illiam Shakespeare was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon on April 23, 1564. He had three brothers and two sisters. His father, John Shakespeare, had several occupations: he made leather gloves; he was an alemaster (he tasted beer that was most likely spoiled), and he was the bailiff of Stratford, even though he was illiterate. His mother, Mary Arden, was the daughter of rich farmers.

Will's education was composed of learning latin, reading, math figures, history, and handwriting. Since books were too expensive to give to each student, they had to learn by recitation.

He dropped out at the age of 12 to help support his family. He became a butchers apprentice and hung around with "sippers", who were basically drunkards.

At the age of 17, William married Ann Hathaway. In 1583, they baptized their first daughter, Susanna. In 1585 he had a set of twins named Hamnet & Judith, after their godparents. Two years later, Shakespeare left Stratford and "abandoned" his family. These years are known as the "lost years".

Will became an actor, which was not a highly respected job. Since actors were drifters, people found discomfort in the idea that they couldn't keep track of the actors.

In 1592, Shakespeare was a playwright in London, then considered the cultural center of the world. He built his own theater called the Globe Theater, probably with money given to him by the Earl of Southhampton. It may have been able to hold as many as 3,000 spectators, making it one of the largest theaters in London at the time. The Globe was an outdoor theater, but the plays went on, rain or shine. Many people, including Queen Elizabeth I, came to watch Shakespeare's playes in the theater. Men would also pay more money to sit on the stage and take notes. Sadly, when Shakespeare tried to fire a cannon for a special effect, the whole theater caught fire and burned to the ground. After the fire, Shakespeare wrote his last comedy, The Tempest, which was about a man losing his power, which may have been how Will was feeling at the time.

WIlliam Shakespeare died on his birthday in 1616, at the age of 52. He was buried in the Stratford parish church. On his gravestone, there is an eerie warning:

Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare,
To digg the dust encloased heare:
Bles'e be the man tht spares thes stones,
And curst be he tht moves my bones.