A Biography of William Shakespeare
Shakespeare was a great writer of plays in the Elizabethan Times. He was born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden on April 23rd 1564, in Stratford-Upon-Avon. He was the only child and the only boy his parents had. Mary and John had two children (girls) before William, but they died. Will avoided 'The Black Death' which killed many babies during that era. His life was good and his first four years were particular happy, as his dad was appointed mayor of the town.
In those days, there were no theatres. Actors went from town to town and performed for several days in each one. As Queen Elizabeth enjoyed the theatre, she supported a group of actors called 'The Queen Players'. William was 5 when they came to his village and performed for the townspeople. He was totally fascinated.
At the age of six, William went to Grammar school and studied Latin, Greek, Geography and the Bible.
English: Birth place of William Shakespeare, Strat...
Shakespeare's Globe, London (rebuilt 1997)
Shakespeare's funerary monument, Holy Trinity Chur...Only boys were allowed to go to school back then. At fourteen, William's father had financial difficulties, but the family managed to survive this hardship.
When Shakespeare was 18, he met Anne Hathaway who lived at Hewlands Farm. The two fell in love with each other and were married in 1582.They soon has a baby girl called Susanna and a few years later, twins named Hamnet and Judith. The family lived in the house of William's father.
William went to London to look for work. He applied for a job in the theatre as a water-boy. Later, he became a talented actor. After a very short time, the Black Plague hit the city and the theatre was closed down for 2 whole years. William wrote and sold several poems at this time. During the second year, the...