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Horrible Histories Shakespeare Special - Quote Alert - CBBC

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Horrible Histories - Shakespeare goes to school - CBBC

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Walk around the Globe Theatre at Shakespeare’s Globe with our online virtual tour and 360 iOS app.

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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

Early life: Birth and childhood

William Shakespeare was probably born on about April 23, 1564, the date that is traditionally given for his birth. He was John and Mary Shakespeare's oldest surviving child; their first two children, both girls, did not live beyond infancy. Growing up as the big brother of the family, William had three younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard, and Edmund, and two younger sisters: Anne, who died at seven, and Joan.

Their father, John Shakespeare, was a leatherworker who specialized in the soft white leather used for gloves and similar items. A prosperous businessman, he married Mary Arden, of the prominent Arden family. John rose through local offices in Stratford, becoming an alderman and eventually, when William was five, the town bailiff-much like a mayor. Not long after that, however, John Shakespeare stepped back from public life; we don't know why.

Shakespeare, as the son of a leading Stratford citizen, almost certainly attended Stratford's grammar school. Like all such schools, its curriculum consisted of an intense emphasis on the Latin classics, including memorization, writing, and acting classic Latin plays. Shakespeare most likely attended until about age 15.

A horn book in the Folger collection, similar to one that Shakespeare might have learned to read from

Marriage (to Anne Hathaway) and children

A few years after he left school, in late 1582, William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. She was already expecting their first-born child, Susanna, which was a fairly common situation at the time. When they married, Anne was 26 and William was 18. Anne grew up just outside Stratford in the village of Shottery. After marrying, she spent the rest of her life in Stratford.

In early 1585, the couple had twins, Judith and Hamnet, completing the family. In the years ahead, Anne and the children lived in Stratford while Shakespeare worked in London, although we don't know when he moved there. Some later observers have suggested that this separation, and the couple's relatively few children, were signs of a strained marriage, but we do not know that, either. Someone pursuing a theater career had no choice but to work in London, and many branches of the Shakespeares had small families.

Shakespeare's only son, Hamnet, died in 1596 at the age of 11. His older daughter Susanna later married a well-to-do Stratford doctor, John Hall. Their daughter Elizabeth, Shakespeare's first grandchild, was born in 1608. In 1616, just months before his death, Shakespeare's daughter Judith married Thomas Quiney, a Stratford vintner. The family subsequently died out, leaving no direct descendants of Shakespeare.

London theater

For several years after the birth of Judith and Hamnet in 1585, nothing is known for certain of Shakespeare's activities: how he earned a living, when he moved from Stratford, or how he got his start in the theater.

Following this gap in the record, the first definite mention of Shakespeare is in 1592 as an established London actor and playwright, mocked by a contemporary as a "Shake-scene." The same writer alludes to one of Shakespeare's earliest history plays, Henry VI, Part 3, which must already have been performed. The next year, in 1593, Shakespeare published a long poem, Venus and Adonis. The first quarto editions of his early plays appeared in 1594.

For more than two decades, Shakespeare had multiple roles in the London theater as an actor, playwright, and, in time, a business partner in a major acting company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men (renamed the King's Men in 1603). Over the years, he became steadily more famous in the London theater world; his name, which was not even listed on the first quartos of his plays, became a regular feature-clearly a selling point-on later title pages.

Final years and death

Shakespeare prospered financially from his partnership in the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later the King's Men), as well as from his writing and acting. He invested much of his wealth in real-estate purchases in Stratford and bought the second-largest house in town, New Place, in 1597.

Among the last plays that Shakespeare worked on was The Two Noble Kinsmen, which he wrote with a frequent collaborator, John Fletcher, most likely in 1613. He died on April 23, 1616-the traditional date of his birthday, though his precise birthdate is unknown. We also do not know the cause of his death. His brother-in-law had died a week earlier, which could imply infectious disease, but Shakespeare's health may have had a longer decline.

The memorial bust of Shakespeare at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford is considered one of two authentic likenesses, because it was approved by people who knew him. The other such likeness is the engraving by Martin Droeshout in the 1623 First Folio edition of Shakespeare's plays, produced seven years after his death by his friends and colleagues from the King's Men.

Timeline

View a timeline of Shakespeare's life with links to key supporting documents on Shakespeare Documented.
View timeline

The bust of Shakespeare in the Folger Reading Room is a copy of the statue at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford.

Frequently asked questions

Why did Shakespeare leave his wife his "second best bed"?

William Shakespeare wrote in his last will and testament, dated March 25, 1616, "Item I gyve unto my wife my second best bed with the furniture" (furniture is used to refer to the curtains and bedcover which formed part of the complete bed).

This was not an unusual bequest, nor was it likely to have been intended as a snub. The best bed was usually regarded as an heirloom piece, to be passed to the heir rather than the spouse. It is also probable that the best bed would have been reserved for guests, meaning the "second best" was the bed that William and Anne shared.

What did Shakespeare's son die of?

We don't really know how Shakespeare's young son Hamnet died. He had a twin sister named Judith, who lived to adulthood and married, but Hamnet died at the age of 11 and a half. Child mortality was high in the 16th century; there were no antibiotics and many childhood diseases might therefore prove fatal, such as scarlet fever, whooping cough, diphtheria, and even measles. He was buried on August 11, 1596.

What is the inscription on Shakespeare's grave?

GOOD FREND FOR JESUS SAKE FORBEARE,
TO DIGG THE DUST ENCLOASED HEARE:
BLESTE BE Ye [the] MAN Yt [that] SPARES THES STONES,
AND CURST BE HE Yt [that] MOVES MY BONES.

Did Shakespeare have a coat of arms?

Yes, William's father, John Shakespeare, was granted a coat of arms in 1596. It was disputed in 1602 by York Herald, Ralph Brooke, saying that the arms were too similar to existing coats of arms, and that the family was unworthy. However, the challenge was unsuccessful, as the Shakespeare coat of arms appears in later heraldic collections and on William Shakespeare's funeral monument in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon.

Does Shakespeare have descendants?

William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway had three children. The eldest, Susanna, was baptized on May 26, 1583, and married John Hall in 1607. They had one child, Elizabeth, in 1608. Elizabeth was married twice, to Thomas Nash in 1626, and to John Bernard in 1649. However, she had no children by either husband.

William and Anne also had twins, Judith and Hamnet, who were baptized on February 2, 1585. Hamnet died at age 11 and a half. Judith married Thomas Quiney in 1616, and the couple had three sons: Shakespeare Quiney, who died in infancy, and Richard and Thomas, who both died in 1639 within a month of each other. Since neither of the boys married, there is no possibility of any legitimate descendants from Shakespeare's line.

It is possible, however, to claim a relationship to Shakespeare through his sister, Joan. She married William Hart some time before 1600, and there are many descendants of this marriage alive today, in both the male and female lines.

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Shakespeare's life | Folger Shakespeare Library

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Learn about Shakespeare's life and family: birth in Stratford-upon-Avon, marriage to Anne Hathaway and their children, work in London theaters, and death.

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Kids learn about the biography of William Shakespeare, playwright for the English theatre during the Renaissance at the Globe Theatre of London.

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William Shakespeare is one of the world's most famous playwrights.

He's known all over the world for plays like Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and Hamlet, but there are still some mysteries surrounding the writer's life.

Author Michael Rosen shares some interesting facts you might not know about Shakespeare.

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Seven Shakespeare facts from Michael Rosen

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Author Michael Rosen shares seven facts about famous playwright William Shakespeare.

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William Shakespeare was a famous poet,actor and playwright. He died on April 23th, 1616 and was born on April, 1514. Funnily enough he was born and died on the same month and exactly the same day!

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Shakespeare mostly wrote tragic and love storys for example a tragedy story would be Hamlet or MacBeth. A romance novel would maybe be The Tempest or Romeo and Juliet!

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William Shakespeare got married to a woman who was much older than himself and was already 3 months pregnant!  He also had 3 kids and had 7 siblings! His parents were illiterate and probably so were his kids! This is a most intriguing fact because he was amazing a writing! (Illiterate means to not be able to read or write!)

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He performed most of them at a place called the Globe where loads of plays have been performed! Most of them including Shakespeare's plays, like Romeo and Juliet!

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William Shakespeare was a famous playwright, poet and an actor.
William Shakespeare was born at April 1564 and died on April 23 1616.

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Shakespeare wrote many romance plays, such has Romeo and Juliet.

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Shakespeare mostly wrote romance and tragedy plays for example the famous play Romeo and Juliet.

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William Shakespeare's most famous plays were mostly tragedy, romance and sad stories. William Shakespeare made his plays seem like poems.

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William Shakespeare was an English playwrite, an actor, and a poet. He was born on April 1864, and died on April 23 1616. He introduced many words to the vocabulary and got married when he was only 18.

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William Shakespeare was a very famous playwright, poet and actor. He had seven siblings and he was the eldest. People think that he had character strengths such as open-mindedness, being hardworking, optimistic and passionate.

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He was forced to be married very quickly, had writers block and trouble finding good actors

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William Shakespeare was a very famous poet, actor and playwright. He also originated hundreds of words and phases. He was born at around April 23rd, 1563 & died on April 23rd 1616. He had seven siblings as well.

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William Shaksphere started writing poems because when the plauge hit theaters were closed.

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During "The plague" (also known as the black death) Shakespeare switched from writing plays to writing sonnets
(short poems).

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Shakespeare's father was a glove maker and his mother was a farmer's daughter... He also has two older sisters, two younger sisters and three younger brothers. He is from Stratford-Upon-Avon, United Kingdom . His date of birth was not recorded but people estimate it was around April 23rd 1564.

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William Shakespeare was a well-known actor, playwright and poet. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 1546 and died on April 23rd 1616.

Source: https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/short-stories/william-shakespeare

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William Shakespeare's mother was Mary Arden and his father was John Shakespeare. He got married at only eighteen and had three children named Susanna Hall, Hamnet Shakespeare and Judith Quiney. Unfortunately, Hamnet died at 11 years old.

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William Shakespeare was a famous poet, actor and english playwright. He was born on April 26th 1564 and died on April 23rd 1616. He had 7 siblings although 2 died at birth. He was the eldest of his siblings.

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William Shakespeare was an actor, playwriter and a poet. He was born at 26 April 1564, and died at 23 April 1616. William was most known for Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Macbeth. These are 3 really famous plays and very important play in the world.

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He was forced to get married to an actress named Anne Hathaway when he was 18 and had 3 children. Not much is known about his early years of life, but we do know that some information like that he had 3 younger brothers and two older sisters.

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William Shakespeare wrote approximately 38 plays, 12 histories, 14 comedies, 12 tragedies and over 150 poems.

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We know he was christened on April 26 1564 but we don't know when he was born

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Shakespeare's has written 37 plays and 375 poems. He was best known for writing Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth & many more. - Google

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People think that he studied Latin, Greek and History. When he was 14 he left school, 3-4 years later, he married Anne Hathaway. They had a girl named Susanna and twins. One named Hamnet and the other named Judith. Before 1590, he left Stratford-upon-Avon and moved to London. London's first theatre opened and he worked as an actor and then later on got inspired by being an actor to write his own plays. He helped open a theatre called "The Globe" and showed his own plays. Later on in 1593, a plague caused by rats killed thousands of people and people had to shut down theaters. Because of this reason, Shakespeare started to right short poems called sonnets.

Source:https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/short-stories/william-shakespeare

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Shakespeare wrote many tragedy plays and he wrote 38 plays, 2 poems and 154 sonnets he also wrote romance stories. Some plays that he wrote are: Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, The tempest and the Twelfth Night. :)

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William Shaksphere performed his plays in a theatre called the globe which is where he prisented his famous plays Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet.

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William Shakespeare was one of the most know poet and play-writer. He was born on April 1563 and died in April 1616. He also had 7 siblings!

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Most of William Shakespeare's plays were at "the Globe"....Thousands of Shakespeare's plays have been staged since the end of the 16th century.

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William shakespear has wrote a very famous play romeo and juilet he also wrote the hamlet

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William Shakespeare wrote plays that included genres such as Tragedy, Comedies, and Romance.

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William shakespear's plays were at the theartere but then they moved to the globe which is one of the most famous thertares today

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Shakespeare often writes about romance but also likes plays related to death or suicide.

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Before becoming a playwright, William Shakespeare was an Actor

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William Shakespeare won the lucille lortel award for outstanding revival. He also left school when he was around 15 years old and 3 years later married Anne Hathaway.

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Its been 400 years since William Shakespeare sadly died.

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Shakespeare is one of the best writers in the world and have many famous plays. In fact one of his plays were performed for both Queen Elizabeth I and King James I.

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Shakespeare's plays were often about and or included tragedy, romance, history & comedy. - Google

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Most of Shakespeare's plays were performed in "The Globe".

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William Shakespeare was an English play writer, actor and poet. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon England, his death was caused by heavy drinking and later on felt ill. Nobody knew the exact date he was born because it was not recorded but he died on April 23rd.

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William Shakespeare lived in a normal family, he had three younger brothers, and two younger sisters. His parents names are John and Mary Shakespeare, his three younger brothers names were Gilbert, Richard and Edmund. His two younger sisters' names are Anne and Joan.

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Shakespeare was an actor and a poet. He borrowed plots from others for his poetry. Because of a plague in 1593, the theater he acted in had to shut down the theater. He had 7 siblings although 2 died at birth. He was the eldest of his siblings. 3 boys (Including him) and 3 girls. Sadly, 2 of the girls died.

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He got married at a very young age he had seven siblings. His dad was a leather salesmen. He is from stratford aron avon uk.

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Shakespeare was forced to be married at the age of 18. Later on, he had 3 children named Susanna, Hamnet, and Judith.

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Shakespeare worked for a company called Lord Chamberlains men, but he when that was shut down, he produced most of his plays at the Globe.

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William Shaksphere was born, raised and died in Watford, United Kingdom on April 26 1564 but people don't the exact day he was born because it was not recorded. He died April 23 1616 from heavy drinking while he was ill. He is known as the greatest writer in the history of the english language.

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Some of his first plays where put on in some of the most boring names for a theater. One of them was called "the theater".

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William started writing sonnets which are short poems when the theartes shut down due to the black death

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Shakespeare mostly performed his plays at The Globe.

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William Shakespeare was an English poet ,playwright and actor. He was famous by creating Romeo and Juliet. He was born in 1564 in Stratford. When he was young he went to a grammar school and learned about poetry, history and languages.

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William Shakespeare wrote a lot of different kind of plays, including Comedies, Tragedies, Histories, and Chronology.

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Shakespeare had a variety of plays with different genres like the famous play Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet which is both a romantic plays .

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William Shakespeare used to be an actor, a poet and an English play worker. His date of birth was not recorded but what we do know is that he died on April 23rd and was baptized on April 26.

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William shakespear was a famous playwright, poet and an actor. He was born on april 1564 and died on april 23rd 1616.

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William Shakespeare's wife name is the same as the actor Anne Hathaway.

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Shakespeare mostly presented his work in a theatre called "The Globe". - Shakespearglobe.com

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William Shakespeare was a Actor, poet and even a playwright. He was born in 26 April 1564 and died in 1616. He was married to Anne hathaway. He wrote 37 plays 154 sonnets, He also contributed 3000 words to they English Dictionary. He had 3 children named Hamnet, Judith and Susanna.

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No women played in any of Shakespeare's plays only men at the time. But the story Romeo and Juliet is now played as a female.

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William Shaksphere's shortest play was The Comedy Of Errors which is the only one of his plays that is under 15 thousand words, most of his plays were 22.6 thousand words. Hamlet Shaksphere's longest play was over 30 thousand words but 4,042 is the exact amount.

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William Shakespeare got married at 18 while his wife (Anne Hathaway) was 26 years old. Shakespeare was forced to marry her although they didn't know each other well, Anne was already 3 months pregnant and needed to be married soon.
Shakespeare had 7 siblings although his two older siblings passed away at a very young age, and Shakespeare became the oldest of his siblings.
Shakespeare himself had 3 children. he had a set of twins (Judith and Hamnet) and one single child (Susanna).  One of Shakespeare's twins died at 11 years old from Bubonic plague. (an infection spread mostly to humans by infected fleas that travel on rodents)

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In the old time womens weren't allowed to act so boys take girl roles and pretend to be girls. But finally girls were now allowed to act and I am so glad.

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William Shakespeare creates Alot Of Intresting plats

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William Shaksphere started writing poem's and sonnets when the plauge broke out which meant that all the theaters were shut down.

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William Shakespeare's actual birthday was and still is unknown to this day. He also disappeared in 2 time periods. - Indepent.co.uk

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William Shakespeare mostly presented in a theatre called The Globe in London. The plays were performed in open areas and had natural light instead of real LED lights.

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When the first theatre opened in England called the Globe he worked there as an actor. Then the plague hit causing theatre's to close so Shakespeare started writing short and long poems.

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Shakespeare wrote all different types of genres for plays some he wrote were, Romantic, Comedy's, Tragedy also Queens and Kings.

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He mostly performed his plays in a theatre called The Globe.

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He created 3 wonderful chidren Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judith.

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Shakespeare's plays were normally based on comedies, tradgedies and histories. He has 37 plays listed. Some may be not his, a collaboration or lost. Usually, his comedies have romance in them. His tradgedies include a character with a tragic flaw or a tragic trait

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William Shakespeares birth is unknown but we do know that his date of christianing was 26/4/1564, he died on 23/4/1616 and he was borb in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England. When he was only 52. His fater was a normal man, he worked as a leather maker selling pouches, gloves and more.

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Shakespeare got married to a girl called Anne Hathaway when he was only eighteen years old and had twins.
Shakespeare had 3 brothers and 4 sisters and he was the oldest.

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Shakespeare wrote Tragedies, comedies and histories. He also wrote romance plays.

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Shakespeare wrote romantic and tragedy poems and drama. Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Macbeth are one of the famous dramas that Shakespeare wrote.

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He wrote romantic, comedy, tragedy and all sorts of plays. Some plays include "Romeo and Juliet" and even some about King Henry the V.

Source:https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/short-stories/william-shakespeare

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Church records indicate that Shakespeare was born on, or near to, April the 23rd, 1564 and grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon,, a small English market town along the banks of the river Avon. In 1582, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway and just six months after their marriage,

Anne gave birth to the first child, Susanna. Then two years later they had twins Judith and Hamnet.

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"The Globe" was able to fit 3,000 people. Some people would stand in front of the stage and watch whilst others sat at the back of the stage where there were chairs.

Source:https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/short-stories/william-shakespeare

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He mostly performed his plays (Mostly, his plays had a lot of rhymes) in a theater called THE GLOBE.

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Fact : You can take the words "William Shakespeare" and write "I am a weakish speller".

Source:https://www.ducksters.com/biography/authors/william_shakespeare.php

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Kids learn about the biography of William Shakespeare, playwright for the English theatre during the Renaissance at the Globe Theatre of London.

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Shakespeare was part of an acting company and he played in a theatre called The Globe.

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Shakespeare "Borrowed" plots for his plays and poetry

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Shakespeare's plays cover four main themes: comedies, tragedies, histories and romances.

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William Shakespear Wrote Alot of famos words

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Most of his plays were performed at the Globe theatre in London. It burnt down but they rebuilt it again recently in the 20th century. I went there 2 years ago.

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Shakespeare is a famous play-writer and poet . He is the son of John Shakespeare .