The Background of
William Shakespeare
By:
Erica Browning
William Shakespeare
Shakespeare was born in the small town of
Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire,
England. He was born approximately the
23rd day of April, 1564.
Family
Shakespeare’s parents were John and Mary
Shakespeare, he was the 3rd child of eight.
-Joan, born 1558 - 1569.
-Margaret, born 1562 - 1563.
-Joan, born1569 - 1646.
-Anne, born 1571 - 1579.
-Gilbert, born 1566-1612.
-Richard, born 1574 - 1613.
-Edmund, born 1580 - 1607.
There are two dates that scholars believe that
Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway were legally
registered as a married couple. The two different
dates are November 27th 1582 and November 28th
1582. Shakespeare was the age of 18 and Anne was
the age of 26.They were married at Temple
Grafton, a village 5 miles from Stratford-UponAvon. After the marriage was complete Anne left
her town Hewland Farm to live with Shakespeare.
They moved to a house on Henley Street in
Stratford-Upon-Avon which was owned by
Shakespeare’s father.
Shakespeare’s vocation
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He performed as an actor, as part of an
acting company called The King’s Men.
He didn’t begin writing his own works until
later on in his career.
The majority of his works were not published
until after his death, when some of his
admirers compiled his works and preserved
them for posterity.
Shakespeare’s Masterworks
Shakespeare’s legacy is his theatrical works,
these include.
 Romeo and Juliet
 Othello
 A Midsummer Night’s Dream
 Henry VIII
 Macbeth
 Hamlet
 A Comedy of Errors
 Caesar
Shakespeare’s lasting legacy.
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Shakespeare’s works have lasted the test
of time. His plays are renowned for their
quick whit, wordplay and suspense. Some
of the most memorable pieces of literature
from that time period are Shakespeare
plays. Not many people could tell you who
the reigning monarch of France was
during his time, but every man, woman
and child can quote you directly “ Romeo,
Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo.”
Shakespeare Words
Not many people know this, but Shakespeare
is credited with introducing over 2,000 words
which we use today. Some of these include.
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Traitor
Tyrant
Sullen
Vain
Rest in Peace William Shakespeare
Works Cited
 Images from “Google Images.”
 "A Pictorial Bigraph of William Shakespeare." Heart-ofEngland. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2010.
<hearteng.110mb.com/shakespeare/life.htm>.
 "The marriage of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway."
William Shakespeare Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar.
2010. <http://www.william-shakespeare.org.uk/marriagewilliam-shakespeare-anne-hathaway.htm>.
 "The marriage of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway."
William Shakespeare Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar.
2010. <http://www.william-shakespeare.org.uk/marriagewilliam-shakespeare-anne-hathaway.htm>.
Works Cited
 "William Shakespeare Elizabethan Dictionary - Elizabethan
words and meanings." WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. N.p., n.d.
Web. 14 Mar. 2010. <http://www.williamshakespeare.info/william-shakespeare-dictionary.htm>.
 "William Shakespeare." TheatreHistory.com. N.p., n.d. Web.
12 Mar. 2010.
<http://www.theatrehistory.com/british/shakespeare032.html>.
 "William Shakespeare." William Shakespeare Online. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. <www.shakespeare-1.com/>.
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