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Apr 23, 1564
William Shakespeare was born
William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon -
Period: Apr 23, 1564 to
Shakespeares life
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Apr 26, 1564
Shakespeare was baptized
Baby Shakespeare was baptized on this day -
1569
Shakespeare goes to school
Shakespeare goes to school at King's New School Which was an excellent grammar school in Stratford. -
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 Ann Hathwey -
William Shakespeare's first child is born
William Shakespeares first child Susana is born and baptized -
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. -
First play
Around this time, Shakespeare writes Henry VI, Part One—his very first play. Like all of Shakespeare's plays, the precise year of its authorship is now unclear. Also around the same time, Shakespeare leaves Stratford to begin work as a playwright and actor in London. -
Greene Attacks Shakespeare
Playwright Robert Greene pens a scathing critique of Shakespeare, calling him an "upstart crow" who doesn't belong with Greene's university-educated dramatist crowd. Thanks to this diatribe, we now know that Shakespeare has become successful enough as a playwright by 1592 to make his peers jealous. -
Plague closes theatre
London theaters are closed due to an outbreak of bubonic plague that eventually kills about five percent of the city's residents. Shakespeare uses the break to write poetry. -
Theater Reopens
The theater reopens in 1594 -
Hamnet's Death
William and Anne Bury their only son Hamnet that died because of unknown causes at the age of 11. -
New Home
Since William Was wealthy thanks to his theater work, He bought a new home which was the second largest house in stratford. -
Globe theater built
The Globe theater was built by the Chamberlain's Men -
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. -
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. -
Shakespeare returns 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.) -
Final Plays
Shakespeare composes his final plays— Henry VIII, Two Noble Kinsmen (possibly written in 1614), and the now-lost Cardenio—in collaboration with John Fletcher, replacement playwright for the King's Men. The Globe catches fire during a performance of Henry VIII and burns to the ground. -
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. -
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. -
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.
