Naturally, there are many gaps in this body of information, which tells us little about Shakespeare the man.

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Stanley Patrick
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1 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

2 BIOGRAPHY For all his fame and celebration, William Shakespeare remains a mysterious figure with regards to personal history. There are just two primary sources for information on the Bard: his works, and various legal and church documents that have survived from Elizabethan times.

3 Naturally, there are many gaps in this body of information, which tells us little about Shakespeare the man.

4 EARLY YEARS Shakespeare s father, John, trained as a glove-maker and married Mary Arden, the daughter of Robert Arden, a farmer from the nearby village. John and Mary set up home in Stratford, in the house now known as Shakespeare's Birthplace.

5 John Shakespeare was a prominent citizen, serving on the town council for many years and becoming Mayor, in Besides his craft as a glover, he traded as a wool dealer and was also involved in money-lending. John and Mary lost two children before William was born. They had five more children.

7 William Shakespeare was born April 23rd 1564 in the town of Stratford-Upon-Avon.

10 Education There is great debate about Shakespeare's childhood years, especially regarding his education. As the son of a leading townsman, William almost certainly attended Stratford's junior school before progressing, perhaps at the age of seven, to the Grammar School, which still stands.

11 The grammar school's curriculum was geared to teaching pupils Latin, both spoken and written. The classical writers studied in the classroom influenced Shakespeare's plays and poetry. As the records do not exist, we do not know how long William attended the school, but certainly the quality of his works suggest a solid education.

12 It is not known what Shakespeare did when he left school, probably at the age of fourteen, as was usual. The next documented event in Shakespeare's life is his marriage to Anne Hathaway on November 28, Her home, now known as Anne Hathaway's Cottage, still stands in the village of Shottery, a mile from Stratford.

13 William was 18 at the time, and Anne was 26 and pregnant. Their first daughter, Susanna, was born on May 26, The couple later had twins, Hamnet and Judith, born February 2, 1585 and christened at Holy Trinity Church. Hamnet died in childhood at the age of 11, on August 11, 1596.

14 THE LOST YEARS For the seven years following the birth of his twins, William Shakespeare disappears from all records, finally turning up again in London some time in This period, known as the "Lost Years," has sparked as much controversy about Shakespeare's life as any period.

15 Popular tales have Shakespeare leaving Stratford with a traveling troupe of actors, or working as a soldier, law clerk, butcher, glover, sailor or merchant. There is also rumour of Shakespeare working as an assistant schoolmaster for a time. Only Shakespeare knows for certain what happened during his "Lost Years," and he didn't leave behind any clues.

16 One of the biggest mysteries about William Shakespeare, however, is that he completely disappears for more than seven years. When he was 21 years old, Shakespeare was married with three children and living in the small town of Stratford in England. Seven years later, he was living in London as resident playwright and part owner of a theatre company.

17 Nobody knows just what Shakespeare was doing for all those years in between. This period continues to be the subject of much speculation.

18 LONDON It is estimated that Shakespeare arrived in London around 1588 and began to establish himself as an actor and playwright. Shakespeare must have shown considerable promise.

19 By 1594, he was not only acting and writing for the Lord Chamberlain's Men (called the King's Men after the ascension of James I in 1603), but was a managing partner in the operation as well. The Lord Chamberlain's Men became a favourite London troupe, patronized by royalty and made popular by the theatre-going public.

20 Shakespeare s company was the most successful in London in his day. He had plays published and sold in octavo editions, or "penny-copies" to the more literate of his audiences. Never before had a playwright enjoyed sufficient acclaim to see his works published and sold as popular literature in the midst of his career.

21 In addition, Shakespeare's ownership share in both the theatrical company and the Globe itself made him as much an entrepreneur as artist. Shakespeare success allowed him to purchase New House and retire in comfort to Stratford in 1611.

24 From around 1611 Shakespeare seems largely to have detached himself from the London theatre world and to have spent his time at his Stratford house, New Place. In March 1616 he signed his will, in which he left substantial property and other bequests to his family and friends.

25 Shakespeare wrote his will in 1611, leaving his properties to his daughter Susanna (married in 1607 to Dr. John Hall). To his surviving daughter Judith, he left 300, and to his wife Anne left "my second best bed."

26 William Shakespeare died in Stratford, aged fifty-two, on 23 April 1616, and was buried in Holy Trinity Church two days later. The cause of Shakespeare's death is a mystery, but an entry in the diary of the Vicar of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford tells us that "Shakespeare, and some friends had a merry meeting and it seems drank too hard, for Shakespeare died of a fever there contracted."

27 Shakespeare s Epitaph

29 Within a short time a monument to him was put up, probably by his family, on the wall close to his grave. His widow, Anne, died in 1623 and was buried beside him. Shakespeare's family line came to an end with the death of his granddaughter Elizabeth in 1670.

30 Shakespeare s Funerary Monument At Holy Trinity Church in Stratford

32 In 1623, two companions of Shakespeare from the Lord Chamberlain's Men, John Heminges and Henry Condell, printed the First Folio edition of his collected plays, of which half were previously unpublished.

33 The "First Folio" is of major importance to William Shakespeare as it is the first collected edition of Shakespeare's plays without which there would be no William Shakespeare. In terms of value, the First Folio originally was sold for just 1 Pound in 1623, the equivalent of about or US$190 to $220 in 2006.

34 It is believed that around 750 copies of the First Folio were printed. The most recent census ( ) records 228 still in existence. The First Folio is one of the most valuable printed books in the world: a copy sold at Christie's in New York in October m.

35 On July 13, 2006, a complete copy of the First Folio owned by Dr Williams's Library was auctioned at Sotheby's auction house. The book, which was in its original 17th century binding, sold for 2.5 million, less than Sotheby's top estimate of 3.5 million. This copy is one of only about 40 remaining complete copies (most of the existing copies are incomplete); only one other copy of the book remains in private ownership

36 The first attempt at any kind of biography wasn't until 1709, nearly a century after Shakespeare had died. Much of the source material by then consisted of stories and gossip rather than any documented evidence. Making the problem worse, all of Shakespeare's direct line died well before the eighteenth century, leaving neither descended heirs nor family lore to help round out our knowledge of the man.

37 Shakespeare s works were collected and printed in various editions in the century following his death, and by the early eighteenth century his reputation as the greatest playwright ever to write in English was well established.

William Shakespeare. Some Key Dates. His life

William Shakespeare. Some Key Dates. His life William Shakespeare His life Some Key Dates 23 April 1564 Shakespeare's birthday 27 Nov 1582 Marries Anne Hathaway c1590 Departs to work in London 1594 Forms The Lord Chamberlain s Men acting company 1596