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Apr 23, 1564
Birth
William Shakespeare was born on April 23rd, 1564 in Stratford-Avon, a small town that is located just outside of London. He was born in the Elizabethan Age, and was the oldest of his parents six childrren. This is important because he went on to write many plays that impacted society and literature forever (Moss 112). -
Jan 1, 1568
Eighty Years War
The war of Dutch Independence, also known as the Eighty Years War, began in 1568. In this war, the Netherlands declared independence from the King of Spain. The Dutch army was lead by Prince William I of Orange, and the war lasted until 1648. This war lead to the separation of the northern and southern Netherlands, as well as the forming of the Dutch Republic. This is important because it lead to the formation of a new country (Eighty Years War). -
Jan 1, 1573
Ottoman-Venetian War
The Ottoman-Venetian War lasted from 1570 to 1573. This was was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice. The Ottoman-Venetian War was also known as the Cyprus War, as it was fought over an island called Cyprus. The war started when the Ottoman Empire invaded the island of Cyprus, which was under the control of Venice. Venice was ultimately defeated by the superior Ottoman Empire, and they were forced to give up Cyprus to the Ottomans (Ottoman-Venetian War 1570-1573). -
Sep 26, 1580
Sir Francis Drake Circumnavigation
Francis Drake departed on December 13th, 1577 to attempt to circumnavigate the world, and completed his trip around the world on September 26th, 1580. Sir Francis Drake's voyage was possibly oe of the most famous, as he was the second, after Ferdinand Magellan, to travel around the earth. Although five ships left on the voyage, only one, the Golden Hind, returned to England on Septmeber 26th, 1580. This is important because it lead to many discoveries on Earth (Kraus). -
Marriage
In 1582, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. Anne Hathaway was eight years older than him, as he was eighteen and she was twenty-six. Eventually, they had their first daughter, Susanna, and later had twins Hamnet and Judith. This is important because it lead to the expansion of his family (Fox 39). -
Defeat of Spanish Armada
On July 29th, 1588, the Spanish Armada was destroyed. The English naval force set fire to their ships and forced them to set out to sea. This is when the English attacked. This caused over one half of the armada to be completely destroyed and over 15,000 deaths among the Spanish. This is important because England became a strong power and long distance weapons were first used in sea battles (Spanish Armada defeated). -
Plenty of Plays
By 1592, Shakespeare had already made a large impact on the theater community. In this year, he finished and produced plays such as Henry IV Part 1, The Comedy of Errors, and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. This is important because these plays helped make him a better playwright and more successful (Moss 116). -
Bubonic Plague
In 1593, the bubonic plague ravaged through Europe. This disease was tranmitted from flea bites, which came from fleas that also bit an infected rat. Symptoms of this disease were swelling of glands i the neck and armpits. This awful disease has killed millions of people, and is important because it is one of the most devastating epidemics to ever exist (Bubonic Plague). -
Poems
In 1593 and 1594, theatres closed due to widespreadf disease. Obviosly, during this time, plays were not preformed. Therefore, William Shakespeare wrote two poems during this time. He wrote "Venus and Adonis," in 1593 and "The Rape of Lucrece," in 1594. These two poems became widely popular and were often reprinted. The writing of these plays was exrtremely important because it showed how Shakespeare was multifaceted and wrote more than plays (William Shakespeare Biography). -
The Globe Theater
One of William Shakespeare's most important accomplioshments was founding the Globe Theater, which was founded in 1599. This was his own theater where plays were performed. This lead to more plays being written, and lead to much of Shakespeare's success. The Globe Theater was closed in 1647, but was reconstructed in 1997 just two hundred yards from where it previously was, and still stands today. This is important because the theatre lead to much of his success (Beazlie). -
Writing Shift
At the year 1599, there was a radical shift in Shakespeare's writing. This is when he began to write tragedies instread of comedies. Certain plays he wrote during this time were Romeo and Juliet and King Lear. This is when Shakespeare also wrote many problem plays, or when he incorporated problems in society in his plays. This was important because they forced the people to think about the society that they were living in (Fox 147). -
Julius Cæsar
The first account of Julius Cæsar being performed was in Autumn 1599. This play is one of his most famous, as it is based on the real Julius Cæsar and references past events. The writing of this play was important because it was influential and one of his most famous plays (Fox 140). -
Hamlet
The first production of Hamlet was performed in 1600, and little did William Shakespeare know that it would be his most famous play. Hamlet is one of the most famous peices of work ever and is still commonly preformed today. Also, Hamlet is often quoted in thw works of others. Today people still base ideas off of the historic play and still pay homage to it. Hamlet was important because it was one of William Shakespeare's most influential and famous plays (Bassewitz). -
King Lear
The firsgt time King Lear was preformed was for King James I, in his own court, on December 26, 1606. This was one of Shakespeare's later works and is a tragedy. The fact that the preformance was for King James was very important. This is because it shows how popular Shakespeare's works have gotten and how they've truly influenced the people of London (King Lear performed in Court). -
Jamestown, Virginia
In 1607, colonists from Great Britain crossed the Atlantic Ocean in order to create a colony in North America. This colony was Jamestown, which is located in modern day Virginia. At frist the colony struggled and met native americans whose tribe was called the Powhaten. Eventually, conditions got better in Jamestown. Jamestown is important because it became the first successful English colony in North America (Grun 271). -
Death
Shakespeare was 52 years old when he died on April 23rd, 1616. He died in his hometown of Stratford, and passed due to an unknown illness. His body was buried at the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford, where his epitaph read,
"Good Friend for Jesus' sake forbear
to dig the dust enclosed here!
Bless'd be the man that spares these stones
And curs'd be he that moves my bones"
His death is important because it intrigued the people and made them want to see his plays (Moss 120).
