William+Shakespeare's+Life

· Mysterious personal history because there are only two primary sources: church documents and his works. · Birthday- April 23, 1564 · Born in Stratford-upon-Avon · Parents- John Shakespeare and Mary Arden · One of 8 children · John was a very successful merchant during William’s childhood, but his success declined in the 1570s. · It is believed that Shakespeare attended the free grammar school in Stratford but there are no records to prove this claim. · Shakespeare’s knowledge of Latin and Classical Greek would tend to support the theory that he went to free grammar school. · Two events that were documented are that he was baptized at the Holy Trinity Church on April 26, 1564 and that he married Anne Hathaway on November 28, 1582. · Had three children with Anne Hathaway: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. · Became part owner of a playing company called Lord Chamberlain’s Men, which later became known as the King’s Men. · Retired to Stratford around 1613, and he died three years later. · Most of his work was produced between 1589 and 1613. · His first plays were comedies and histories. · Until 1608 he wrote mainly tragedies. · In the end of his career he wrote romances and collaborated with other playwrights. · Between 1585 and 1592 there is little known about Shakespeare, this is the time period that scholars refer to as his “lost years.”
 * Information/Documentation: **
 * Life: **

· The name Shakespeare may have meant “Shaker of Spears” indicating warrior ancestry. · Shakespeare and company built two Globe Theaters. · Shakespeare never published any of his work; it was published after his death. · Many scholars believed Shakespeare did not write his own plays and that he plagiarized his works from Sir Francis Bacon. · No pictures of Shakespeare were painted during his lifetime.
 * Interesting Facts: **

· The primary source for Othello is a short story from Gli Hecatommithi, a collection of tales published in 1565 by Geraldi Cinthio. · No English version of the short story was available so some believe Shakespeare may have read a translation in French by Gabriel Chappuys which was published in Paris in 1584.
 * Othello Historical Background: **

[|Video Clip of Shakespeare's home] [|Timeline of Shakespeare's Life] [|Interesting or Unusual facts about Shakespeare] [|An overview about many of Shakespeare's plays, and their themes] [|An article about Shakespeare's physical appearance and his portraits]
 * Websites and Videos:**