William Shakespeare

Amazingly, very little is known about Shakespear life. Even though he is the world’s most famous playwright, historians have had to fill in the gaps between the handful of surviving records from Elizabethan times.

He is said to influence many english words, and also combining words to get a meaning. It also said to some extent, his phrases has been incorporated in Germany language.

Born: April 23, 1564 (It is estmated date from his baptism record which were usually done 3rd day after delivery) and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, England
Moved to London in the late 1580s

Married Anne Hathaway at the age of 18yrs in November 1582. Anne was already pregnant with their first daughter. The wedding would have been arranged quickly to avoid the shame of having a child born out of wedlock. The second born were twins

His parents, John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, were successful townsfolk who moved to Stratford-upon-Avon from the surrounding villages. His father became a wealthy town official and his mother was from an important, respected family.

Like his father, Shakespeare had excellent business sense, and he was very successful
By 1592 had established himself as a writer.

In 1594 came the event that changed the course of literary history – Shakespeare joined Richard Burbage’s acting company and became its chief playwright for the next two decades. Here, Shakespeare was able to hone his craft, writing for a regular group of performers.
The company became very successful and often performed in front of the Queen of England, Elizabeth I. In 1603, James I ascended the throne and granted his royal patronage to Shakespeare’s company, which became known as The King’s Men.

Top 10 Most Important Plays (in chronological order):
Romeo and Juliet (1594-1595)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595-1596)
Much Ado About Nothing (1598-1599)
Henry V (1598-1599)
Twelfth Night (1599-1600)
Hamlet (1600-1601)
Measure for Measure (1604-1605)
King Lear (1605-1606)
Macbeth ( 1605-1606)
The Tempest (1611-1612)

Shakespeare retired to Stratford in 1611 and lived comfortably off his wealth for the rest of his life and died on 23rd April 1616 (on his 52nd birthday), it is estimated date, as document available are from his burial date which are of 2 days later.

If you visit Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, you can still view his grave and read his epitaph engraved into the stone:
Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones.

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