THE BIOGRAPHY OF SHAKESPEARE

Shakespeare, the greatest poet and writer, was born in 1564 in Stratford- upon-Avon in England. His father John was a glove maker. His mother Mary was a farmer’s daughter. William had four sisters and three younger brothers. William went to Stratford Grammar School and studied languages and history. He left school when he was 15. In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway. They had a daughter called Susanna in 1583 and later twins named Judith and Hamnet in 1585. Later he went to London, where he worked as an actor. Shakespeare helped to build a new theatre called the Globe Theatre. It opened in 1599. He worked there and appeared in small roles. There he started writing plays. In 1593 the plague, a terrible disease, killed thousands of people and theatres were closed. During this time, William started to write poems. His short poems are called sonnets. They were about life, love, the beauty of nature. Women did not act at that time. Men and boys played all the parts. Shakespeare wrote comedies like A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado about Nothing, As You Like It, The Comedy of Errors . He wrote tragedies like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra. His history plays are about kings and queens like Henry V. Shakespeare wrote 38 plays. They are very popular nowadays. They are translated into many languages. He died when he was 42 on 23 April 1616. People all over the world love his works and many years have passed since his death, but Shakespeare is still considered to be the greatest of all playwrights, poets and writers.