Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 to John Shakespeare and
Mary Arden. Though his parents were probably illiterate, Shakespeare is thought to
have attended Stratford's grammar school, finishing his education at age 14. When
he was 18, he married a 26-year-old local girl, Anne Hathaway, who was three
months pregnant at the time with their daughter Susanna.
The next few years are a blank—following his marriage, Shakespeare disap-
peared from any historical record, not turning up again until seven years later. By
this point, he was a budding poet and playwright in London. He soon hit the big
time, writing and performing for royalty, founding (along with his troupe) the Globe
Theatre (a replica of which now sits along the Thames' South Bank—see
here
), and
raking in enough dough to buy New Place, a swanky mansion back in his homet-
own. Around 1611, the rich-and-famous playwright retired from the theater, mov-
ing back to Stratford, where he died at the age of 52.
