William Shakespeare was the eldest son of John and Mary Shakespeare. John Shakespeare was a glove-maker, who married Mary Arden, the daughter of a farmer from the nearby village of Wilmcote.
What did Shakespeare parents do?
His father, Richard Shakespeare, was a tenant farmer who worked on various sections of land, one of which was owned by the wealthy Robert Arden of Wilmecote. John worked as a farmer with his father but in 1551 he moved to Stratford to set up business trading in wool, malt and corn.
Was Shakespeare’s family rich?
Shakespeare grew up in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire. His mother was the daughter of a local farmer and his father was a glove-maker. They were one of the richest families in town.
What famous person did Shakespeare possibly see when he was eleven?
Legend has it that an impressionable eleven year old William saw the Queen’s procession, and recreated it several times later in his historical and dramatic plays. 1582.
What jobs did Shakespeare’s father have?
Shakespeare’s father, John, came to Stratford from Snitterfield before 1532 as an apprentice glover and tanner of leathers. John Shakespeare prospered and began to deal in farm products and wool.
Was Shakespeare’s father fined?
His father was fined for making a dunghill outside his house. (A dunghill is the polite way of describing what we would flush down the toilet!)
What was Shakespeare’s first play?
What is Shakespeare’s earliest play? His earliest play is probably one of the three parts of King Henry VI (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3), written between 1589–1591.
What age did Shakespeare probably leave school at?
He probably left school at fourteen to undertake an apprenticeship of seven years until his coming of age.
Who was Shakespeare’s mother?
Mother’s Day provides a perfect opportunity to take a closer look at the woman who shaped Shakespeare’s life, his mother Mary Shakespeare née Arden. We know very little about Mary Arden’s marriage to John Shakespeare, which took place sometime between 1556 and 1558.
Where is Shakespeare buried?
William Shakespeare was in fact Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, and is buried in Westminster Abbey, not the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, according to a scholar who is the grandson of the novelist Evelyn Waugh.
Who inherited Shakespeare’s wealth?
He left the bulk of his estate to his elder daughter, Susannah Hall. He left £300 to his younger daughter, Judith. He gave his wife, Anne Hathaway, his second-best bed. Beds and other pieces of household furniture were often the sole bequest to a wife.
Why don’t we know Shakespeare’s birthday?
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, in April 1564. The exact date of his birth is not recorded, but it is most often celebrated around the world on 23 April. … This means that it’s unlikely that Shakespeare was born any earlier than the previous Sunday, 23 April.
How many Shakespeare plays did he write?
Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays and over 150 short and long poems, many of which are considered to be the finest ever written in English.
What profession did Shakespeare start on advice of Father?
He was the official town beer-taster. He traded wool, and it is believed that he did this trading illegally.
Who was Shakespeare’s patron?
Henry Wriothesley, 3rd earl of Southampton, in full Henry Wriothesley, 3rd earl of Southampton, Baron Wriothesley of Titchfield, (born October 6, 1573, Cowdray, Sussex, England—died November 10, 1624, Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands), English nobleman and William Shakespeare’s patron.
Who was Shakespeare’s wife?
Who was Shakespeare’s Wife? William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in November 1582 and they remained married until Shakespeare’s death. At the time of their marriage William was 18, while Anne was 26—and pregnant with their first child.
What was Shakespeare’s nickname?
William Shakespeare, Shakespeare also spelled Shakspere, byname Bard of Avon or Swan of Avon, (baptized April 26, 1564, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England—died April 23, 1616, Stratford-upon-Avon), English poet, dramatist, and actor often called the English national poet and considered by many to be the …
What was Shakespeare’s longest play?
The longest play is Hamlet, which is the only Shakespeare play with more than thirty thousand words, and the shortest is The Comedy of Errors, which is the only play with fewer than fifteen thousand words. Shakespeare’s 37 plays have an average word count of 22.6 thousand words per play.
What are the Shakespeare Top 10 facts?
Facts About Shakespeare’s Life
- Shakespeare’s father made gloves for a living. …
- Shakespeare was born 23rd April 1564. …
- Shakespeare had seven siblings. …
- Shakespeare married an older, pregnant lady at 18. …
- Shakespeare had three children. …
- Shakespeare moved to London as a young man. …
- Shakespeare was an actor, as well as a writer.