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After war in 1660 there was the first women actor in a play. After that his plays were in London, U.S. After Shakespeare he inspired many plays and theatrical works in Asia, North America, and Europe.

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In Shakespeare's time, a stage wasn't just one type of space; plays had to be versatile. The same play might be produced in an outdoor playhouse, an indoor theater, a royal palace-or, for a company on tour, the courtyard of an inn.

In any of these settings, men and boys played all the characters, male and female; acting in Renaissance England was an exclusively male profession. Audiences had their favorite performers, looked forward to hearing music with the productions, and relished the luxurious costumes of the leading characters. The stage itself was relatively bare. For the most part, playwrights used vivid words instead of scenery to picture the scene onstage.

On This Page: Playhouses and the Globe | Theaters and Palaces | Audience Experiences | Actors, Costumes, and Staging | Stage and Screen after Shakespeare

In 1576, when Shakespeare was still a 12-year-old in Stratford-upon-Avon, James Burbage built the Theatre just outside London. The Theatre was among the first playhouses in England since Roman times. Like the many other playhouses that followed, it was a multi-sided structure with a central, uncovered "yard" surrounded by three tiers of covered seating and a bare, raised stage at one end of the yard. Spectators could pay for seating at multiple price levels; those with the cheapest tickets simply stood for the length of the plays.

Shakespeare's company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, was one of several to perform at the Theatre, appearing there by about 1594. A few years later, the Burbages lost their lease on the Theatre site and began construction of a new, larger playhouse, the Globe, just south of the Thames. To pay for it, they shared the lease with the five partners (called actor-sharers) in the Lord Chamberlain's company, including Shakespeare.

The Globe, which opened in 1599, became the playhouse where audiences first saw some of Shakespeare's best-known plays. In 1613, it burned to the ground when the roof caught fire during a performance of Shakespeare's . A new, second Globe was quickly built on the same site, opening in 1614.

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In Shakespeare's time, a stage wasn't just one type of space; plays had to be versatile. The same play might be produced in an outdoor playhouse, an indoor theater, a royal palace-or, for a company on tour, the courtyard of an inn.

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During the plays most of the women characters were played by men. And most of the actors had to be very skilled in many categories of art, fencing, dancing, and literature.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In Shakespeare's time, a stage wasn't just one type of space; plays had to be versatile. The same play might be produced in an outdoor playhouse, an indoor theater, a royal palace-or, for a company on tour, the courtyard of an inn.

In any of these settings, men and boys played all the characters, male and female; acting in Renaissance England was an exclusively male profession. Audiences had their favorite performers, looked forward to hearing music with the productions, and relished the luxurious costumes of the leading characters. The stage itself was relatively bare. For the most part, playwrights used vivid words instead of scenery to picture the scene onstage.

On This Page: Playhouses and the Globe | Theaters and Palaces | Audience Experiences | Actors, Costumes, and Staging | Stage and Screen after Shakespeare

In 1576, when Shakespeare was still a 12-year-old in Stratford-upon-Avon, James Burbage built the Theatre just outside London. The Theatre was among the first playhouses in England since Roman times. Like the many other playhouses that followed, it was a multi-sided structure with a central, uncovered "yard" surrounded by three tiers of covered seating and a bare, raised stage at one end of the yard. Spectators could pay for seating at multiple price levels; those with the cheapest tickets simply stood for the length of the plays.

Shakespeare's company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, was one of several to perform at the Theatre, appearing there by about 1594. A few years later, the Burbages lost their lease on the Theatre site and began construction of a new, larger playhouse, the Globe, just south of the Thames. To pay for it, they shared the lease with the five partners (called actor-sharers) in the Lord Chamberlain's company, including Shakespeare.

The Globe, which opened in 1599, became the playhouse where audiences first saw some of Shakespeare's best-known plays. In 1613, it burned to the ground when the roof caught fire during a performance of Shakespeare's . A new, second Globe was quickly built on the same site, opening in 1614.

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In Shakespeare's time, a stage wasn't just one type of space; plays had to be versatile. The same play might be produced in an outdoor playhouse, an indoor theater, a royal palace-or, for a company on tour, the courtyard of an inn.

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In January of 2015, The Folger Shakespeare Library's Curator of Manuscripts, Heather Wolfe has discovered William Shakespeare's coat of arms, granted back in 1599. This brings relevance to a hypothesis that Shakespeare was trying to create an exceptional image of himself. Regardless, all works credited to him proved correct, even the collaborated ones

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The Folger Shakespeare Library's Curator of Manuscripts Heather Wolfe has discovered previously unknown depictions of Shakespeare's coat of arms from the seventeenth century that cast new light on William's status as a gentleman-writer.

These depictions provide documentary evidence that while the heralds at the College of Arms in England made the grant of arms to his father, William Shakespeare himself was intimately involved in the application and the ensuing controversy over their legitimacy.

"This new evidence really helps us get a little bit closer to the man himself," Wolfe shares. "It shows Shakespeare shaping himself and building his reputation in a very intentional way."

Existing biographies and research that paint a picture of Shakespeare are full of conjectures that try to fill in many gaps. For over a century, Shakespeare biographers have based their accounts of the grant of arms on four documents at the College of Arms, two at the Folger Shakespeare Library, and one at the Bodleian Library.

Wolfe's recent finds have added thirteen documents to this group, opening exciting new opportunities for Shakespeare biographers. The last time any new depiction of Shakespeare's coat of arms was discovered was in 1908.

Speaking about the significance of the discoveries to The New York Times, Shakespeare scholar and Columbia University professor James Shapiro said, "It's always been clear that Shakespeare of Stratford and 'Shakespeare the player' were one and the same. But if you hold the documents Heather has discovered together, that is the smoking gun."

"But we don't believe additional smoking guns are necessary when it comes to the authorship of Shakespeare's plays," wrote Wolfe and Folger Director Michael Witmore in a blog post on The Collation about the significance of the discoveries. "We know that Shakespeare wrote the works attributed to him, and that some of these reflect the collaborative working process inherent in writing for performance."

Wolfe is one of the world's leading experts on early modern English manuscripts and curator of the online exhibition Shakespeare Documented, a repository of images, descriptions, and transcriptions of documents and printed texts that refer or allude to Shakespeare, Shakespeare's works, and Shakespeare's family in their lifetimes.

In January 2015, while preparing for Shakespeare Documented and an exhibition at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Shakespeare, Life of an Icon, Wolfe encountered a sketch of Shakespeare's arms that had been forgotten by biographers.

The rediscovered sketch was part of an original volume of manuscripts that held the 1599 grant of arms, a grant which was removed from the volume in 1933.

Inspired by this rediscovery, Wolfe hypothesized that more new discoveries were likely lurking in manuscript volumes of early modern English coats of arms known as Alphabets and Ordinaries.

Alphabets and Ordinaries can contain upwards of 10,000 coats of arms and were maintained by heralds, heraldic painters, antiquaries, and others as a way to keep track of the designs of all previously granted arms-since no two coats of arms can be alike. The Folger holds more than a hundred heraldic manuscripts, which Wolfe has called an "untapped treasure."

During quick visits to the College of Arms, the Bodleian Library, and the British Library in April 2016, Wolfe discovered an additional twelve previously unrecorded descriptions of the Shakespeare coat of arms.

One of Wolfe's most important discoveries, in May 2016, is a manuscript entitled Promptuarium Armorum ("Storehouse of Arms"), compiled by William Smith, Rouge Dragon Pursuivant (one of the 13 heralds of the College of Arms) between 1602 and 1616. Now located at the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston, the manuscript is thought to have been brought to New England by the herald William Crowne in the seventeenth century and is possibly the earliest example of Shakespeare's coat of arms to arrive in America.

Heather Wolfe, one of the world's leading experts on early modern English manuscripts, is Curator of Manuscripts and Archivist at the Folger Shakespeare Library. She is principal investigator for EMMO (Early Modern Manuscripts Online), a project to create a free and searchable database of images and transcriptions of early modern manuscripts created in England or written in English, and curator of the online exhibition, Shakespeare Documented. She teaches paleography (the study of early modern handwriting) across the US, and has published widely on the intersections between manuscript and print in the period.

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The Folger Shakespeare Library's Curator of Manuscripts Heather Wolfe has discovered previously unknown depictions of Shakespeare's coat of arms from the seventeenth century that cast new light on William's status as a gentleman-writer.

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The first Folio was Shakespeare's first plays to be published. These were sent out after his death, by two actors. Out of these 23 plays, some of them were unfinished, and contained mistakes

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First Folio. BrE. the first collection of Shakespeare's plays to be published. It consists of 36 plays and was published in 1623 by two actors who had worked with Shakespeare. Some of the individual plays had already been published, and were called quartos, but many of them contained mistakes.

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Shakespeare published the majority of his works between 1590 and to about 1613. Only half of shake spears plays where ever published.

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Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays and over 150 short and long poems, many of which are considered to be the finest ever written in English. His works have been translated into every major living language, and some others besides (the Folger's holdings include translations in Esperanto and Klingon), and nearly 400 years after his death, they continue to be performed around the world.

The Folger has copies of every play, from the earliest printings to modern editions, and we offer carefully edited print and digital texts. Follow the links below for more information, including plot synopses, brief textual histories, and selected images from our collection.

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Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays and over 150 short and long poems, many of which are considered to be the finest ever written in English. His works have been translated into every major living language, and some others besides (the Folger's holdings include translations in Esperanto and Klingon), and nearly 400 years after his death, they continue to be performed around the world.

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His poems generally follow his plays, in terms of genre, focusing on again, tragedy, etc. This and also his use of sonnets were what made his distinct.

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Shakespeare's long poem Lucrece takes place as Rome becomes a republic. As a minor epic (a popular genre in Shakespeare's time), it centers on figures of seemingly secondary importance: Sextus Tarquinius, the king's son, and Lucrece, the wife of his friend.

The poem focuses initially on Tarquin's desire for Lucrece, whom he rapes. Afterward, he feels bitter disappointment. Shakespeare then drives him from the poem, which shifts to Lucrece and her sense of sexual shame.

Shakespeare found these incidents in Roman history and myth, as well as Chaucer and contemporary English writers, but he incorporated another genre, the complaint, to supply interior monologues for both characters. Tarquin's complaint presents him as divided against himself, lusting for Lucrece but aware that raping her would, as he sees it, betray his friend and shame Tarquin and his family.

In her complaint, Lucrece struggles with the shame she feels, ultimately choosing suicide. Few acts have proved as controversial. In Roman culture, suicide could be a hero's death, but Christianity has not agreed. Lucrece's view is that, despite the chastity of her mind, she has been rendered unchaste-that mind and body, in her reading, cannot be separated.

(Adapted from the Folger Shakespeare Library edition of Shakespeare's Sonnets and Poems, edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. © 2004, 2006 Folger Shakespeare Library)

You can read the poem online or buy the Folger edition.

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Shakespeare's long poem Lucrece takes place as Rome becomes a republic. As a minor epic (a popular genre in Shakespeare's time), it centers on figures of seemingly secondary importance: Sextus Tarquinius, the king's son, and Lucrece, the wife of his friend. The poem focuses initially on Tarquin's desire for Lucrece, whom he rapes.

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His plays follow common genres; Comedies, History, Tragedies and Romances. These plays reference things that directly reflected in his life, but not that his lover died, but he felt disconnect with something.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays and over 150 short and long poems, many of which are considered to be the finest ever written in English. His works have been translated into every major living language, and some others besides (the Folger's holdings include translations in Esperanto and Klingon), and nearly 400 years after his death, they continue to be performed around the world.

The Folger has copies of every play, from the earliest printings to modern editions, and we offer carefully edited print and digital texts. Follow the links below for more information, including plot synopses, brief textual histories, and selected images from our collection.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays and over 150 short and long poems, many of which are considered to be the finest ever written in English. His works have been translated into every major living language, and some others besides (the Folger's holdings include translations in Esperanto and Klingon), and nearly 400 years after his death, they continue to be performed around the world.

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He earned lots of money as a result of his success, he bought real-estate and a house in New Place. He died on what is suspected to be his birth date. He is believed to die of long time health defects. He has many memorials.

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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 his 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, just as we see with the 19th-century family scene at the top of this page.

Primary sources: Shakespeare Documented
Visit Shakespeare Documented to see primary-source materials documenting Shakespeare's life. This online exhibition of items from the Folger and other institutions brings together all known manuscript and print references to Shakespeare and his works, as well as additional references to his family, in his lifetime and shortly thereafter.

On This Page: Birth and Childhood | Marriage and Children | London Theater | Final Years

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.

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An overview of Shakespeare's life from the Folger Shakespeare Library, including his birth and childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon, his marriage to Anne Hathaway and their children, his work in the London theaters, and his final years before his death in 1616.

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They had large open theaters to perform and do plays. But eventually Shakespeare created a indoor Theater for his plays to see during rainy day, and winter time.

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In Shakespeare's time, a stage wasn't just one type of space; plays had to be versatile. The same play might be produced in an outdoor playhouse, an indoor theater, a royal palace-or, for a company on tour, the courtyard of an inn.

In any of these settings, men and boys played all the characters, male and female; acting in Renaissance England was an exclusively male profession. Audiences had their favorite performers, looked forward to hearing music with the productions, and relished the luxurious costumes of the leading characters. The stage itself was relatively bare. For the most part, playwrights used vivid words instead of scenery to picture the scene onstage.

On This Page: Playhouses and the Globe | Theaters and Palaces | Audience Experiences | Actors, Costumes, and Staging | Stage and Screen after Shakespeare

In 1576, when Shakespeare was still a 12-year-old in Stratford-upon-Avon, James Burbage built the Theatre just outside London. The Theatre was among the first playhouses in England since Roman times. Like the many other playhouses that followed, it was a multi-sided structure with a central, uncovered "yard" surrounded by three tiers of covered seating and a bare, raised stage at one end of the yard. Spectators could pay for seating at multiple price levels; those with the cheapest tickets simply stood for the length of the plays.

Shakespeare's company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, was one of several to perform at the Theatre, appearing there by about 1594. A few years later, the Burbages lost their lease on the Theatre site and began construction of a new, larger playhouse, the Globe, just south of the Thames. To pay for it, they shared the lease with the five partners (called actor-sharers) in the Lord Chamberlain's company, including Shakespeare.

The Globe, which opened in 1599, became the playhouse where audiences first saw some of Shakespeare's best-known plays. In 1613, it burned to the ground when the roof caught fire during a performance of Shakespeare's . A new, second Globe was quickly built on the same site, opening in 1614.

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In Shakespeare's time, a stage wasn't just one type of space; plays had to be versatile. The same play might be produced in an outdoor playhouse, an indoor theater, a royal palace-or, for a company on tour, the courtyard of an inn.

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In 2016, 400 years had passed since William Shakespeare's death. Without various performances, exhibitions and special events recognizing his life's work many would not be as familiar with Shakespeare without that recognition.

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In 2016, the Folger celebrated Shakespeare and his extraordinary legacy through special events, exhibitions, performances, and more-online, at the Folger, and across the United States.

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Modern exhibitions in this day and new, such as America's Shakespeare has moved not only America but those worldwide to adopt Shakespeare's literary works.

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New Exhibition

April 7 - July 24, 2016
folger.edu/americasshakespeare
Washington, DC - What makes the words, ideas, and characters of William Shakespeare-an Englishman-so central to American life and thought?

Through a fascinating selection of rare letters, costumes, books, film, and more, America's Shakespeare reveals how Americans have made Shakespeare our own.

Shakespeare has been part of America's conversation from the very beginning. When America's founders left Britain behind, they took Shakespeare with them. A broad range of items in this exhibition, curated by Georgianna Ziegler, traces Shakespeare's ever-changing role in American culture, from westward expansion and the Civil War to stage, screen, and radio, debates over war, politics, and race, and the latest forms of digital media today. Shakespeare's words have always been a common language for Americans in a diverse society.

This exhibition draws on voices from the past and present who call on Shakespeare as they interpret the world around them: Abigail Adams writing about the Battle of Bunker Hill; Abraham Lincoln moved by Macbeth; Mark Twain celebrating amateur actors along the Mississippi; and Rita Dove remembering her childhood reading Shakespeare.

Whenever Americans have developed a new form of media, they have included Shakespeare because his plots and words are so widely known and admired. Accordingly, this exhibition tells America's Shakespeare story in a variety of media, from print to photography; stage to film and television; radio to YouTube.

Clips from Shakespeare silent films, West Side Story, and television shows that reference Shakespeare will be shown on large projection screens in the exhibition hall.

This exhibition is part of The Wonder of Will. Visit www.wonderofwill.folger.edu for more details.

America's Shakespeare will be on exhibit at the Los Angeles Public Library with the Library Foundation of Los Angeles: Nov 17, 2016-Feb 26, 2017.

Exhibition Highlights

The earliest documented ownership of a Shakespeare folio in the New World

Letter from Abigail Adams to John Adams

Herman Melville's annotated copy of Shakespeare

Walt Whitman's draft for the beginning of his essay on Shakespeare in America

Letter from Abraham Lincoln about the Shakespeare plays he has read

Manuscript for "Little Pyramus and Thisbe,"a children's story by Louisa May Alcott

Theatrical costumes from great American Shakespearean actresses, including a golden snake girdle worn by Polish immigrant actress Helena Modjeska as Cleopatra, Julia Marlowe's ethereal Juliet costume, and Ada Rehan's male disguise from As You Like It

Promptbook from the 1930 production of Othello with African-American actor Paul Robeson, and photograph of Yiddish actor Jacob Adler who performed Shylock in The Merchant of Venice on Broadway

Copy of the Armed Services edition of Henry V published at the time of the Iraq War

Revolutionary War and Cold War-era political cartoons

ABOUT THE CURATOR

As the Folger's Louis B. Thalheimer Associate Librarian and Head of Reference, Georgianna Ziegler brings an in-depth knowledge of the library's Shakespeare holdings to this quintessentially Shakespearean exhibition. A past president of the Shakespeare Association of America, Ziegler has curated a number of Folger exhibitions, including Shakespeare's the Thing; Shakespeare's Sisters; Elizabeth I: Then and Now; and Shakespeare's Unruly Women, and has co-curated Marketing Shakespeare and Golden Lads and Lasses, among others. She is the author of numerous journal and reference articles. Before coming to the Folger in 1992, Ziegler taught Shakespeare and was curator of the University of Pennsylvania's Furness Shakespeare Library.

ONLINE RESOURCES
Shakespeare in American Life
The Folger's three-part documentary Shakespeare in American Life - currently being heard on public radio stations around the world - explores the English language's most important playwright and his influence on American performance, politics, and popular culture. Each hour-long episode, narrated by Sam Waterston and created by Richard Paul, deepens our understanding of Shakespeare and the American identity. Learn more at www.folger.edu/sial
Shakespeare Unlimited
These episodes from the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast, produced by the Folger Shakespeare Library, explore different aspects of Shakespeare in America, from the traditions of outdoor festivals to the creative choices of costume and set designers.

More Shakespeare Unlimited episodes: www.folger.edu/shakespeare-unlimited

RELATED FOLGER PROGRAMS
The New Sonneteers: Malachi Black, Laurie Ann Guerrero, and A. Van Jordan April 11, 2016, 7:30pm; $15
These three diverse and talented poets have one thing in common-each tackle the sonnet in their most recent collections and, in doing so, breathe new life into a centuries-old form. Co-sponsored with Letras Latinas, the literary initiative at the University of Notre Dame's Institute for Latino Studies.
Reduced Shakespeare Company William Shakespeare's Long Lost First Play (abridged) April 21 - May 8, 2016; $35-75
The wonderfully inventive and wildly hilarious Reduced Shakespeare Company® returns to Folger Theatre in this eagerly anticipated World Premiere. Discovered in a treasure-filled parking lot in Leicester, England, an ancient manuscript proves to be the long-lost first play by none other than the young William Shakespeare from Stratford. Using questionable scholarship and street-performer smarts, the trio of comic actors throw themselves into a fast, funny, and frenzied festival of physical finesse, witty wordplay, and plentiful punning.
A variation on William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice May 31 - July 03, 2016; Tickets $35-75
This new adaptation by four-time Helen Hayes Award-winner Aaron Posner, commissioned by Folger Theater for this anniversary year, sets the characters of Merchant among the Black and Jewish populations of an imagined time and place-simultaneously Shakespearean, post-Civil War Washington, DC, and today. Directed by Michael John Garcés.
Curator's Gallery Talk for America's Shakespeare May 12, 2016, 6:30pm; members only
Members of the Folger Shakespeare Library are invited to a gallery talk with exhibition curator Georgianna Ziegler. For more information on how to become a member, visit http://www.folger.edu/membership
CrossTalk: DC Reflects on Identity and Difference
This community engagement initiative uses Shakespeare- The Merchant of Venice and the Shakespeare-inspired District Merchants-as a focal point for considering race and religion thoughtfully and deeply, through the lens of literature and history. Highlights include a public forum at the Folger with scholars, educators, community and religious leaders, and members of the public; a special student matinee performance of District Merchants followed by a post-show discussion with scholars and cast members; and five Folger Friday lectures with a wide range of topics and speakers suggested by the community. Educational materials for teachers and students will be developed in partnership with the National Museum for African American History and Culture. CrossTalk is part of a nationwide initiative, Humanities in the Public Square, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and aimed at fostering meaningful dialogue in communities about the most pressing issues of the day. CrossTalk partners include Anacostia Community Museum, DC Public Library, DC Public Schools, Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington, Metropolitan AME Church, and Trinity Washington University.
Curator Talk: Daniel De Simone June 21, 2016, 6:30pm; $20
Join Daniel De Simone, Eric Weinmann Librarian, as he provides a behind-the-scenes look at exhibitions and collections at the Folger. A reception with light fare is included.
"Othello Was My Grandfather": Shakespeare and the African Diaspora June 27, 2016, 7pm; $15/10 for members
Join Dr. Kim Hall, Lucyle Hook Chair and Professor of English and Africana Studies at Barnard College, for a special lecture as part of the Shakespeare Anniversary Lecture Series, presented by Folger Institute.

VISITOR SERVICES
Families
A guide to the exhibition for younger visitors is available.
Tours Monday - Saturday at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm; Sunday at 12pm and 3pm
Folger docents offer guided tours of the exhibition, as well as the Folger's national landmark building, free of charge. No advance reservations required.
Wednesday at 12pm; Saturday at 2pm
Folger docents offer a special exhibition-focused tour, free of charge. No advance reservations required.
Group Tours
Docent-led tours of the exhibition, as well as the Folger national landmark building, are offered for groups of 10 or more. To arrange, please call (202) 675-0395.

ABOUT THE FOLGER

Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. The Folger welcomes millions of visitors online and in person. We provide unparalleled access to a huge array of resources, from original sources to modern interpretations. With the Folger, you can experience the power of performance, the wonder of exhibitions, and the excitement of pathbreaking research. We offer the opportunity to see and even work with early modern sources, driving discovery and transforming education for students of all ages. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Join us online, on the road, or in Washington, DC. Learn more at www.folger.edu.

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New ExhibitionApril 7 - July 24, 2016folger.edu/americasshakespeareWashington, DC- What makes the words, ideas, and characters of William Shakespeare-an Englishman-so central to American life and thought?Through a fascinating selection of rare letters, costumes, books, film, and more, America's Shakespeare reveals how Americans have made Shakespeare our own.

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Born on April 23,1564 and was his parents oldest living child as his siblings died. He attended Stratfords grammar school, and most likely went until age 15.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
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 his 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, just as we see with the 19th-century family scene at the top of this page.

Primary sources: Shakespeare Documented
Visit Shakespeare Documented to see primary-source materials documenting Shakespeare's life. This online exhibition of items from the Folger and other institutions brings together all known manuscript and print references to Shakespeare and his works, as well as additional references to his family, in his lifetime and shortly thereafter.

On This Page: Birth and Childhood | Marriage and Children | London Theater | Final Years

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.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An overview of Shakespeare's life from the Folger Shakespeare Library, including his birth and childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon, his marriage to Anne Hathaway and their children, his work in the London theaters, and his final years before his death in 1616.

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No one is sure exactly what happened between his documentation in Stratford and when he moved to London but the first documentation of him there was in 1592. He was an established actor and play wright. He published poetry and became famous in the theater world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
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 his 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, just as we see with the 19th-century family scene at the top of this page.

Primary sources: Shakespeare Documented
Visit Shakespeare Documented to see primary-source materials documenting Shakespeare's life. This online exhibition of items from the Folger and other institutions brings together all known manuscript and print references to Shakespeare and his works, as well as additional references to his family, in his lifetime and shortly thereafter.

On This Page: Birth and Childhood | Marriage and Children | London Theater | Final Years

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.

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An overview of Shakespeare's life from the Folger Shakespeare Library, including his birth and childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon, his marriage to Anne Hathaway and their children, his work in the London theaters, and his final years before his death in 1616.

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When Shakespeare was still 12 years old someone built a Theater just outside London. It later burned down but in 1599 Shakespeare invested in a new Theater. Where he showed some of his plays and works. But it eventually burned down in 1612.

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In Shakespeare's time, a stage wasn't just one type of space; plays had to be versatile. The same play might be produced in an outdoor playhouse, an indoor theater, a royal palace-or, for a company on tour, the courtyard of an inn.

In any of these settings, men and boys played all the characters, male and female; acting in Renaissance England was an exclusively male profession. Audiences had their favorite performers, looked forward to hearing music with the productions, and relished the luxurious costumes of the leading characters. The stage itself was relatively bare. For the most part, playwrights used vivid words instead of scenery to picture the scene onstage.

On This Page: Playhouses and the Globe | Theaters and Palaces | Audience Experiences | Actors, Costumes, and Staging | Stage and Screen after Shakespeare

In 1576, when Shakespeare was still a 12-year-old in Stratford-upon-Avon, James Burbage built the Theatre just outside London. The Theatre was among the first playhouses in England since Roman times. Like the many other playhouses that followed, it was a multi-sided structure with a central, uncovered "yard" surrounded by three tiers of covered seating and a bare, raised stage at one end of the yard. Spectators could pay for seating at multiple price levels; those with the cheapest tickets simply stood for the length of the plays.

Shakespeare's company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, was one of several to perform at the Theatre, appearing there by about 1594. A few years later, the Burbages lost their lease on the Theatre site and began construction of a new, larger playhouse, the Globe, just south of the Thames. To pay for it, they shared the lease with the five partners (called actor-sharers) in the Lord Chamberlain's company, including Shakespeare.

The Globe, which opened in 1599, became the playhouse where audiences first saw some of Shakespeare's best-known plays. In 1613, it burned to the ground when the roof caught fire during a performance of Shakespeare's . A new, second Globe was quickly built on the same site, opening in 1614.

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In Shakespeare's time, a stage wasn't just one type of space; plays had to be versatile. The same play might be produced in an outdoor playhouse, an indoor theater, a royal palace-or, for a company on tour, the courtyard of an inn.