Author of the Week: William Shakespeare

Author+of+the+Week%3A+William+Shakespeare

Haeley Gibbs

Being the most famous writer of all time, William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564. We celebrate his birthday as St. George’s Day.

Background

Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon. He became the oldest of eight when his two sisters died during infancy. His father’s job got him and his siblings into the local grammar school.

During his eighteen years of childhood, he lived on Henley Street with his family. Susanna was their first daughter, and they later had twin boys named Hamnet and Judith. Unfortunately, Hamnet died when he was eleven.

When Shakespeare was in London, he published two, long poems. When he founded “The Lord Chamberlain’s Men” and became the regular dramatist, he produced at least two plays a year, for twenty years.

Fun Facts

  • As soon as William turned eighteen, he married 26-year-old woman named Anne Hathaway. She was already pregnant when they were married.
  • Not much is known about Shakespeare from 1585 to 1592, so it is known as “The Lost Years”.
  • William wrote 38 plays, 2 narrative poems, 154 sonnets, and many other forms of poems.