Born at Stratford Upon Avon, Shakespeare was the son of a glover and attended the local grammar school. Little is known of his early youth except that he married the older Anne Hathaway at age 18. He is thought to have then become a private tutor but, in his early or mid twenties, he went to London and began an acting career appearing first at The Theatre in north, but now close to the centre of, London, and, later, on the south bank of the Thames at a specially constructed open air theatre, The Globe, in which he was a shareholder.
He wrote numerous sonnets and poetry as well as 36 plays. He was widely acknowledged by his contemporaries as a gifted writer and has been recognized for centuries as the greatest writer the world has known.
His son, Hamnet, died in childhood. Both daughters remained in Stratford and married but their issue died out in the 17th century.
Shakespeare retired to Stratford as a well to do gentleman but died on his 52nd birthday, 23rd April, and is interred in Holy Trinity church. The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, now re-opened after lengthy refurbishment, was built in the 1930's and houses The Royal Shakespeare Company that presents mostly his works.
