Shakespeare Biography by Lacey.Brain
English
[pic]
His parents are called, John and Mary (Arden) they got married about 1557 Mary was of the landed gentry and John was a yeoman, a Glover and commodities merchant. By 1568, John Shakespeare’s father had risen through the ranks of town government and held the position of high bailiff, similar to mayor.
Shakespeare was the eldest son and was born on April 23rd in 1564. Several days before his baptism on April 26, 1564. That Shakespeare also died on April 23, 52 years later, may have resulted in the adoption of this birth date.
Shakespeare no doubt attended the local grammar school in Stratford where his parents lived, and would have studied primarily Latin rhetoric, logic, and literature. At age 18 1582, William married Anne Hathaway, a local farmer’s daughter eight years his senior. Their first daughter Susanna was born six months later 1583, and twins Judith and Hamlet were born in 1585. Shakespeare’s life can be divided into three periods: the first 20 years in Stratford, which include his schooling, early marriage, and fatherhood; the next 25 years as an actor and playwright in London; and the last five in retirement back in Stratford where he enjoyed moderate wealth gained from his theatrical successes.
John Shakespeare had suffered financial reverses from William’s teen years until well into the height of the playwright’s popularity and success. In 1596, John Shakespeare was granted a coat of arms, almost certainly purchased by William, who the next year bought a sizable house in Stratford. By the time of his death, William had substantial properties, both professional and personal, which he bestowed on his theatrical associates and his family (primarily his daughter Susanna, having rewritten his will one month before his death to protect his assets from Judith’s new husband.
Shakespeare left school at 15, which was the norm, and took some...