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William Shakespeare is born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. He is baptized on April 26, 1564. -
Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway, who was 26, while Shakespeare was 18.
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Shakespeare’s first child, Susanna, is baptized.
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Shakespeare’s twins, Hamnet and Judith, are baptized.
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Robert Greene, a playwright, references Shakespeare in his pamphlet “Groats-Worth of Wit”, indicating that Shakespeare had become a notable figure in London’s theatrical scene.
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Shakespeare's narrative poem "Venus and Adonis" is published. This is one of his first published works during the closure of theatres due to the plague. -
Shakespeare becomes a member of The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, a leading theatre company, which later becomes The King’s Men after the accession of King James I in 1603. -
Shakespeare writes many of his most famous works during this period:
1595: Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream
1599: Julius Caesar, As You Like It
1600–1601: Hamlet -
The Lord Chamberlain’s Men build the Globe Theatre in London, where many of Shakespeare's plays will be performed. -
Shakespeare writes some of his greatest tragedies:
1604: Othello
1605: King Lear
1606: Macbeth
1607: Antony and Cleopatra -
Shakespeare’s Sonnets are published, including famous ones like Sonnet 18 ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"). -
Shakespeare writes his final plays, often referred to as "romances" or "tragicomedies":
1610–1611: The Tempest -
Shakespeare retires to Stratford-upon-Avon. The Globe Theatre is destroyed by fire during a performance of Henry VIII, one of Shakespeare's last plays. -
William Shakespeare dies at the age of 52. He is buried in the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon.
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Seven years after his death, Shakespeare’s colleagues publish the First Folio, a collection of 36 of his plays, preserving many works that might otherwise have been lost.