WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

William Shakespeare is one of the most famous writers in history. He was born on April 23, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon in England. He had eight brothers and sisters. His father, John Shakespeare, was a successful business man. William went to school in Stratford and learnt Latin and Greek, but he didn’t go to university. At the age of fifteen he started working in his father’s business.

When he was eighteen, he met and fell in love with Anne Hathaway. She was eight years older than him. They got married in November 1582, and six months later their daughter Susanne was born. In 1585, they had twins, Hamnet and Judith.

His plays were very popular and he made a lot of money. In 1597, he bought a big house in Stratford for his family, but he stayed in London for thirteen years. He continued to write and act and he also bought a theatre. His most famous plays are Othello, Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and King Lear. In 1611, he finally retired and moved back to Stratford. In total, Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets (fourteen-line poems). Shakespeare died in Stratford on his birthday, on April 23, 1616.