-
Six months after their marriage, Shakespeare's first child, Susanna, is born and baptized.
-
William dies on April 23rd, his burial being recorded in the Stratford Holy Church Register two days later. 1616
-
Shakespeare was born in April 1564, the date is not known. He was born in Stratford Upon Avon
-
WIlliam Shakespeare is christened at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. Shakespeare enters King's New School, an excellent grammar school in Stratford attended by the sons of civil servants like his father. 1571
-
William Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway. William is 18 years old and Anne is 26 years old. 1582
-
Shakespeare is believed to have left his family in Stratford to join a company of actors as both playwright and performer, starting his career in theatre. 1585-1592
-
Anne Hathaway gives birth to twins, son Hamnet and daughter Judith. The babies are named after Shakespeare's close friends, Hamnet and Judith Sadler. 1585
-
Shakespeare writes Henry VI, Part One—his very first play. 1590
-
Shakespeare begins to be noticed as a force within London theatre; Robert Greene’s Groatworth of Wit famously calls Shakespeare an "upstart crow". He attacks Shakespeare as lacking originality since he borrows ideas from other for his own plays. Academics see this criticism as proof that Shakespeare was in London at this time. 1592
-
Shakespeare is thought to have written the poem Venus and Adonis and the plays Richard III and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. 1592-1593
-
A busy year for Shakespeare as he is thought to have composed Richard II performed that very same year, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, thought to be composed for a wedding and the greatest love story of all time, Romeo and Juliet. 1595
-
Shakespeare buys the New Place, one of Stratford’s most preeminent homes. 1597
-
William writes the play Much Ado About Nothing in this year. 1598
-
The narrative poem, The Phoenix and the Turtle is thought to have been written. 1601
-
A Midsummer’s Night is performed at Hampton Court before Queen Elizabeth who dies later that year. 1603
-
is believed to have been written in this year. 1604
-
The Merchant of Venice is performed twice at King James’ Court earning a commendation from the King. 1605
-
Hamlet and Richard III are performed aboard the British ship Dragon off the west coast of Africa at Sierra Leone. 1607