"He was born at Stratford-upon-Avon,--married, and had children there--went to London where he commenced actor, and wrote poems and plays--returned to Stratford, made his will, died, and was buried...." (source A)

William Shakespeare is believed to have been born on April 23, 1564. He was born into an established family of the town Stratford-upon-Avon. He was the third child of eight children, yet he was the first to survive infancy. Due to his father's prominance in the town, Shakespeare was able to attend school for free. He recieved a grammar school education where he learned to read, write, and speak Latin, and studied classical history and literature. During his youth he was "fostered" by the Hoghton family in order to gain connections to higher life. He married his wife Anne Hathaway in 1582, at the age of eighteen. Virtually nothing is known about Shakespeare's life from this point until 1587 when he leaves for London to become an actor.

In 1591 or '92, Shakespeare's Henry VI part 1 was performed. The play was successful and Shakespeare became well known, but an outbreak of the plague brought about a period to which he devoted his time to poetry. Between 1593 and 1598, he authored almost ten plays averaging about two a year. The death of his son Hamnet in August of 1596 influenced the writing of King John. The Globe theater was completed in 1601 in which Hamlet was one of the first plays performed. Durning the reign of James I the focus in theater was on tragedies. He retired from the stage by 1613 and composed his will on March 25, 1616 while claiming to be in good health. He died on his fifty-third birthday from causes unknown.

He produced numerous works during his lifetime. His poems were published and widely circulated, yet it was not until seven years after his death that the first folio of his plays were published.

(sources B & C)