The actual date of William Shakespeare's birthday is uncertain but speculation has brought many to believe it was April 23, 1564. His father was John Shakespeare and his mother was Mary Arden. They were married in 1557. His father was a town official in Stratford, a businessman, and a glover. His mother was the daughter of a landowning farmer. William was the third child of John and Mary. It is not known for sure but believeed that he attended The Kings New School in Stratford. On November 28, 1582 William, eighteen, married Anne Hathaway, twenty-six, and six months later they had a daughter, Susanna. Two years later they had twins, Judith and Hamnet. The next seven years of the Bard's life are known as his lost years, because there was hardly any historical traces of his life. By 1592, his work was showing up on the London stage, and his fame began growing. For about the next twenty-five years he was acting and writing plays in London. He made several property purchases and investments during his time. In 1597, William bought the second largest house in Stratford, New Palace. The last five years of his life he enjoyed retirement in Stratford and the wealth acquired from his work. Shakespeare passed away on April 23, 1616 at the age of 52. He was buried in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church.
It's interesting that Shakespeare was so smart with his money. From the research I did on him, he co-owned quite a few theaters. I just assumed that he was impoverished like most other actors/writers of his time. However, I guess he was almost like the Renissance version of a Hollywood icon.
ReplyDelete