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Apr 26, 1564
Birth
William Shakespeare is born in Stratford-upon-Avon (the third child born to John and Mary and then their only child, following the infant deaths of Joan and Margaret) -
Jan 1, 1571
Education (age 7)
Shakespeare begins his education at the King's Free Grammar School (his place was made eligible due to his father's position as an alderman of Stratford-upon-Avon) -
Marriage (age 18)
Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway (26 years old) at Temple Grafton -
the beginning of writing career & 'King Richard III' (age 26)
Shakespeare's writing career begins
Writes 'King Richard III' -
'King Henry V' (age 27)
Writes 'King Henry V' -
'The Comedy Of Errors' & 'Love's Labours Lost' (age 30)
Writes 'The Comedy Of Errors'
Writes 'Love's Labours Lost' -
'King Richard II' (age 31)
Writes 'King Richard II' -
'King Henry IV, Part I' (age 32)
Writes 'King Henry IV, Part I' -
'King Henry IV, Part 2' (age 31)
Writes 'King Henry IV, Part 2' -
'King Henry V', 'Julius Caesar', 'As You Like It' & The Globe Theatre is built (age 35)
Writes 'King Henry V'
Writes 'Julius Caesar'
Writes 'As You Like It'
The Globe Theatre is built -
'Hamlet' (age 36)
Writes 'Hamlet' -
'All's Well That Ends Well' (age 38)
writes 'All's Well That Ends Well' -
'Measure For Measure' & 'King Lear'(age 40)
Writes 'Measure For Measure'
Writes 'King Lear' -
'Antony and Cleopatra' & 'Macbeth' (age 42)
Writes 'Antony and Cleopatra'
Writes 'Macbeth' -
'Coriolanus' (age 44)
Writes 'Coriolanus' -
'Cymbeline' & 'The Tempest' (age 46)
Writes 'Cymbeline'
Writes 'The Tempest', his last sole-authored play -
Writes 'King Henry VIII' (age 48)
Writes 'King Henry VIII' -
Retired from writing (age 49)
Shakespeare believed to have retired from writing -
The Globe Theatre burns down & rebuilt (age 49)
The Globe Theatre on London's Southbank burns down after a stage cannon is misfired into the theatre's thatched roof, during a performance of Henry VIII (then titled All Is True, and the earliest recorded performance of the play)
The Globe is quickly rebuilt, at a cost of £1,400 -
Shakespeare draws up the first draft & second draft of his will (age 52)
Shakespeare draws up the first draft of his will (18 Jan 1616)
Shakespeare draws up his final will (25 Mar 1616) -
Death (age 53)
Shakespeare dies at home at New Place, Stratford-upon-Avon (popular belief has it that William died of alcoholism following a session of heavy drinking shared with his old friend Ben Johnson (poet and fellow playwright) and the poet Michael Drayton. Other possible causes include syphilis and typhoid
Shakespeare is buried in Apr 1616
