Searching for Shakespeare - Lesson 1 - Shakespeare Biography Worksheet

William Shakespeare, the iconic playwright and poet, was born in the market town of Stratford, believed to be around April 23rd, 1564. His parents, William and Mary, were of good standing; his father was a successful local businessman, while his mother hailed from a landowning family. This relative prosperity likely enabled them to fund William's education, although there is no record of him attending university. At the tender age of 18, Shakespeare entered into matrimony with Anne Hathaway, who was eight years his senior. The couple welcomed their first child, Susanna, shortly thereafter, and went on to have two more children. Tragically, their only son, Hamnet, passed away at the age of 11.

Shakespeare's life post-marriage is somewhat enigmatic, but it is understood that he spent a significant amount of time in London, dedicating himself to the craft of writing and performing plays. He would return to Stratford during Lent, a period when theatres traditionally closed. The 1590s are considered a particularly fruitful period in Shakespeare's career, during which he is thought to have composed the majority of his sonnets. His work during this era, including plays like "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "Romeo and Juliet," and "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," penned between 1589 and 1595, garnered considerable attention and sparked debate, marking a time of intense creativity and development in his writing.