William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 to a merchant family. He married Anne Hathaway in 1582 and had three children, though one died in childhood. Shakespeare left Stratford for London in the 1580s where he joined a theatre company and began writing plays and acting. He found great success, becoming a wealthy man and part-owner of The Globe theatre. Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and some long poems before retiring to Stratford in 1610, where he died in 1616.

1. William Shakespeare – some
biographical notes

2. The early years
 Born in April 1564
in Stratford on Avon
 His father - a fairly
rich merchant

3. Stratford on Avon

4. Shakespeare‘s schooling

5. Wife and Children
 Marriage to Anne
Hathaway in 1582
 Anne was 26, he
was 18
 3 children
 The youngest,
Hamnet died at the
age of 11

6. London
 went to London at
21
 joined a travelling
company of actors
 worked both as an
actor and a writer

7. London Life in
the 16th century
 Poor sewer system
 High crime rate
 But …
 200,000 inhabitants
 the cultural and
political heart of
England

8. The Globe Theatre
 opened in 1599
 His successes had
made Shakespeare
a rich man
 He became one of
the principal investors

9. Ups and downs
 Failures and
successes
 The affair with the
"Dark Lady"

10. The end of his life
Return to Stratford
in 1610
Destruction of the
Globe Theatre in
1613 (the Great Fire
of London)
In 1616 Shakespeare
died on April, 23 (his
birthday!)

11. Looking back
 Shakespeare wrote 37
plays …
 … and 154 sonnets…
 … and an unknown
number of long epic
poems
"All‘s well that ends well"