Essay on William Shakespeare

Submitted By gators5555
Words: 455
Pages: 2

William Shakespeare was a poet and playwright from England. Although his actual birthdate is unknown, most scholars believe he was born close to April 23, 1564. Shakespeare was baptized at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon in England on April 26, 1564. He was the third child of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. John Shakespeare worked as a leather merchant and his wife, Mary Arden, was a local landed heiress. William had two older sisters, Joan and Judith, and three younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard, and Edmund. Upon William’s birth, John Shakespeare was a successful merchant and held official the positions of alderman and bailiff. This was a position resembling a mayor in today’s times. During the late 1570’s records show that John’s fortunes declined. Hardly any records exist from Shakespeare’s childhood. Scholars suspect that he most likely attended King’s New School in Stratford. Being a son of a public official, he would have qualified for free tuition. On November 28, 1582, in Worcester, Canterbury Providence William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. William was 18 when he married Anne. Anne was 26 and also pregnant. Their first child born on May 26, 1583 was a daughter they named Susanna. Two years later on February 2, 1585, William and Anne had twins named Hamnet and Judith. Sadly, Hamnet died of unknown causes at the age of eleven. In 1952, there is evidence that Shakespeare earned a living as a playwright and actor in London. By 1957, 15 of his plays he wrote were published. Civil records show that he purchased the second largest house in Stratford, called New House, for his family. It was a four-day ride by horse from Stratford to London, so it is believed that Shakespeare spent most of his time in the city writing and acting. He only came home once a year during the 40-day Lenten