PERSONAL LIFE

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PROFESSIONAL LIFE

-1594

Theaters Reopen

In the year 1594, they reopened the London theater to the people. For the next five year Shakespeare used that to become one of the most popular acting groups in acting. They would always get invitations to perform in the royal court of Queen Elizabieth

-May 1594

"The Rape of Lucrece"

Shakespeare publishes "The Rape of Lucrece," also dedicated to the Earl of Southampton. Shakespeare purchases shares in the Chamberlain's Men.

-1608

Blackfriars Theater

The King's Men begin performing at Blackfriars, an indoor theater in London. In contrast to the somber mood of the last seven years, Shakespeare's work takes on a lighter tone in plays likeCymbeline, The Winter's Tale, and The Tempest.

-1609

Sonnets Published

Publisher Thomas Thorpe prints a collection of 154 of Shakespeare's sonnets.

-Mar 25, 1616

Last Will

An ailing Shakespeare calls his lawyer to revise his will, making some odd changes that include leaving his "second-best bed" to his wife and £10 to the poor.

INFLUENCES IN HIS LIFE

-Aug 11, 1596

Death of Hamnet

William and Anne bury their only son, Hamnet, who dies at the age of 11 of unknown causes.

-1601

Hamlet

Shakespeare's father dies and his patron Earl Southampton is sentenced to death (later reprieved) for his role in the Essex rebellion. It is believed that his father's death motivates Shakespeare to write Hamlet around this time. Shakespeare's plays over the next few years take a dark, brooding tone.

-Mar 24, 1603

Elizabeth Dies, Jacobean Age Begins

Upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I, King James ascends the throne. The Chamberlain's Men change their name to the King's Men, and perform before King James eleven times between 1 November 1604 and 31 October 1605.

-1611

Return to Stratford

Shakespeare leaves London and moves back to Stratford, where his wife and married daughters live. (The exact date of this move remains in some dispute, with historians placing it anywhere between 1610 and 1613.)

IMPORTANT EVENTS

-Shakespeare Goes to School

Shakespeare enters King's New School, an excellent grammar school in Stratford attended by the sons of civil servants like his father. Boys typically enter the school around the age of five, but since no official records survive its impossible to know exactly when Shakespeare starts his education. Other than the dates of his marriage and children's births, little is known about Shakespeare's life before 1592—a period known as the "Lost Years."

-Nov 28, 1582

Shakespeare Marries

The Bishop of Worcester issues a marriage license to "William Shagspere" and "Ann Hathwey," formalizing the marriage of 18-year-old William Shakespeare and 26-year-old Anne Hathaway.

-May 26, 1583

First Child Born

Six months after their marriage, the Shakespeare's first child, Susanna, is born and baptized.

-1585

Twins Born

Anne Hathaway gives birth to twins, son Hamnet and daughter Judith. The babies are named after Shakespeare's close friends, Hamnet and Judith Sadler.

-Apr 23, 1616

Shakespeare Dies

Sufferning from an unknown illness, William Shakespeare dies on his 52nd birthday.

-Apr 25, 1616

Burial

Shakespeare is buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford, the same church where he was baptized. His marker orders a curse on anyone who disturbs his grave.

-1623

First Folio Published

John Heminge and Henry Condell, Shakespeare's former colleagues in the King's Men, collect 36 of their late friend's plays and publish them together in a volume now known as the First Folio.

Citation:


"Shakespeare: His Work and World." Ebscohost. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&sid=28702846-e38c-499f-822e-a2fcf4801a78%40sessionmgr115&hid=112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=lfh&AN=94059695>.

"The Truth about William Shakespear." Ebscohost. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&sid=28702846-e38c-499f-822e-a2fcf4801a78%40sessionmgr115&hid=112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=lfh&AN=93607249>.

"William Shakespear." Ebscohost. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&sid=28702846-e38c-499f-822e-a2fcf4801a78%40sessionmgr115&hid=112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=lfh&AN=39031723>.

"Shakespeare and the Cobham Controversy: The Oldcastle/Falstaff and Brooke/Broome Revisions." Ebscohost. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&sid=28702846-e38c-499f-822e-a2fcf4801a78%40sessionmgr115&hid=112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=lfh&AN=80243423>.

"Biography William Shakespear." Ebscohost. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&sid=28702846-e38c-499f-822e-a2fcf4801a78%40sessionmgr115&hid=112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=lfh&AN=69855601>.

"WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE - BIOGRAPHY." The. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.egs.edu/library/william-shakespeare/biography/>.