William Shakespeare Research Paper

The name William Shakespeare may be one of the best known names in history, and it's no wonder, he wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two narrative poems, and several other works in his career as a playwright.

Although he had a difficult childhood, which was plagued with death and illnesses of family members, Shakespeare rose above his somewhat well-to-do childhood to become the most well-known poet in history.

William Shakespeare was baptized April 26, 1564, and although it's impossible to know exactly what day he was born, it is widely agreed upon that he was born April 23 of that year. April 23 would be a very convenient day for Shakespeare's birth, as he died on the same day in 1616, and it is also St. George's Day.

He grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon,

Although no record exist of it, it is likely that William attended the King's New School in Stratford-upon-Avon.

He would have learned in Latin grammar because this school's curriculum was structured by the crown.

Shakespeare was lucky to have had the opportunity to study at this school, as many of his brothers and sisters did not attend school and were unable to read or write.

Unfortunately, he was forced to leave school at age 14 to help his father to manage his financial crises. On November 27, 1582, Shakespeare, age 18, married Anne Hathaway, age 26, and their daughter, Susanna, was born six months later.

It was apparent at the time that Anne Hathaway became pregnant prior to marriage which would have no doubt caused a scandal for both of the families. Almost two years later, in early 1584, twins, Judith and Hamnet were born to William and Anne Shakespeare.

Sadly, Hamnet died of unknown causes in 1596; he was only 11 years old. The time in Shakespeare's life from 1578 and 1582 is known as Shakespeare's "Lost Years." (www.william-shakespeare.info, The Lost

Shakespeare's Second Lost Years took place from 1582 to 1592, between his marriage to Anne Hathaway and a mention of his work in a London newspaper review.

There are many varied opinions of what it was that Shakespeare did in this time, but most historians agree that in this time, he did some form of research for the plays he wrote when he arrived in London. "In 1610, with his fortune made and his reputation as the leading English dramatist unchallenged," it appears that Shakespeare retired to spend more time with his wife, daughters, and granddaughter in Stratford-upon-Avon. Although he returned to London from time to time to pursue his interests, he was able to enjoy the majority of the last years of his life with his family.

William Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616. His cause of death is unknown. The funeral of William Shakespeare was on April 25, 1616, and he was laid to rest in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church.

Shakespeare left a generous amount of his money and estate to his family and friends in his Will. His wife, she would have had a right to one-third of Shakespeare's money and estate by