"Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."
- William Shakespeare
Origins
It is hard to know many of the precise details surrounding the life of Shakespeare as there are many documents that still remain unfound as he was born over 400 years ago. William Shakespeare was born around April 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon - his parents John Shakespeare and Mary Arden were quite successful, so lack of money wasn't much of an issue for them. Two of his sisters died before he was born - but he did have 3 younger brothers and two younger sisters. He attended grammar school, where they were taught general things such as reading and writing - but also more in depth topics such as how to write in Latin. The course also consisted of writing and acting in Latin plays - memorisation activities were included as a part of this.
Family
When Shakespeare was only 18 years of age, he married Anne Hathaway - who was 26 years old at the time (1582). They had three children together; Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. For the majority of their lives, Shakespeare's family living in Stratford - with William constantly travelling to London for his work.
Work
Shakespeare is still known to be one of the greatest writers of all time. Many of his plays are still studied and performed all across the globe. In his lifetime, he wrote a total of 154 sonnets, around 38 plays and some other incredible texts. Some of his most famous plays are Romeo And Juliet (1597), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1600), Hamlet (1603) and Much Ado About Nothing (1623).
Sadly, William Shakespeare died on April 23rd, 1616, of unknown causes. The average life expectancy was around 35, but he defied this and was alive until the age of 52. He is believed to have spent the most of the end of his life in Stratford-Upon-Avon and he remains buried beneath the Holy Trinity church there.
www.ShakespearesGlobe.com
www.Folger.edu/Shakespeares-Life
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