William shakespeare biography timeline book
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It contained 36 of his plays, but none of his poetry.
The Bard was said to have been born sometime in the days preceding his baptism on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon to John Shakespeare, a leatherworker and civic leader, and Mary Arden. His baptism was recorded in the Parish register of Holy Trinity Church on April 26th.
1571
If Shakespeare went to school this is when he would have started because children in Stratford began their schooling at the age of seven.
He would have gone to the local grammar school, the King’s New School.
1582
Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway on November 27th at Temple Grafton, a village near Stratford.
1583
Susanna, his first child, is born.
1585
Judith and Hamnet, twins, are born, February 2nd. Read on below for a text and image version of a Shakespeare timeline.
Because there’s so much that is unknown about Shakespeare’s life we can’t 100% guarantee the accuracy of this William Shakespeare timeline.
Check out our Shakespeare biography or read our Shakespeare facts for more indepth info about the great man.
These writings were brought together in what is known as the First Folio ('Folio' refers to the size of the paper used).
1564: William Shakespeare born in Stratford-upon-Avon
1582: Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway
1583: Shakespeare’s first child, Susanna, is born
1585: Shakespeare’s twins, Judith and Hamnet, are born
1592: Shakespeare is first alluded to as a playwright, in Greene’s Groates-worth of Wit
1593: Shakespeare’s first printed poem, Venus and Adonis, appears
1594: Shakespeare’s first printed play, Titus Andronicus, appears
1596: Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare, is granted a coat of arms; Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, dies
1597: Shakespeare purchases New Place in Stratford-upon-Avon
1598: Shakespeare is first mentioned as a sonneteer and author of 12 plays in Palladis Tamia
1599: Shakespeare’s father is granted a confirmation of arms; Shakespeare’s acting company takes down its old theater and uses the timber to build the Globe
1600: Extracts from Shakespeare’s plays and poetry appear in Bel-vedere, the first printed literary commonplace book to include plays
1601: Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare, dies
1602: The heralds dispute the legitimacy of a group of coat of arms, including Shakespeare’s; Shakespeare ratifies his purchase of New Place
1603: Shakespeare’s acting company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, becomes the King’s Men at the accession of James I; Hamlet appears in print
1607: Shakespeare’s daughter Susanna marries John Hall
1608: Shakespeare’s mother, Mary (Arden) Shakespeare, dies; his granddaughter Elizabeth is born
1609: Shakespeare’s Sonnets appears in print
1613: Shakespeare purchases the Blackfriars gatehouse in London; the Globe burns down during a performance of Henry VIII and is rebuilt within a year
1616: Shakespeare writes his will; his daughter Judith marries Thomas Quiney; Shakespeare dies
1623: The First Folio is published; Shakespeare’s widow Anne dies
William Shakespeare
Shakespeare's works include 38 plays, 2 narrative poems, 154 sonnets, and a variety of other poems.
No original manuscripts of Shakespeare's plays are known to exist today. It is actually thanks to a group of actors from Shakespeare's company that we have about half of the plays at all.
Shakespeare's Birthplace
Where Shakespeare's story startedAnne Hathaway's Cottage
Relive Shakespeare's love storyShakespeare's New Place
Walk in Shakespeare's footstepsInterested in a William Shakespeare timeline?
They collected them for publication after Shakespeare died, preserving the plays. Shakespeare goes to London and starts his theatrical career.
1589-1592
Shakespeare establishes his career and begins to make a name for himself.
Writes: The Comedy of Errors, Henry IV Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3, Richard III, The Taming of the Shrew, Titus Andronicus.
1593
Writes and dedicates Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece to Henry Wriothsley, Earl of Southampton – thought to be the beautiful youth of his sonnets.
Begins writing: The sonnets, Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Two Gentlemen of Verona.
1594
Founding member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, an acting company.
Published: The Rape of Lucrece.
1596-1597
His son Hamnet dies.
The surviving records of Shakespeare and his family can help us understand the context and chronology of his life and the lives of his family members. Works on new plays with his friend, John Fletcher.
1616 Judith Shakespeare married Thomas Quinney.
Writes: Cardenio, Henry VIII, The Two Noble Kinsmen.
Shakespeare dies on 23rd April 1616 (on his birthday) and is buried in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford Upon Avon.
The above William Shakespeare timeline not quite enough info for you?
However, we’ve made a gallant effort and the Shakespeare timeline below gives a good idea of the course of Shakespeare’s life, with a combination of historically documented and dated facts about Shakespeare along with generally accepted dates for specific events.
1564
Born in Stratford-upon-Avon to tanner and glove maker,John Shakespeare and his wife, Mary (Arden).
Shakespeare purchases New Place, a large house in Stratford.
Writes: The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard II, Romeo and Juliet.
1598-1608
Shakespeare’s theatre company, The King’s Men, perform regularly at court.
1607 Susanna Shakespeare marries Dr. John Hall.
1608 The King’s Men begin playing at The Blackfriars theatre.
1608 Shakespeare’s mother dies.
Writes: All’s Well That Ends Well, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Macbeth, Measure for Measure, Othello, Timon of Athens, Troilus & Cressida, Twelfth Night.
1609-1611
1609 The sonnets are published.
Writes: Cymbeline, Pericles Prince of Tyre, The Tempest, The Winter’s Tale.
1612-1616
Shakespeare retires from the theatre and returns to live in Stratford.
Because of the Shakespeares’ social status, it is believed that William went to school from age 7 to age 15.
William was married to Anne Hathaway when he was 18 and she was 26. At the time of their wedding, Anne was already pregnant with their first child. Due to the death of his two older sisters, William was the eldest surviving Shakespeare sibling and had five younger siblings.
The couple would go on to have twins, though their son, Hamnet, died when he was just 11 years old.
It is unclear when Shakespeare moved to London and began his career as a writer and actor, but sometime between the birth of his twins in 1585 and the first mention of him as a playwright in 1592, he began to establish himself as a popular dramatist and poet.
Career Timeline
- 1564: William Shakespeare born in Stratford-upon-Avon
- 1582: Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway
- 1583: Shakespeare’s first child, Susanna, is born
- 1585: Shakespeare’s twins, Judith and Hamnet, are born
- 1592: Shakespeare is first alluded to as a playwright, in Greene’s Groates-worth of Wit
- 1593: Shakespeare’s first printed poem, Venus and Adonis, appears
- 1594: Shakespeare’s first printed play, Titus Andronicus, appears
- 1596: Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare, is granted a coat of arms which granted him and his descendants certain rights and privileges under the law; Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, dies
- 1597: Shakespeare purchases New Place, his home in Stratford-upon-Avon
- 1598: Shakespeare is first mentioned as a sonneteer and author of 12 plays in Palladis Tamia
- 1599: Shakespeare’s acting company takes down its old theater and uses the timber to build the Globe
- 1600: Extracts from Shakespeare’s plays and poetry appear in Bel-vedere, the first printed literary commonplace book to include plays
- 1601: Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare, dies
- 1603: Shakespeare’s acting company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, becomes the King’s Men at the accession of James I; Hamlet appears in print
- 1607: Shakespeare’s daughter Susanna marries John Hall
- 1608: Shakespeare’s mother, Mary (Arden) Shakespeare, dies; his granddaughter Elizabeth is born
- 1609: Shakespeare’s Sonnets appears in print
- 1613: Shakespeare purchases the Blackfriars gatehouse in London; the Globe burns down during a performance of Henry VIII and is rebuilt within a year
- 1616: Shakespeare writes his will; his daughter Judith marries Thomas Quiney; Shakespeare dies
- 1623: The First Folio is published; Shakespeare’s widow Anne dies 4
Shakespeare's Life: A Timeline
A timeline of William Shakespeare's life, all beginning at the birthplace on Henley Street in 1564
William Shakespeare's life began in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564.
He returned there often to visit his family, use his library and to write in familiar surroundings.