The life and legacy of William Shakespeare: from Stratford to the Globe

Shakespeare's early life

William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, a small town in central England. The exact date of his born isn’t known, but many people like to believe that he was born on 23 April.
William Shakespeare’s father made and sold gloves. It is likely that William Shakespeare was educated at the grammar school in Stratford-upon-Avon, where boys were taught Latin and Roman history. When he was eighteen Shakespeare married Anne Hataway, who was eight years older than him. They had three children: a daughter, Susanna, and twins, Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet died at the age of eleven.

The missing years

We do not know what Shakespeare did immediately after marriage, after marriage, and there are a lot of stories about what have been called the ‘missing year’ (1584-1592). It is known that he later went to London, where he became one of the owners of a theatrical company called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. It seems he was an actor before he began to write plays. He wrote 38 plays, as well as poetry. After his death, some friends of Shakespeare collected his work and published it in 1623 in a volume called ‘First Folio’.

Theatrical success

In 1599 Shakespeare’s company built one of the most famous theatres in London, the Globe Theatre. The company changed its name to the King’s Men in 1603, when James I became king, and from 1609 its main theatre was the Blackfriars. Shakespeare became rich and successful and retired to Stratford-upon-Avon in 1613. He died there in 1616.