Shakespeare Studies

Shakespeare Studies An interactive resource for studying Shakespeare’s life, plays, poetry, language, themes, critical approaches, and performance history. Expand sections, search topics, and follow links to further reading. All Life & Context Plays & Genres Poetry Themes & Language Criticism & Performance 📜 Life and Times 1564–1616 · Stratford & London ▼ Overview William Shakespeare was baptised on 26 April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon and died on 23 April 1616. He became the leading dramatist of the London stage, a shareholder in the Lord Chamberlain’s / King’s Men, and part-owner of the Globe and Blackfriars playhouses. Little personal documentation survives; biography is reconstructed from parish records, legal documents, theatrical records, and the works themselves. Key Biographical Points Early Life Son of John Shakespeare (glover, alderman) and Mary Arden. Likely educated at Stratford grammar school (Latin, rhetoric, classical authors). Married Anne Hathaway in 1582; three …