To be or not to be, that is the question. This is a well-known quote that is said among all over all of the world. What do you think of or who do you think of when you hear this famous quote? Well when I hear this quote, I think of Shakespeare.
For someone who lived about 400 years ago, a surprising amount is known about Shakespeare's life.
Although Shakespeare's birth date is unknown, he was baptised on April 26, 1564 at the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford.
He was the third of eight children, and the oldest brother.
In November 27, 1582, Shakespeare was allowed to get married, and at his time he was 18, to Anne Hathaway, who was 26. They had three kids, two of them being twins named Hamnet (boy) and Judith (girl), and the other being a daughter named Susanna. Hamnet died at the age of 11.
Shakespeare's share in the acting company made him wealthy. With the opening if the splendid Globe Theatre in 1599, Shakespeare's fortunes increased.
Shakespeare wrote nearly all of his plays from 1590 to 1611.
These plays were divided into seven categories. These were called the early plays, the histories, the roman plays, the "great" or "middle" comedies, the great tragedies, the "dark" comedies, and the late plays.
During a performance of Shakespeare's Henry VIII at London's Globe Theatre in 1613, a cannon set the roof on fire and the theatre was destroyed by the fire. Although the Globe was quickly rebuilt, Shakespeare's association with, and probably with the company, had ended. Around the time of the fire Shakespeare retired to Stratford, where he had established his family and become a prominent citizen.
Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616 and he was buried in the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. The cause of his death is unknown.
Shakespeare left the bulk of his estate to his daughter Susanna and the sum of 300 pounds to his daughter Judith. The only specific provision for his wife was their second-best bed with the furniture.