William Shakespeare was born into a materially comfortable Stratford family. Baptised on 26 April 1564, he was the eldest surviving child of John Shakespeare, a prosperous glover who served as Stratford’s bailiff, and Mary Arden, whose family belonged to the local gentry. John’s fortunes later declined after prosecutions over wool dealing and usury, and he lost inherited land.
Shakespeare probably attended the free grammar school near his home. There he would have spent long days studying Latin grammar, classical authors, rhetoric, history, moral philosophy, and Latin drama. His works’ frequent imagery of animals, plants, and rural life also suggests a childhood closely connected to the countryside.
In 1582, at age 18, Shakespeare received a special licence to marry 26-year-old Anne Hathaway. Their daughter Susanna was baptised six months later; twins Hamnet and Judith followed in 1585. Hamnet died in 1596. After the twins’ baptism, Shakespeare vanishes from records for several years. These “lost years” inspired stories that he poached deer, worked as a schoolmaster, trained for law, or joined an acting company, but none is certain.
By 1592 he was a recognised London actor and playwright. He became a shareholder in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, which later became the King’s Men under James I. His income supported substantial purchases in Stratford, including New Place, farmland, tithes, and grain-related investments. He also bought a London apartment near the Blackfriars Theatre.
Shakespeare remained involved in lawsuits, family disputes, and business affairs. He died in Stratford on 23 April 1616, aged 52, and was buried in Holy Trinity Church. His biography survives as a small collection of firm facts surrounded by centuries of conjecture.