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William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, but we do not know for sure.
He was the eldest of his family and attended Stratford's grammar school where he studied many classic Latin plays.

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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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In 1582, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway when he was 18 and she was 26.
They were expecting their first-born daughter Susanna when they were getting married. In 1585, they had twins, Judith and Hamnet. Anne and the children lived in Stratford while Shakespeare lived in London.
Hamnet died in 1596 when he was 11.
Susanna married the doctor, John Hall and their daughter Elizabeth was born in 1608. Later, Judith married Thomas Quiney.

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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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For more than two decades, Shakespeare had multiple roles in the acting company Lord Chamberlain's Men. He was an actor, playwright, and, in time, a business partner there. Over the years he spent there, he became famous.

# 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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Shakespeare prospered financially from his writing, acting, and partnership with Lord Chamberlain's Men. Shakespeare worked on some of his last plays during these last years he had. He died on April 23, 1616 and we do not know the reason of his death.

# 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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Since Shakespeare had a humble origin and education, many people question and wonder how he had become that successful. They are skeptical if it was really him that wrote all of the works because of the absence of proof of authorship.

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Most scholars accept that William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, and spent time acting in London before returning to Stratford, where he lived until his death in 1616. But actual documentation of his life is pitifully scarce: little more than several signatures, records of his marriage to Anne Hathaway and the birth of their children, a three-page will and some business papers unrelated to writing. Above all, nothing has been found documenting the composition of the more than 36 plays and 154 sonnets attributed to him, collectively considered the greatest body of work in the history of the English language.

In the absence of such "proof" of authorship, some skeptics have posed the question: How could a man of such humble origins and education come by such wealth of insight, wide-ranging understanding of complex legal and political matters and intimate knowledge of life in the English court?

Since the 19th century, a roster of famous people-Henry James, Sigmund Freud, Mark Twain, Helen Keller, Charlie Chaplin and many others-have voiced their doubts about the man from Stratford. Thousands of books and articles have been devoted to the subject, many of which propose their own candidates for the true author of the Shakespeare canon.

Essayist Francis Bacon and playwright Christopher Marlowe may have their supporters, but for the last 90 years the favored candidate has been Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford. First proposed in 1920 by J.T. Looney in his book 'Shakespeare' Identified, Oxford was highly educated, trained as a lawyer and was known to have traveled to many of the exact places featured in Shakespeare's plays. Oxfordians-as those who believe in de Vere's authorship of the Bard's works are known-argue that he concealed his identity because his works were so politically provocative, and he wished to avoid being outed as a lowly playwright.

But until hard evidence surfaces linking his plays to someone else, the man with the strongest claim to the plays of William Shakespeare appears to be...William Shakespeare. For one thing, Oxford died in 1604, and some of Shakespeare's greatest plays (including "King Lear," "The Tempest" and "Macbeth") were published after that date.

Shakespeare's supporters-known as Stratfordians-emphasize the fact that the body of evidence that does exist points to Shakespeare, and no one else, as the author of his works. This includes the printed copies of his plays and sonnets with his name on them, theater company records and comments by contemporaries like Ben Jonson and John Webster.

Doubts about Shakespeare's authorship and attempts to identify a more educated, worldly and high-born candidate, Stratfordians contend, reveal not only misguided snobbery but a striking disregard for one of the most outstanding qualities of the Bard's extraordinary work-his imagination.

Fact Check

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Did Shakespeare Really Write His Own Plays? | HISTORY

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Nothing has been found documenting the composition of the more than 36 plays and 154 sonnets attributed to William Shakespeare.

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William Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays, the most famous one is Romeo and Juliet

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Plot summary of and introduction to William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, with links to online texts, digital images, and other resources.

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Shakespeare made more than 150 poems the most famous one is Lucrece

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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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when Shakespeare died only half of his poems were printed. in 1709 Nicholas Rowe became the first editor of Shakespeare's plays.

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When William Shakespeare died in 1616, only about half of his plays had ever been printed, in small one-play editions called quartos. Another 18 plays are known today only because they are included in the 1623 First Folio, the first collected edition of the plays.

In 1709, Nicholas Rowe became the first modern editor of Shakespeare's plays, making the text more accessible through tools such as lists of characters and act and scene divisions. Editors in every age-including the present-have addressed a variety of questions, including how to make sense of conflicting early versions of the plays. Other publishers have taken the text in new directions, from foreign-language editions to graphic novels.

Poems | Early quartos | The First Folio | Later editions | A variety of forms

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When William Shakespeare died in 1616, only about half of his plays had ever been printed, in small one-play editions called quartos. Another 18 plays are known today only because they are included in the 1623 First Folio, the first collected edition of the plays.

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The first folio is the first printed collection of Shakespeare's plays. published after he died in 1616. only 18 were in the first folio.

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Without the First Folio, half of Shakespeare's plays might have been lost forever. Learn more about this remarkable book, published in 1623.

What is a Shakespeare First Folio?

The 1623 First Folio of Shakespeare is the first printed collection of Shakespeare's plays, published seven years after his death in 1616. Of the 36 plays assembled by his friends and fellow actors John Heminges and Henry Condell, eighteen were being published for the first time. Learn more about the First Folio and its historical importance.

The Folger's First Folios

The Folger Shakespeare Library has 82 copies of the First Folio, the largest collection in the world. Of an estimated original print run of about 750 copies, only 235 are known to survive.

In 2016, to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, the Folger sent 18 of its First Folios on a tour of the United States. More than half a million people saw this traveling exhibition, First Folio! The Book That Gave Us Shakespeare, at public libraries, universities, museums, and other venues in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, DC. Meet the 18 Folger First Folios from the tour, learn about their history, and read some of the stories from their travels.

Read a First Folio

Printing the First Folio

How was the First Folio made? The Folger has created a teaching tool called DIY First Folio for understanding the printing process. This visually rich narrative of the First Folio's 1623 printing features interactive exercises that allow users to fold and unfold Folio sheets, create play gatherings, and print high-resolution facsimile images of pages from the First Folio. DIY First Folio was created with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

More First Folio Resources
How Shakespeare's First Folio Became a Star
Adam Hooks and Daniel De Simone chart the rise of the First Folio-how and when this book became a cultural icon with such a dizzying price tag.
Creating Shakespeare's First Folio
Emma Smith offers an intimate, step-by-step examination of how the First Folio was conceived, how Shakespeare's plays were gathered, how the rights for them were obtained, how the book was laid out, and - most vividly - how it was assembled and printed.
The Millionaire and the Bard
Andrea Mays talks about some of the fascinating financial and personal details of Henry Folger's life, and in particular, how he went about collecting so many First Folios.
A New First Folio Discovery
Eric Rasmussen, who authenticated the discovery of a new First Folio in 2014, shares fascinating stories and observations about one of the world's most iconic rare books.
Inside the Folger Conservation Lab
To celebrate 400 years of Shakespeare in 2016, 18 of the Folger's First Folios toured the United States. Go behind the scenes with the conservators who prepared the books for travel.
Editing Shakespeare
Paul Werstine and Suzanne Gossett talk about editing Shakespeare and why the First Folio is considered such a foundational text.
Portraits of Shakespeare
The Droeshout engraving in the First Folio is considered one of the few authentic portraits of Shakespeare. Katherine Duncan-Jones explains why.
The Book of Will
Lauren Gunderson discusses her play about John Heminges and Henry Condell, their families, and everyone involved in gathering and creating the First Folio.

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Without the First Folio, half of Shakespeare's plays might have been lost forever. Learn more about this remarkable book, published in 1623. The 1623 First Folio of Shakespeare is the first printed collection of Shakespeare's plays, published seven years after his death in 1616.

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The cheapest places were ones where you stand the whole time. People could also pay 1 penny to stand in the yard or 2 pennies for a balcony.

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The theaters were circular with an opening in the middle where the stage was. The yard in front of the stage is where people could also stand.

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The london playhouses are either indoor or outdoor. The outdoor theaters were used when the weather was nice but indoor theaters are year-round.