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Apr 23, 1564
Birth
On April 23rd, Mary Shakespeare gave birth to her eighth child William Shakespeare. His birth took place at their house in Stafford-upon-Avon, England. Three days later on April 26th, Shakespeare was baptized at the Holy Trinity Church, and no one could predict the success to come (Biography.com editors). -
1566
Jiajing's withdrawl in China
Jiajing was the Emperor of China that was withdrawn from government over long periods of time. Causes of his withdrawal in 1566 include causing extensive damage to China's coast and the woku. The woku were Japanese pirates who invaded China and Korea. Many Chinese people joined during his reign. Jiajing died the next year in 1567 by an accidental poisoning when trying to find everlasting life (Smitha). -
1571
Royal Exchange
The Royal Exchange was created by Thomas Gresham, and approved by Queen Elizabeth of England in 1571. The Royal Exchange was a building located in the middle of Cornhill and Threadneedle street in the heart of the city. It acted as a commercial market and was the center of commerce for London (Rodriguez). -
1572
Dutch war of Independence began
The largely protestant seven provinces in the Dutch Netherlands led a revolt against their government. King Philip II of Spain from the Hapsburg family was the Roman Catholic ruler in the Netherlands. This revolt branched from mainly two things. The first was due to taxes placed on the wealthy provinces in order to pay for wars. Secondly, from the repress of the growing number of Protestants caused this outbreak. The Dutch wanted their independence from Spain, so they took action (Grun 253). -
1582
Marriage and Children
At the age of 26, on November 28, 1582, William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. She was not only 18, but pregnant. Anne gave birth to their first daughter Susana six months after their wedding on May 26, 1583. Later, on February 2, 1585, boy-and-girl twins were born into the Shakespeare family. Hamnet who later died in 1596 was the boy twin, and Judith was the girl twin (Biography.com editors). -
Period: to
"Lost Years"
For the next seven years after Anne gave birth to their twins no record of Shakespeare exists. Rumors have led people to believe he went into hiding for poaching his landlord's game. Other evidence points to Shakespeare working as an assistant schoolmaster in Lancashire. But most believe he worked as a horse attendant at some of London's finer theaters (Biography.com editors). -
Galileo Develops Thermometer
Galileo was an Italian physicist and astronomer who was born in Pisa Italy on February 15, 1564. Galileo discovered that densities of different liquids causes changes in temperature. Thus, creating the first thermometer in 1593 (Smitha). -
Period: to
Poems Published
William Shakespeare wrote a number of poems. But some of his more memorable pieces were published earlier in his career. Henry Wriothesley took a particular interest in his poems. Wriothesley published "Venus and Adonis" in 1593, and "The Rape of Lucrece" in 1584. Being the first of Shakespeare's poems to be published it was a big step forward in his writing career (Biography.com editors). -
The Globe
The Globe was the rebuilt version of The Theater in London. Many of Shakespeare's plays were showed here and he had a large role in the company. Because of this he was able to be personally involved in the design and construction of the new playhouse. Constructed into a spherical shape, the stage jutted out into the yards. Most of the audience stood or sat on the three sides of the actors. The design made it possible to see the stage from most, if not all seats (Wright 76). -
Hamlet
In 1599, William Shakespeare published one of his most famous tragedies Hamlet. The play is about Prince Hamlet who returns to his home in Denmark to attend his father's funeral. His father, the King later comes to him as a ghost and tells Hamlet that he was poisoned and murdered. Along with his mother, Queen Gertrude marrying his uncle, Hamlet is in great despair. The ghostly father urges Prince Hamlet to seek revenge for his death. Hamlet then goes in search for the murderer (Andrews 506). -
Romeo and Juliet
As one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies, Romeo and Juliet is considered the consummate love story. The story is about a boy and girl born into families who are rivals. The young adults fall in love and have to hide it from their families. The story ends with Juliet being told that Romeo had been killed in battle even though he had won. Juliet cannot deal with the heartache and kills herself. Romeo discovers that Juliet dead, then kills himself so they can be together forever (Bevington). -
The Shift
After being part of the Essex's Rebellion in 1601, Henry Wriothesley the 3rd, Earl of Southampton was sentenced to death by the Queen of England. Wriothesley was a close companion of Shakespeare who is believed to often contribute to Shakespeare's literature. After his death there was a shift in William Shakespeare's works. Many plays mentioned the removal of queens and other leaders. The Queen often enjoyed his plays but became worried after attending those written during his shift (Rodriguez). -
Death of Queen Elizabeth I
Queen Elizabeth I of England never married or bared children, thus giving her the name of the Virgin Queen. But this didn't stop her being loved by her people who called her Good Queen Bess or Gloriana, for being one of the most successful rulers of all time. She did a lot for her country and the citizens deeply mourned for her death. Her death brought an uprising dynasty to the throne, the Stuarts. (Sharnette). -
Macbeth
Even as the shortest tragedy written by Shakespeare's, Macbeth was one of his most famous works. The play was first written in 1606. The story tells about a general of the King Duncan of Scotland named Macbeth. Lady Macbeth, Macbeth's wife wants him to have more power. They then proceed to kill the King and Macbeth becomes the new King of Scotland. The guilty murderers later learn in the story that being over ambitious and confident led to their downfall (Bevington). -
New Colonies in America
In attempts to find gold, England sent people to the new world, which today is known as America. The passengers successfully colonized Jamestown in Virginia. They didn't find any gold but the found another source of money. Tobacco, which was easily grown due to their wet lands and warm climate. It became a cash crop and started America's road to colonization (Rodriguez). -
Death
Shakespeare's death was one for history for more than his fame in the world of arts. William Shakespeare died on his 52nd birthday. Naturally, Susana, being the oldest child received most of his possessions. But strangely, only about one third of Shakespeare's estate went to his wife Anne. This sparked rumors that the married couple was having problems (Biography.com editors).
