International Youth Theater Network

Archive for December 12th, 2007

Despite the popularity achieved by his plays and the worldwide recognition for his prowess in writing, very little is known about the personal life of William Shakespeare. In fact, up to this very day, nobody really knows his actual date of birth. According to historians, William’s birth place was the house that his father owned in Stratford-upon-Avon and he was baptized on April 26, 1564. Historians further theorized that he must have been born some days before his baptismal date since at that time, it was required that a newborn child should be baptized on the nearest Sunday or holy day following his birth.William, who would go down in history as the greatest writer in the English language, was the third of eight siblings and was the eldest surviving son. His father, John, was a glover and tanner of leathers. John soon prospered and ventured into the business of dealing farm products and wool. He married Mary Arden, William’s mother, sometime in 1556 to 1558. William’s two elder sisters, Joan and Margaret, died shortly after their births due to the waves of plague that swept England during the sixteenth century. Luckily, William survived to reach adulthood and from then on, carved his place in history through his immortal plays.

Related posts from this site:
Art Imitates Life for Shakespeare
The Childhood of William Shakespeare
Macbeth