Shakespeare Timeline

By hmac
  • 1558

    Monarchs' Rule

    Monarchs' Rule
    Queen Elizabeth I ruled England during Shakespeare's time. When William Shakespeare was born, Queen Elizabeth had been on the throne for six years.
  • 1564

    Birth Day

    Birth Day
    William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, a market town.
  • 1564

    Baptism

    Baptism
    William Shakespeare was baptized on April 26th,1564 at the Holy Trinity Church.
  • 1569

    Shakespeare Goes to School

    Shakespeare Goes to School
    William Shakespeare attends the King's New School, which is a grammar school in Stratford attended by the sons of civil servants like his father.
  • 1582

    Shakespeare Marries

    Shakespeare Marries
    William Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway on November 28, 1582.

  • First Child

    First Child
    Only six months after Anne and William's wedding, their first child, Susanna, I born and baptized on May 26,1583.

  • Twins Born

    Twins Born
    Anne Hathaway gives birth to twins, a son named Hamnet and a daughter, Judith.

  • Shakespeare's First Play

    Shakespeare's First Play
    William Shakespeare writes his first play, Henry VI, Part One.

  • Plague Closes Theaters

    Plague Closes Theaters
    London Theaters have to close their doors for two years due to the outbreak of the plague that killed over 33,000 people in London in January 1593.

  • The Theaters Reopen

    The Theaters Reopen
    In the spring of 1594, the theaters finally open back up from the plague.

  • Death of Hamnet

    Death of Hamnet
    On August 11, 1596, Hamnet of age 11 dies of unknown causes.

  • A New Home

    A New Home
    In May 1597, Shakespeare moves to New Place which was the second largest house in Stratford.

  • Romeo and Juliet Published

    Romeo and Juliet Published
    One of Shakespeare's most popular plays, Romeo and Juliet, was written in about 1594-1596 but it was published in 1597.

  • Globe Theater Built

    Globe Theater Built
    The Chamberlain's Men build the Globe which was a wooden theater in London. Several of Shakespeare's plays were performed for the first time there.

  • Hamlet

    Hamlet
    Shakespeare's Hamlet around the time of his father's death. Many people believe that was what motivated him to do so.

  • King James Rule

    King James Rule
    When Queen Elizabeth dies, King James I succeeds to the throne. King James came to power when she died in 1603 until he died in 1625.

  • Sonnets

    Sonnets
    The publisher, Thomas Thorpe, printed a collection of 154 of Shakespeare's sonnets.

  • Returns to Stratford

    Returns to Stratford
    Shakespeare leaves London to return to Stratford, where his wife and married daughters currently lived.

  • His Last Plays

    His Last Plays
    Shakespeare writes his last plays such as Henry VIII and Two Noble Kinsmen. However, The Globe catches fire during a performance of Henry VIII and burns to the ground.

  • Shakespeare Dies

    Shakespeare Dies
    While suffering an unknown illness, William Shakespeare Dies on his 52nd birthday on April 23rd, 1616.