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| Shakespeare himself :) |
- We know who Shakespeare was through his registrar records, court records, his will, marriage certificate and his tombstone in Stratford upon Avon
- We know he was born on 23rd April 1564 but his birthday is celebrated on 26th April 1564, when he was baptised. He sadly died on his birthday when he was 52.
- His father was called John Shakespeare and his mother was called Mary Arden. He was a glove maker, tanner and a wool dealer, he was an important character in Stratford. She was the daughter of a rich farmer
- William Shakespeare was the eldest of 8 siblings; 4 sisters (3 died in infancy) and 4 brothers
- He went to junior school at 7 and then progressed onto King's New School. The school put an on emphasis on Latin
- He married Anne Hathaway at 18, when she was 26. Anne was also a daughter of a wealthy farmer, like Shakespeare's mother. They were married until Shakespeare died
- They had their first child in May 1583, she was called Susannah. Anne and Shakespeare had twins 2 years later
- We don't know much about Shakespeare from 1585-1592; they're known as "The Lost Years"
- By 1592 Shakespeare was in London where he was singled out by the playwright Robert Green
- When he plague broke out in 1593, all the theaters were closed, in this time Shakespeare decided to write poetry
- In 1593 he published a poem called Venus and Adonis. This poem was to honour the King and Queen
- His earliest plays were Henry V Part 1,2 and 3, The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Titus Andronicus but he also wrote a collection of sonnets
- In 1594 Shakespeare was a founding member, actor, playwright and shareholder of the Lord Chamberlain's men (they were a group of men who wanted to put on plays)
- Richard Burbage was the companies lead actor. He played roles including Richard III, Hamlet and King Lear
- Later on the group changed their name to the King's Men. They performed in court more than any other company did
- After 1611 Shakespeare retired to Stratford where he died
- In 1623 two actors from the King's Company, John Heminges and Henry Condell, had Shakespeare's plays published. The first folio contained 36 plays and was sold for a pound (in those days)
A video from an extract of one of Shakespeare's first plays: The Two Gentlemen of Verona
