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Shakespeare's life timeline
This love poem is credited to be the first time any of Shakespeare's writings were published.
Shakespeare's Daughter Susanna is born
The lost years
Venus and Adonis is published
Shakespeare'sBirth & Birthplace
Six months after Anne and William's wedding, their first daughter was born.
Between 1585-1591 there is no recorded information on Shakespeare and so there is no knowledge of what William was doing during this time.
Shakespeare was born in his parents house on Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon. It is assumed that he was born around the 25th of April.
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1592
1584
1582
1593
1585-91
1583
1564
Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway
Shakespeare is mentioned as a playwright in London
Anne gives birth to twins.
Anne was the daughter of a landowner in Shottery, outside of Stratford.William married Anne when he was 18 and she was 26.
Greene mentions shakepeare as an 'upstart crow' - a malicious jab. This is the only surviving denigatory reference to shakespeares character.
Hamnet and Judith Shakespeare are bornClick the info button for some short videos on Hamnet and Judith
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Shakespeare's life timeline
Click the red dots for more information!
At the same time, the Earl of Essex commsioned a performance of Richard II to conincide with his planned rebellion against Elizabeth I, as the play shows a monarch being deposed. His plot failed and he was executed soon after.
Shakespeare founds and joins a theatre company
Shakespeare moves into 'The New Place'.
Shakespeare's father, John, dies
Shakespeares Daughter Susanna marries John Hall
Shakespeare purchases the largest house in Stratford-upon-Avon for about £120 (£24,296.93 in today's money)
Shakespeare was a shareholder within this theatre group, and they held exclusive rights to perform his works.
John Hall was a respected physician in Stratford. They moved into his home, named Hall's Croft, which still stands in Straftord today.
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1603
1599
1596
1607
1601
1597
1594
The Lord Chamberlains Men become the Kings Men
Shakespeare's son Hamnet dies.
The Globe Theatre opens on the Southbank
IHamnet's death had a profound impact on William. Much of his writing over the subsiquent years seems to reference this loss.
Bult using the timbers of 'The Theatre' The Glove is the theatre most linked with Shakespeare. Some of his most known works were performed here.
King James becomes the patron of Shakespeare's theatre group. This royal patronage solidified them as the premier theatre troupe of the time.
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Shakespeare's life timeline
Click the red dots for more information!
Shakespeare spends more time in Stratford
The Globe is rebuilt
The First Folio is Published
Shakespeares Grandaughter born
Shakespeare had written the majority of his plays at this point. At age 47 he began spending more time with his family.
The Second Globe was built almost identically too the first. It remained untill 1642, in which the long parliament of Oliver Cromwell closed all London Playhouses and demolished the building.
Susanna and John give birth to their only daughter, Elizabeth. As well as this, Williams Mother, Mary, dies at approximately 70 years old.
This collection of 36 of shakespeares works was created by two of his friends 7 years after his death.
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1616
1613
1609
1623
1614
1611-12
1608
Shakespeares Sonnets are Published
The Globe theatre burns down
William Shakespeare dies in Stratford.
Shakespeare penned 154 sonnets, two long poems and some other shorter poems as well.
During a performance of Henry VIII the thatched roof of the theatre caught fire and burned the building to the ground. This was due to a cannon firing during a scene, which caused sparks.
Shakespeare died at age 52 on the 25th of april 1616 - which many scholars assume would have been his 52nd birthday.
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William & Anne
When William and Anne married in late 1582, Anne was three months pregnant with their first child. This would have expedited marriage proceedings as to have a child outside of marriage was a scandal. William sped up marriage proceedings by applying to the Bishop’s Court in Worcester. Two Shottery farmers accompanied William to the court to act as guarantors of the sum of £40, which they would be required to pay if the marriage proved to be invalid. Following their wedding, Anne would have moved in with Shakespeare and his parents to live in the family home on Henley Street.
Anne Hathaway biography
Next
The Lost years
A popular story revolves around Shakespeare’s relationship with Sir Thomas Lucy, a local Stratford-upon-Avon landowner. By oral tradition, it was reported that Shakespeare poached deer from Sir Thomas Lucy’s estate, the nearby Charlecote Park. It was said that he fled to London in order to escape punishment.
John Aubrey wrote in 1681 that William Shakespeare 'had been in his younger years a schoolmaster in the country' (which might well refer to Stratford, since Aubrey was writing from a London perspective).
Others speculate that he was employed as a lawyer's clerk or became a soldier. It is also possible that he joined one of the companies of players which visited Stratford in the late 1580s. He may also have been living in Stratford, and helping out with the family business. Gaps in the records of people’s lives are not unusual, so the notion of ‘lost years’ might even be construed as being symptomatic of too much biographical expectation and entitlement. Regardless of what happened during these years, we do know that he found himself an established playwright in London by 1592, as his plays began to be produced.
Shakespeare's Birthplace
The house now known as Shakespeare's Birthplace stands on Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK. Documentary evidence allows us to trace who owned the house and who lived there, from the time of William's parents John and Mary Shakespeare, onwards.
John Shakespeare lived and worked in this house for fifty years. When he married Mary Arden she came to live with him and they had a total of eight children, including their son William Shakespeare. The house doubled as a glover's shop where John worked at the eastern end of the building, with a barn and workshops in the backyard. For more information, click the link below:
Shakespeares Birthplace
Susanna Hall
Scholars assume that Susanna was educated and literate, as she could at least write her name and is thought to have composed the memorial epitaph to her mother.
William Shakespeare seems to have been on good terms with his son-in-law and as such he made John and Susanna the executors of his will and left them the bulk of his estate including “the Newe Place wherein I nowe dwell”. After her father’s death Susanna and her husband moved in to New Place. William Shakespeare probably also left Susanna his papers, and so it is assumed that she had some involvement with the compilation of the First Folio of Shakespeare's works.
Susanna Hall biography
Lord Chamberlains Men
The theatre company was named as such due to their patron, The Lord Chamberlain, which was an important role within the royal court and directly responsible for theatre licencing. Their early performances would have take place at 'The Theatre' in London, the first public playhouse in the city. The first performances of plays such as Henry VI and Love's Labour's Lost would have been performed by this group.
Shakespeare's Career
CONSTANCEGrief fills the room up of my absent child,
Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me,
Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words,
Remembers me of all his gracious parts,
Stuffs out his vacant garments with his form.
Then, have I reason to be fond of grief?
Fare you well: had you such a loss as I,
I could give better comfort than you do.
I will not keep this form upon my head,
When there is such disorder in my wit.
O Lord! my boy, my Arthur, my fair son!
My life, my joy, my food, my all the world!
(King John, Act III, Scene 4)
Hamnet's Death
Hamnet's death seemed to impact a lot of Shakspeares writing but it can most clearly be seen in the words of Constance in King John
Watch the above video for more information about The New Place.If you would like to visit The New Place in Stratford-Upon-Avon follow the link below.
Visit The New Place
The Globe Theatre
The theatre was 30 metres in diameter and had 20 sides, giving it its perceived circular shape. The structure was similar to that of their old theatre, as well as that of the neighbouring bear garden. The rectangular stage, at five feet high, projected halfway into the yard and the circular galleries. The pillars were painted to look like Italian marble, the sky painted midnight blue, and images of the gods overlooked the balcony. It could hold up to 3,000 people.
By May 1599, the new theatre was ready to be opened. Burbage named it the Globe after the figure of Hercules carrying the globe on his back - for in like manner the actors carried the Globe's framework on their backs across the Thames. A flag of Hercules with the globe was raised above the theatre with the Latin motto 'totus mundus agit histrionem', or 'all the world's a playhouse'
Shakespeare's plays that were performed there early on included: Henry V, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, Hamlet, Measure for Measure, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra. Here the Lord Chamberlain's Men enjoyed much success and gained the patronage of King James I in 1603, subsequently becoming The King's Men.
The Globe Theatre
A video from Holy Trininty Church in Stratford-Upon-Avon, where Shakespeare is Buried.
Shakespeare's life timeline
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Transcript
Click the red dots for more information!
Shakespeare's life timeline
This love poem is credited to be the first time any of Shakespeare's writings were published.
Shakespeare's Daughter Susanna is born
The lost years
Venus and Adonis is published
Shakespeare'sBirth & Birthplace
Six months after Anne and William's wedding, their first daughter was born.
Between 1585-1591 there is no recorded information on Shakespeare and so there is no knowledge of what William was doing during this time.
Shakespeare was born in his parents house on Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon. It is assumed that he was born around the 25th of April.
+info
+info
+info
+info
1592
1584
1582
1593
1585-91
1583
1564
Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway
Shakespeare is mentioned as a playwright in London
Anne gives birth to twins.
Anne was the daughter of a landowner in Shottery, outside of Stratford.William married Anne when he was 18 and she was 26.
Greene mentions shakepeare as an 'upstart crow' - a malicious jab. This is the only surviving denigatory reference to shakespeares character.
Hamnet and Judith Shakespeare are bornClick the info button for some short videos on Hamnet and Judith
+info
+info
Shakespeare's life timeline
Click the red dots for more information!
At the same time, the Earl of Essex commsioned a performance of Richard II to conincide with his planned rebellion against Elizabeth I, as the play shows a monarch being deposed. His plot failed and he was executed soon after.
Shakespeare founds and joins a theatre company
Shakespeare moves into 'The New Place'.
Shakespeare's father, John, dies
Shakespeares Daughter Susanna marries John Hall
Shakespeare purchases the largest house in Stratford-upon-Avon for about £120 (£24,296.93 in today's money)
Shakespeare was a shareholder within this theatre group, and they held exclusive rights to perform his works.
John Hall was a respected physician in Stratford. They moved into his home, named Hall's Croft, which still stands in Straftord today.
+info
+info
+info
1603
1599
1596
1607
1601
1597
1594
The Lord Chamberlains Men become the Kings Men
Shakespeare's son Hamnet dies.
The Globe Theatre opens on the Southbank
IHamnet's death had a profound impact on William. Much of his writing over the subsiquent years seems to reference this loss.
Bult using the timbers of 'The Theatre' The Glove is the theatre most linked with Shakespeare. Some of his most known works were performed here.
King James becomes the patron of Shakespeare's theatre group. This royal patronage solidified them as the premier theatre troupe of the time.
+info
+info
Shakespeare's life timeline
Click the red dots for more information!
Shakespeare spends more time in Stratford
The Globe is rebuilt
The First Folio is Published
Shakespeares Grandaughter born
Shakespeare had written the majority of his plays at this point. At age 47 he began spending more time with his family.
The Second Globe was built almost identically too the first. It remained untill 1642, in which the long parliament of Oliver Cromwell closed all London Playhouses and demolished the building.
Susanna and John give birth to their only daughter, Elizabeth. As well as this, Williams Mother, Mary, dies at approximately 70 years old.
This collection of 36 of shakespeares works was created by two of his friends 7 years after his death.
+info
1616
1613
1609
1623
1614
1611-12
1608
Shakespeares Sonnets are Published
The Globe theatre burns down
William Shakespeare dies in Stratford.
Shakespeare penned 154 sonnets, two long poems and some other shorter poems as well.
During a performance of Henry VIII the thatched roof of the theatre caught fire and burned the building to the ground. This was due to a cannon firing during a scene, which caused sparks.
Shakespeare died at age 52 on the 25th of april 1616 - which many scholars assume would have been his 52nd birthday.
+info
+info
William & Anne
When William and Anne married in late 1582, Anne was three months pregnant with their first child. This would have expedited marriage proceedings as to have a child outside of marriage was a scandal. William sped up marriage proceedings by applying to the Bishop’s Court in Worcester. Two Shottery farmers accompanied William to the court to act as guarantors of the sum of £40, which they would be required to pay if the marriage proved to be invalid. Following their wedding, Anne would have moved in with Shakespeare and his parents to live in the family home on Henley Street.
Anne Hathaway biography
Next
The Lost years
A popular story revolves around Shakespeare’s relationship with Sir Thomas Lucy, a local Stratford-upon-Avon landowner. By oral tradition, it was reported that Shakespeare poached deer from Sir Thomas Lucy’s estate, the nearby Charlecote Park. It was said that he fled to London in order to escape punishment. John Aubrey wrote in 1681 that William Shakespeare 'had been in his younger years a schoolmaster in the country' (which might well refer to Stratford, since Aubrey was writing from a London perspective).
Others speculate that he was employed as a lawyer's clerk or became a soldier. It is also possible that he joined one of the companies of players which visited Stratford in the late 1580s. He may also have been living in Stratford, and helping out with the family business. Gaps in the records of people’s lives are not unusual, so the notion of ‘lost years’ might even be construed as being symptomatic of too much biographical expectation and entitlement. Regardless of what happened during these years, we do know that he found himself an established playwright in London by 1592, as his plays began to be produced.
Shakespeare's Birthplace
The house now known as Shakespeare's Birthplace stands on Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK. Documentary evidence allows us to trace who owned the house and who lived there, from the time of William's parents John and Mary Shakespeare, onwards. John Shakespeare lived and worked in this house for fifty years. When he married Mary Arden she came to live with him and they had a total of eight children, including their son William Shakespeare. The house doubled as a glover's shop where John worked at the eastern end of the building, with a barn and workshops in the backyard. For more information, click the link below:
Shakespeares Birthplace
Susanna Hall
Scholars assume that Susanna was educated and literate, as she could at least write her name and is thought to have composed the memorial epitaph to her mother. William Shakespeare seems to have been on good terms with his son-in-law and as such he made John and Susanna the executors of his will and left them the bulk of his estate including “the Newe Place wherein I nowe dwell”. After her father’s death Susanna and her husband moved in to New Place. William Shakespeare probably also left Susanna his papers, and so it is assumed that she had some involvement with the compilation of the First Folio of Shakespeare's works.
Susanna Hall biography
Lord Chamberlains Men
The theatre company was named as such due to their patron, The Lord Chamberlain, which was an important role within the royal court and directly responsible for theatre licencing. Their early performances would have take place at 'The Theatre' in London, the first public playhouse in the city. The first performances of plays such as Henry VI and Love's Labour's Lost would have been performed by this group.
Shakespeare's Career
CONSTANCEGrief fills the room up of my absent child, Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me, Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words, Remembers me of all his gracious parts, Stuffs out his vacant garments with his form. Then, have I reason to be fond of grief? Fare you well: had you such a loss as I, I could give better comfort than you do. I will not keep this form upon my head, When there is such disorder in my wit. O Lord! my boy, my Arthur, my fair son! My life, my joy, my food, my all the world! (King John, Act III, Scene 4)
Hamnet's Death
Hamnet's death seemed to impact a lot of Shakspeares writing but it can most clearly be seen in the words of Constance in King John
Watch the above video for more information about The New Place.If you would like to visit The New Place in Stratford-Upon-Avon follow the link below.
Visit The New Place
The Globe Theatre
The theatre was 30 metres in diameter and had 20 sides, giving it its perceived circular shape. The structure was similar to that of their old theatre, as well as that of the neighbouring bear garden. The rectangular stage, at five feet high, projected halfway into the yard and the circular galleries. The pillars were painted to look like Italian marble, the sky painted midnight blue, and images of the gods overlooked the balcony. It could hold up to 3,000 people. By May 1599, the new theatre was ready to be opened. Burbage named it the Globe after the figure of Hercules carrying the globe on his back - for in like manner the actors carried the Globe's framework on their backs across the Thames. A flag of Hercules with the globe was raised above the theatre with the Latin motto 'totus mundus agit histrionem', or 'all the world's a playhouse'
Shakespeare's plays that were performed there early on included: Henry V, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, Hamlet, Measure for Measure, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra. Here the Lord Chamberlain's Men enjoyed much success and gained the patronage of King James I in 1603, subsequently becoming The King's Men.
The Globe Theatre
A video from Holy Trininty Church in Stratford-Upon-Avon, where Shakespeare is Buried.