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Period: Apr 26, 1564 to 1564
William Shakespeare christened
There is no record of Shakespeare’s birth, but his christening is recorded. It was usual for christenings to take place on the third day after birth.
He was born during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. -
Period: 1571 to 1571
Shakespeare's education
He began his education at the age of six or seven.
As his father was now a bailiff, young William probably attended the local grammar school. Its curriculum emphasised Greek classics and pupils also learned plays in Latin. -
Period: to
Marriage and the lost years
Details of Shakespeare’s schooling are unknown. It is likely that he began his education at the age of six or seven. As his father was now a bailiff, young William probably attended the local grammar school. Its curriculum emphasised Greek classics and pupils also learned plays in Latin. Religious education was also important. -
Period: to
Shakespeare's first review
The next known record of Shakespeare appears after he was already a playwright in London. It's a review – and not a positive one. Playwright Robert Greene called Shakespeare an "upstart crow”, accusing him of reaching above his rank compared with university-educated writers such as Christopher Marlowe and Greene himself. Drama in Elizabethan theatre shifted from the religious to the secular and companies of players formed to entertain the public under the patronage of noblemen. -
Period: to
Shakespeare becomes a gentleman
William is thought to have revived his father’s lapsed application for a family coat of arms in 1596. Scholars suggest the application showed he was now a successful businessman as much as a talented playwright. In 1602 he had to defend his title against accusations that “Shakespeare ye player” did not merit the honour of a coat of arms. -
Period: to
Shakespeare is credited on his own work
In 1598, Love's Labour's Lost was Shakespeare's first work published with his name on the title page, suggesting it was now a selling point. That year the author Francis Meres singled him out from a group of English writers as "the most excellent" in both comedy and tragedy. His work attracted royal attention; he acted in several performances before Queen Elizabeth I. -
Period: to
Building the Globe
Shakespeare’s plays made him both famous and wealthy. By now he was a shareholder in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. The group built their own theatre called the Globe, and Shakespeare owned a 12.5% stake. This made him even wealthier. He invested in property in Stratford and London, and records of his purchases survive. In 1597 he bought the second biggest house in Stratford for his family, as well as 107 acres of farmland and a cottage. -
Period: to
Royal patronage
After Elizabeth I died, Shakespeare’s company was awarded a royal patent by King James I (VI of Scotland), and became the King’s Men. King Lear, probably composed in this year, took divided kingdoms as its theme mirroring James I's new domain of England, Scotland and Wales. Meanwhile Macbeth, also written early in James's reign, gives a kind portrayal of James’s ancestor Banquo and was probably intended to honour the new king’s Scottish ancestry. -
Period: to
Shakespeare's sonnets published
The sonnets include a dedication to one "Mr. W.H.". The identity of this person remains a mystery and has provoked a great deal of speculation. Sonnets were a traditional and popular form during the Elizabethan period. Several of them, including Sonnet 18 (Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?), and Sonnet 116 (Let me not to the marriage of true minds) have become some of the most familiar poems in all of English literature.