The life of William Shakespeare and the plays and sonnets he wrote cannot be separated. Although he was undoubtedly a genius, he was also a product of his time.
In this article, we piece together both the historical and personal events that shaped the World's most influential dramatist and poet.
This is the life of William Shakespeare.
Major Events in the Life of William Shakespeare
Photo © Peter Scholey / Getty Images
The Life of William Shakespeare begins in the April of 1564 when he is born into a prosperous family, son of a glove maker. In this article you can find out more about Shakespeare’s birth and discover the house in which he was born
Shakespeare was lucky enough to gain a place at King Edward IV Grammar School in Stratford-upon-Avon
, by virtue of his father’s social and political standing in the town. Between the ages of 7 and 14, Shakespeare would have become well grounded in classics – learning he drew upon heavily in later life
when he became a playwright.
A shotgun marriage to ensure that their first child was not born out of wedlock sees the young William Shakespeare marry Anne Hathaway, daughter to a wealthy local farmer. The couple had three children together.
The life of William Shakespeare disappears from the history books for several years. This period, now know as the Lost Years, has been the subject of much speculation. Whatever happened to William in this period formed the foundations for his subsequent career and by 1592 he had established himself in London and was making a living from the stage.
With Romeo and Juliet
, Shakespeare really makes his name as a London playwright. The play was as popular
then as it is today and was regularly played at The Theatre, the predecessor to the Globe Theatre
. All of Shakespeare’s early work was produced here.
Photo © John Tramper
In 1598, the timbers and materials for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre were stolen and floated across the River Thames after a dispute over the lease of The Theatre became impossible to resolve. From the stolen materials of The Theatre, the now famous Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
is often described as “the greatest play ever written” – remarkable when you think it’s first public production was in 1600! Hamlet
may have been written whilst Shakespeare was coming to terms with the devastating news that his only son, Hamnet, had died aged only 11.
Shakespeare was known to Elizabeth I and had his plays had been performed to her on many occasions. She ruled during England’s so-called, “Golden Age”, a period in which artists and writers flourished. Her reign was politically unstable because she adopted Protestantism
– generating conflict with the Pope, Spain and her own Catholic citizens. Shakespeare, with his Catholic roots
, drew upon this in his plays.
There is evidence to suggest that Shakespeare was a “secret” Catholic
, so he may have been disappointed that the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 failed. It was a Catholic attempt to derail King James I and Protestant England – and there is evidence that the plot was hatched in Clopton, now a suburb of Stratford-upon-Avon.
After retiring to Stratford-upon-Avon in around 1610, Shakespeare died on his 52nd birthday. By the end of his life, Shakespeare had certainly done well for himself and owned New Place
, the largest house in Stratford! Although we have no record of the cause of death, this article does discuss a few of the theories.
Photo © Lee Jamieson
You can still visit Shakespeare’s grave today and read the curse written upon his tomb. Find out more in this article.