William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564. He was baptized the next day in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. He is the eldest son of John Shakespeare and the third out of eight children. John is a merchant, and his wife Mary Arden is the daughter of a Roman Catholic member of the landed gentry. At age 11 William was educated at the local grammar school, and at age 15 he apprenticed to the butcher shop. During his youth William enjoyed hunting and hawking. In 1582 William was married to Anne Hathaway, who is the daughter of a local farmer. Months after the wedding, their first child Susanna was born. In 1585 twins arrived in the Shakespeare family, Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet died in 1596. In 1588 William moved to London to pursue the career of acting and becoming a playwright. There he became part of the Lord Chamberlain's Men. William died on April 23, 1616.
