William Shakespeare

By s1069
  • Apr 23, 1564

    William Shakespeare is born.

    William Shakespeare is born.
    William Shakespeare is born in Stratford-upon-Avon to John and Mary Arden Shakespeare. Though April 23 is commonly accepted as Shakespeare's birthday, it's impossible to know the exact date he was born
  • Apr 26, 1564

    William Shakespeare is baptized.

    William Shakespeare is baptized.
    William Shakespeare is christened at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford.
  • 1569

    Shakespeare Goes to School

    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.

  • Shakespeare Marries

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

  • First Child Born

    First Child Born
    Shakespeare has his first child, Susanna, sixth months after marriage.

  • Twins Born

    Twins Born
    A twin son, Hamnet, and daughter, Judith, are born.

  • Shakespeare's First Play Performed

    Shakespeare's First Play Performed
    Henry VI Part II was the first play performed.

  • Theaters Close

    Theaters Close
    London theaters are closed due to a plague.

  • Theaters Reopen

    Theaters Reopen
    In spring of 1594 the theaters reopen to the public.

  • Shakespeare's Son Dies

    Shakespeare's Son Dies
    Hamnet dies at the age of 11 due to unknown causes.

  • Shakespeare Buys a New House

    Shakespeare Buys a New House
    Shakespeare buys the second largest house in Stratford.

  • Romeo and Juliet

    Romeo and Juliet
    One of Shakespeare's most famous plays released. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately harmonize their feuding families.

  • The Globe Opens

    The Globe Opens
    The Chamberlains Men build the Globe Theater.

  • Hamlet

    Hamlet
    Another famous play written by Shakespeare, set in Denmark, the play dramatizes the revenge Prince Hamlet is called to wreak upon his uncle, Claudius, by the ghost of Hamlet's father, King Hamlet.

  • Queen Elizabeth I Dies

    Queen Elizabeth I Dies
    The cause of Elizabeth’s death remains a hotly contested subject. Before her death, Elizabeth refused permission for a post-mortem to be conducted, leaving the cause of her death forever shrouded in mystery.

  • King James VI of Scotland ascends to the throne

    King James VI of Scotland ascends to the throne
    In 1586, James and Elizabeth I became allies under the Treaty of Berwick.

  • Macbeth

    Macbeth
    Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare; it is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatizes the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake.

  • Sonnets Published

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

  • Shakespeare's Globe Burns

    Shakespeare's Globe Burns
    On June 29, 1613, staged cannon fire during a performance of “Henry VIII” ignited a fire that burned the Globe Theater to the ground.

  • William Shakespeare Dies

    William Shakespeare Dies
    The cause of Shakespeare’s death is not known for sure, though there’s a commonly held theory that Shakespeare died after contracting a fever after a drinking binge with fellow playwrights Ben Jonson and Michael Drayton.