-
Apr 23, 1564
Birth
William Shakespeare was born in a quaint English town called Stratford-Upon-Avon. William was the third child of eight, and the first son. William was born to John and Mary Arden Shakespeare, a well off family ready to start their life. (Erye 6) -
Dec 31, 1564
Invention of Non-lead Pencil
In 1564, the year of Shakespeare's birth, was also the birth of the "lead" pencil. Invented in Tokyo, this pencil actually contained no lead, but was made of graphite. Essentially this is the pencil we use in modern day times, and the pencil that would allow WIlliam Shakespeare to write his classics. (Sixteenth Century) -
Period: Jan 1, 1571 to Jan 1, 1578
Schooling
William Shakespeare went to school in Stratford-Upon-Avon for his elementary and later schooling. William's school was a state of the art learning facility back then with the best teachers and quality equipment and technique. Here, Shakespeare learned things like grammar, logic. rhetoric, composition, versifying, public speaking, and Latin which would all come into play when writing his now world- renowned dramas and literature. (Eyre 72) -
Marriage
William Shakespeare legally wed to a woman named Anne Hathaway on May 26, 1583 when he was 19 years old. WIlliam owed a lot of the funding for his projects in theatre and writing to his wife Anne seeing as she came from a wealthy family and supported her husband's works. While William wrote and worked in the theatre and made his own profit, a large part of how he did it is owed to his wife Anne's funding. (Erye 15) -
Period: to
The Lost Years
This event in Shakespeare's life is not really an event, but rather the lack there of. During these years, dubbed "The Lost Years" by historians, William Shakespeare himself seems to disappear off the map and history books completely. Absoultely know one knows what Shakespeare was doing in this time of his life, but he came out at the end of it making a living from the stage in his settlement in London. The Lost Years remain a mystery today. (Jaimieson) -
London Theatres Close Due to Black Death
The Bubonic Plague, or Black Death, was an awful disease spread to Europe by trade with Asia in the 1500's. This plague was highly fatal at the time and over 20 million died. As a result of this contagion, London theatres were closed in 1593 for a period of time to prevent any more deaths than what was already happening, This also meant viewing of Shakespeare's plays were not an option for this time period. (History Timelines) -
First Printed Play
In the year 1594, Shakespeare's first printed play was published. This play was "Titus Andronicus". "Titus Andronicus" is a tradgedy about violent revenge and bloodshed, an idea very popular for playwrights and audiences of Shakespeare's time. While William Shakespeare went on to write and published countless other plays and works of the like and was known for his mastery, "Titus" was his very first peice to be professionally released to the world. (Erye 121) -
Company of Actors Moves to Bankside
In 1596, London banned public presentation of plays within city limits. As a result of this, the London company of actors moved to the Swan Theatre in Bankside to continue performing plays. This ultimately resulted in the construction of the Globe Theatre, the home of most of Shakespeare's plays. (History Timelines) -
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tradgedy written by William Shakespeare about insperable lovers, the pain death puts them through, and what true love pushes you to do. Romeo and Juliet was published in the year 1597, and is a world-renowned peice of literary and theatrical art. Romeo and Juliet is considered one of, if not the most famous peice of William Shakespeare's work. (British Library) -
Globe Theatre Built
The Globe Theatre was built in 1599. Located just short of the Thames River on Bankside in Southwark, it boasted a 3,000 person audience capacity and impressive architecture. Shakespeare's plays were performed in this theatre, and it was made for Shakespeare's works specifically. It was round, with a huge stage in the very center so the audience was seated all around it as if they all had the best seat in the house. Shakespeare himself also had many econical ties to this theatre. (Eyre 21) -
Queen Elizabeth Dies
On March 24, 1603, Queen Elizabeth I died. Queen Elizabeth held reign during the "Golden Age", when arts, theatre, and writing took a huge leap forward. The Queen was a big fan of Shakespeare's work and had them performed to her many times. This acted like promotion for Shakespeare as she was such a dominant figure and increased his writing's and his own popularity. (Jaimieson) -
The Gunpowder Plot Fails
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was a plan made by Catholics to try to derail King James I and the rest of Protestant England. Believed to be a Catholic himself, William Shakespeare could have been upset about this plan failing. Especially since this plot is now believed to have been conjured up in Clopton, a suburb of Shakespeare's home city, Statford-Upon-Avon. (Jamieson) -
Daughter's Marriage
Born to WIlliam and his wife Anne, Shakespeare's most beloved daughter Susanna got married on June 5, 1607. She married a respectful man named John and they wed in the Holy Trinity Church of Stratford, much to her father William's delight as it was their home town. In William's will, he bequeathed the majority of his estate to Susanna and John, his clearly called "favorite" children. (Erye 123) -
Sonnets Published
shakespeare was very famous for his sonnets, a type of poem that were very orignal to WIlliam Shakespeare. Shakespeare's first sonnets were published throughout the year 1609. While Shakespeare knew they had been published, and they were his own works, he himself did not play a very active role in the actual publication. The sonnets may or may not have some editing flaws, like maybe in the wrong order or not how William wanted them portrayed, but they are still his own works. (Eyre 47) -
Invention of the Newpaper
The newspaper was invented in Germany in 1609. This daily writing would give the news just as it does today all around the world. This invention eventually spread to Europe, including in it talk about entertainment, theatre,and Shakespeare's plays specifically. -
Death
William Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616, ironically the same month and day as his birth. It is said he drank too much the night before and died of fever. On Shakespeare's tombstone, inscribed are the words "Good friend for Jesus sake forbare, To dig the dust enclosed here! Blest be the man that spares these stones, And curst be he that moves my bones". This epitaph, believed to be written by Shakespeare himself, wards off grave robbers. His body remains there to this day. (Genius)