Shortly after her birth, she got the
plague.
On December 2, 1562, his second older sister was
born, Margaret. She died one year later.
William’s first younger brother, Gilbert, was born
October 13, 1566. He survived the plague and had a
very successful career. He died on February 3, 1612.
In 1569, William’s first younger sister was born, Joan,
named after his first sister who died of the plague.
She died in 1646.
When William was seven years old, his fourth sister,
Anne, was born in 1571. She died at age eight and
was buried April 4, 1579
On March 11, 1574, Richard Shakespeare was born,
William’s second brother. He died sometime later
and was buried February 4, 1613.
William’s last sibling, Edmund, born May 3, 1580,
was eager to follow William’s acting footsteps. He
traveled to a few places with William, but died in
1607, not even thirty years of age. He was buried
December 31 of that year.
Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford: Shakespeare's
Siblings Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. (3 Dec. 2009) <
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography /Siblings.html >.
Shakespeare Family Tree
Photograph. Shakespeare Family Tree. 7 Dec. 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2009.
<http://images.google.com/imgres?
imgurl=http://wellfurlong.co.uk/images/Theatre/WillTree446.gif&imgrefurl=
http://wellfurlong.co.uk/theatre/shaketree.htm&usg=__U5yrydmev84fppBW
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bnid=znvyF1ubx7ehQM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=100&prev=/images%3Fq
%3Dwilliam%2Bshakespeare%2527s%2Bfamily%2Btree%26hl%3Den
%26um%3D1>.

5. William Shakespeare probably began his
education at the age of seven years old. Even
though there is no record of him going to school,
it is said that his father sent him to the Stratford
Grammar School near his house on Henley St.
While in school, Shakespeare learned the basics;
how to read and write from an ABC, or horn-
book.
Shakespeare was removed from school around
age thirteen because of his fathers social and
financial difficulties.
Before he emerged again in the late 1580’s as a
professional actor, there are suggestions that he
may have worked as a lawyer, schoolmaster, or a
glover with his father and brother, but no one is
fully sure of what he did up until that point.
Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford:
Shakespeare's Education and Childhood Shakespeare Online.
20 Aug. 2000. (3 Dec. 2009) < http://www.shakespeare-
online.com/biography/Education andChildhood.html >.
Stratford Grammar School
Photograph. Brief History of William Shakespeare. 7 Dec. 2009. Web. 3
Dec. 2009. <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=
http://www.stratford-upon-avon.co.uk/images/jdkes_400_1158
.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.stratford-upon-avon.co.uk/
soawshst.htm&usg=__2cCwT_nVN2ddEZ71sYQCfM6T09g=&h=26
5&w=400&sz=25&hl=en&start=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=nIKlLTgh-
mf66M:&tbnh=82&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwilliam
%2Bshakespeare%2527s%2Bschool%26hl%3Den%26um%3D1>.

6. William Shakespeare married Anne
Hathaway born April 1556, in
November 1582, at age twenty-six.
They had there first child, Susanna,
born May 26, 1583. She got married
to John Hall and they had a baby girl
named Elizabeth in February 1608.
Susanna died in 1649.
In 1585, Shakespeare and Anne had
twins. They were named Hamnet and
Judith after two close friends of
William. Hamnet died on August 11,
1596, at the age of eleven of an
unknown cause, and Judith died in
1662.
Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford: Shakespeare's
Children Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. (3 Dec. 2009). <
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/shakespearchild-
ren.html >.
Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford: Shakespeare's
Marriage Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. (3 Dec. 2009) <
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/Marriage.html >.
Anne Hathaway
Photograph. Rambles Reviews. 7 Dec. 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2009.
<http://images.google.com/imgres?
imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Henry_
Wriothesley,_3rd_Earl_of_Southampton.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.ri
barambles.org/reviews.htm&usg=__PRikcJRTjGc6Gf5AjDQELxRk8w
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%3Dwilliam%2Bshakespeare%2527s%2Bwife%26hl%3Den%26um
%3D1>.

7. By the end of 1592, Shakespeare had become an
established actor in London.
That same year, many of Shakespeare’s plays
were already popular including Henry VI, The
Comedy of Errors, and Titus Andronicus.
The theatres were closed since 1593 during the
time of the plague, and it is likely that
Shakespeare took time off to work on his non-
dramatic poetry.
By the end of 1593, all of the hard work and
dedication Shakespeare put into his work paid
off; Southampton became Shakespeare’s patron.
On April 18, 1593, Venus and Adonis was entered
for publication, and Shakespeare made his formal
debut as a poet.
In 1594, Shakespeare returned to the theatre and
became a leading member of The Lord
Chamberlain’s Men.
Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford: Shakespeare the
Actor and Playwright Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. (3 Dec.
2009) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography
/theActorandPlaywright.html >.
Kay, Dennis. Shakespeare: His Life, Work, and Era. New York, New York:
Sidwick & Jackson Limitied, 1992.
Shakespeare wrote many plays such as Romeo and Juliet,
Hamlet, Macbeth, Henry VI, and Julius Caesar.
Photograph. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (Text Synchronized Audiobook) . 7
Dec. 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. <http://images. google.com/ imgres?
imgurl=http://images3.appbeacon.com/303474757_0.jpg&imgrefurl=http://appbeac
on.com/apps/018325/romeo-and-juliet-by-william-shakespeare-text-synchronized-
audiobook&usg=__SvMMXvB-H_Kn1fjbs72OllI OSp4=&h=
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%2Bplays%2B(romeo%2Band%2Bjuliet)%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den%26sa
%3DN%26start%3D21%26um%3D1>.

8. William Shakespeare died the year of
1616 at age 52.
The cause of his death is a mystery,
but in a diary entry of John Ward, it
tells us that Shakespeare drank too
hard with a few other people, and he
died of a fever.
Researchers found that people were
beginning to get the “new fever,” also
known as the typhus, the year that
Shakespeare died.
Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford:
Shakespeare's Death Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000.
(3 Dec. 2009). < http://www.shakespeare-online. com/
biography/deathofshakespeare.html >.
Kernan, Alvin. William Shakespeare: The Tragedy of Othello.
New York, New York: Penguin Group; signet Classic,
1986.
Photograph. ..."Where Excellence Prevails" Web. 3 Dec. 2009.
<http://images.google.com/imgres?
imgurl=http://www.nlcphs.org/Academics/English/Pictures/shakespeare.jpg&imgr
efurl=http://www.nlcphs.org/Academics/English/Home.htm&usg=__TnNI43cOk5
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1&tbnid=O07EapXyyIejUM:&tbnh=143&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq
%3Dwilliam%2Bshakespeare%26hl%3Den%26um%3D1>.

9. April 26, 1564- William Shakespeare’s
Baptism
November 27, 1582- Shakespeare’s
Marriage License Issued
May 26, 1583- The Baptism of Susanna
Shakespeare
February 2, 1585- The Baptism of Hamnet
and Judith Shakespeare
1590-1592- Shakespeare Writes Parts 1, 2,
and 3 of Henry VI.
March 3, 1592- First Production of 1 Henry
VI
April 18, 1593- Registration of Venus and
Adonis
August 11, 1596- Burial of Hamnet
Shakespeare
1599- Opening of the Globe Theatre
1600- First Production of Julius Caesar
September 8, 1601- Burial of John
Shakespeare
1603- First Printing of Hamlet
June 5, 1607- Marriage of Shakespeare's
Daughter Susanna to Dr. John Hall
February 21, 1608- The Baptism of
Elizabeth Hall
September 9, 1608- Burial of Mary
Shakespeare
1609- Publication of Shakespeare's Sonnets
1611- First Recorded Performances of The
Winter's Tale, Macbeth and Cymbeline
February 10, 1616- Marriage of
Shakespeare's daughter Judith to Thomas
Quiney
March 25, 1616- William Shakespeare
Signs his Will
April 23, 1616- William Shakespeare Dies
April 25, 1616- Burial of William
Shakespeare
Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford:
Shakespeare TimelineShakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000.
(3 Dec. 2009) < http://www.shakespeare-
online.com/biography/timeline.html >.

10. Kay, Dennis. Shakespeare: His Life, Work, and Era. New York, New York: Sidwick & Jackson Limitied, 1992.
Kernan, Alvin. William Shakespeare: The Tragedy of Othello. New York, New York: Penguin Group; signet Classic, 1986.
Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford: Shakespeare's Birth Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. (3 Dec. 2009) <
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/Birth.html >.
Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford: Shakespeare's Parents Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. (3 Dec. 2009) <
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/Parents.html >.
Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford: Shakespeare's Siblings Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. (3 Dec. 2009) <
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography /Siblings.html >.
Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford: Shakespeare's Education and Childhood Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000.
(3 Dec. 2009) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/Education andChildhood.html >.
Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford: Shakespeare's Children Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. (3 Dec. 2009). <
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/shakespearchild-ren.html >.
Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford: Shakespeare's Marriage Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. (3 Dec. 2009) <
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/Marriage.html >.
Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford: Shakespeare the Actor and Playwright Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. (3
Dec. 2009) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography /theActorandPlaywright.html >.
Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford: Shakespeare's Death Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. (3 Dec. 2009). <
http://www.shakespeare-online. com/ biography/deathofshakespeare.html >.
Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford: Shakespeare TimelineShakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. (3 Dec. 2009) <
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/timeline.html >.
Photograph. An Elizabethan Exploration! Web. 3 Dec. 2009. <http://images.google.com/imgres?
imgurl=http://questgarden.com/57/28/8/071113161036/images/william-shakespeare.jpg&imgrefurl
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bnh=127&tbnw=90&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwilliam%2Bshakespeare%26hl%3Den%26um%3D1>.

11. Photograph. Stratford-upon-avon Town Trail. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.stratford-upon-
avon.co.uk/images/wsbpjdf_06.jpg&imgrefurl =http://www.stratford-upon-avon.co.uk/static_473.htm&usg=__
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ges%3Fq%3Dwilliam%2Bshakespeare%2527s%2Bbirthplace%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D21%26um%3D1>.
Photograph. A PICTORIAL BIOGRAPHY. 7 Dec. 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. <http://images.google.com/imgres?
imgurl=http://hearteng.110mb.com/shakespeare/life1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://hearteng.110mb.com/shakespeare/life.htm&usg=__5beW4pYJedMRye6xyF0Kg
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%2Bshakespeare%2527s%2Bparents%26hl%3Den%26um%3D1>.
Photograph. Shakespeare Family Tree. 7 Dec. 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. <http://images.google.com/imgres?
imgurl=http://wellfurlong.co.uk/images/Theatre/WillTree446.gif&imgrefurl=http://wellfurlong.co.uk/theatre/shaketree.htm&usg=__U5yrydmev84fppBW7b
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%3Dwilliam%2Bshakespeare%2527s%2Bfamily%2Btree%26hl%3Den%26um%3D1>.
Photograph. Brief History of William Shakespeare. 7 Dec. 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= http://www.stratford-upon-
avon.co.uk/images/jdkes_400_1158 .jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.stratford-upon-avon.co.uk/
soawshst.htm&usg=__2cCwT_nVN2ddEZ71sYQCfM6T09g=&h=265&w=400&sz=25&hl=en&start=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=nIKlLTgh-
mf66M:&tbnh=82&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwilliam %2Bshakespeare%2527s%2Bschool%26hl%3Den%26um%3D1>.
Photograph. Rambles Reviews. 7 Dec. 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/
Henry_Wriothesley,_3rd_Earl_of_Southampton.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.ribarambles.org/reviews.htm&usg=__PRikcJRTjGc6Gf5AjDQELxRk8ww=&h
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%2Bshakespeare%2527s%2Bwife%26hl%3Den%26um%3D1>.
Photograph. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (Text Synchronized Audiobook) . 7 Dec. 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. <http://images. google.com/ imgres?
imgurl=http://images3.appbeacon.com/303474757_0.jpg&imgrefurl=http://appbeacon.com/apps/018325/romeo-and-juliet-by-william-shakespeare-text-
synchronized-audiobook&usg=__SvMMXvB-H_Kn1fjbs72OllI OSp4=&h=
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%2527s%2Bplays%2B(romeo%2Band%2Bjuliet)%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D21%26um%3D1>.
Photograph. ..."Where Excellence Prevails" Web. 3 Dec. 2009. <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nlcphs.org/Academics/English/Pictures/
shakespeare.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.nlcphs.org/Academics/English/Home.htm&usg=__TnNI43cOk5LB4ElKfGf2d66_TQo=&h=802&w=800&sz=351
&hl=en&start=12&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=O07EapXyyIejUM:&tbnh=143&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwilliam%2Bshakespeare%26hl%3Den
%26um%3D1>.
Scott, Mark W., Tardiff, Joseph C. Shakespeare for Students. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc., 1992.