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William Shakespeare: A biography

Since William Shakespeare lived more than 400 years ago, and many records from that time are lost or never existed in the first place, we don’t know everything about Shakespeare’s life. For example, we know that he was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, 100 miles northwest of London, on April 26, 1564. But we don’t know his exact birthdate, which must have been a few days earlier.

We do know that Shakespeare’s life revolved around two locations: Stratford and London. He grew up, had a family, and bought property in Stratford, but he worked in London, the center of English theater. As an actor, a playwright, and a partner in a leading acting company, he became both prosperous and well-known. Even without knowing everything about his life, fans of Shakespeare have imagined and reimagined him according to their own tastes.

Looking for more in-depth information? Need something you can cite? Read an essay about Shakespeare’s life from the Folger Shakespeare Editions. Read essay

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William Shakespeare

English playwright and poet (1564–1616)

"Shakespeare" redirects here. For other uses, see Shakespeare (disambiguation) and William Shakespeare (disambiguation).

William Shakespeare^[a] (c. 23^[b] April 1564 – 23 April 1616)^[c] was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.

Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three chil

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John Shakespeare

John was a busy man. He also found time to operate as a ‘wool brogger’ – an unlicensed, and therefore illegal, wool dealer. This occupation had been restricted to state approved merchants only, following an Act of Parliament from 1553. Initially this appears to have been very profitable, with alleged sales of up to 400 stones of wool at a time being attributed to John in 1571-2.

From the 1570s, John’s life took a turn towards trouble. His wool dealings landed him an appearance in court in 1572 on charges of illegal wool purchases. He stopped appearing at council meetings, and in 1578 was exempted from paying levies such as towards poor relief. In the same year he began to start mortgaging land with a transaction of 48 acres, heralding the start of money problems which would endure for the next decade. These culminated in 1592 when he failed to appear in church due to his growing debts—although some have interpreted this as an indication that he had dissenting Catholic views.

In 1596 John was awarded a coat of arms, now displayed on the monument above the Shak