Even though William Shakespeare is the most studied playwright in the English language, his biographies are sketchy at best. Although Shakespeare's plays are extremely well-known, Shakespeare the man is not.
Shakespeare grew up in the small village of Stratford, on the banks of the Avon River, but not much else is known about his early life. We don't even know when he was born — only that his christening took place on April 26, 1564. He was probably born a few days before then, and the modern world conveniently uses April 23 as the anniversary of his birth for the somewhat macabre reason that he died on that day in 1616.
William was the third of eight children of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. Three of his siblings died in infancy — an all-too-common fate in those days. We know almost nothing of William's childhood, but we do know that in November 1582, William married Anne Hathaway, and they baptized their child, Susanna, on May 26, 1583. You do the math.
Anne later bore twins, Judith and Hamnet, both named after family friends. After that, William drops out of the history books for a while. He resurfaces seven years later, in 1592, as an actor and playwright living in London. At this time, any aspiring playwright had to live in London — that's where the theaters were.
 | Acting, writing, and directing paid the bills, but then as now, the real wealth came to the person in charge. Shakespeare didn't earn much money from writing plays, but from his share of the ticket receipts. He was part owner of an acting company and of the theater where that company performed: the Globe Theatre. |
Shakespeare's plays at the Globe Theatre were so popular that he became a wealthy man. Shakespeare dutifully sent money back to Stratford, but we know little about his relationship with his family.
He purchased one of the largest houses in Stratford, where he and his family eventually lived until his daughters married and moved out. He invested in real estate around Stratford. He even purchased respectability in the form of a coat of arms. Pretty good for the son of a glove-maker.
Hamnet died in childhood, Shakespeare's daughters grew up and had children of their own (Judith's children died young). Susanna's only child, Elizabeth, was the last of William Shakespeare's descendents.
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