His life and his work

Surviving

documents of William Shakespeare show us a playwright, poet, and actor who grew up in the market town of Stratford-upon-Avon spent his professional life in London, and returned to Stratford a wealthy landowner

Shakespeare

 He

was born in April 1564, died in April 1616 and is buried inside the chancel of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford
married in 1582 at the age

Shakespeare

of 18
He married a woman named Anne Hathaway Together he and Anne had a daughter, Susanna,

and twins Judith and Hamnet

 Aside

from plays, Shakespeare also wrote many narrative poems

He wrote these poems at a time when the

theaters were closed because of the plague, a contagious epidemic disease that devastated the population of London

 As

far as we can tell, Shakespeares career spanned about twenty years

1599, Shakespeares company built a theater for themselves across the river from London, naming it the Globe
On June 29, 1613 the Globe Theatre went up in

In

flames during a performance of Henry VIII A new Globe Theatre was rebuilt the following year

 The

Globe Theatre was home to Shakespeares playing company Lord Chamberlains Men
Between 1585 and 1592, Shakespeare began his

career in London as an actor, writer, and part owner of Lord Chamberlains Men --- this company would later be known as The Kings Men

Shakespeare

appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613 at the age of 49

He died three years later

 Not

many records regarding Shakespeare and his life exist, so much of what we know about him and his work remains speculation surviving works, including some collaborations, consist of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems and several other poems

His

 In

1603, at about the middle of Shakespeares career as a playwright, a new monarch ascended the throne of England
He was James VI of Scotland, who then also

became James I of England

Immediately, Shakespeares

London was alive with an interest in things Scottish

 Shakespeares

company, which became the Kings Men under James patronage, now sometimes staged their plays for the new monarchs entertainment (just as they had for Queen Elizabeth before him)

 In

Scottish history of the eleventh century, Shakespeare found a spectacle of violence

He also came upon stories of witches and

wizards providing advice to traitors Such accounts could feed the new Scottish King Jamess belief in a connection between treason and witchcraft