Resources    Contact   Though William Shakespeare (1564-1616) has a reputation as the greatest of all writers in English, very little is actually known about him. Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, in April 1564, the third child of John Shakespeare, a glove-maker, and of Mary Arden. As the son of a prominent town official, he most probably attended the Stratford grammar school, which provided a thorough education in Latin and literature. Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior, on November 28, 1582 at Temple Grafton, near Stratford. On May 26, 1583 Shakespeare's first child, Susanna, was baptised at Stratford. Twins, Hamnet and Judith, were baptized on February 2, 1585. Looking for work in London, just four days ride way from Stratford, William is believed to have left his family back home for some twenty years. William applied for a coat of arms and despite a lack of proof, he was granted his request. Later in 1599 he applied for his mother’s coat of arms to be added to his own. Shakespeare became an actor, writer and finally co-owner of an acting company known as The Lord Chamberlain's Men — the company took its name, like others of the period, from its aristocratic sponsor, Lord Chamberlain. The group became immensely popular and after the death of Elizabeth I and the coronation of James I (1603), the new monarch adopted the company and it became known as The King's Men. Shakespeare retired around 1611 - not entirely without controversy. He was drawn into a legal dispute regarding the enclosure of common lands (enclosure enabled land to be converted to pasture for sheep, but removed it as a resource for the poor.) Shakespeare had a financial interest in the land, and to the chagrin of some, he took a neutral position, making sure only that his own income from the land was protected. Shakespeare died in 1616, on April 23. William Shakespeare is buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon. His grave carries his well-known epitaph: Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear, To dig the dust enclosed here. Blest be the man that spares these stones, But cursed be he that moves my bones. Shakespeare poetry Venus and Adonis Sonnet #1 Sonnet #2 Sonnet #3 Sonnet #4 Sonnet #5 Sonnet #6 Sonnet #7 Guide To New York City Owen and Ibsen Enya - Book Of Days Hurtownia LEGO Klocki LEGO Klocki LEGO City Patterns Underneath Auspex War Spring's Welcome Goldfinches Naseby Ivry The Sea-King's Burial Underneath Lassitude The Hospital The Passions Buttons Listeners Invisible Bride Lincoln A Look into the Gulf BBH Shoes

Shakespeare's Work Tragedies Romeo and Juliet Macbeth King Lear Hamlet Othello Titus Andronicus Julius Caesar Antony and Cleopatra Coriolanus Troilus and Cressida Timon of Athens Comedies The Comedy of Errors All's Well That Ends Well As You Like It A Midsummer Night's Dream Much Ado About Nothing Measure for Measure The Tempest Taming of the Shrew Twelfth Night or What You Will The Merchant of Venice The Merry Wives of Windsor Love's Labour's Lost The Two Gentlemen of Verona Pericles, Prince of Tyre Cymbeline The Winter's Tale The Two Noble Kinsmen Histories Richard III Richard II Henry VI, part 1 Henry VI, part 2 Henry VI, part 3 Henry V Henry IV, part 1 Henry IV, part 2 Henry VIII King John