William Shakespeare (c. 1564 – 1616) was an English poet and playwright, now regarded as one of the greatest writers in the history of the English language. The son of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, William was born and raised in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon in central England. He is presumed to have attended a local school, where he would have learned literature and Latin, which would have exposed him to the classic literature that would be so obviously influential on his plays.
At age 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, and the couple soon had three children. The period of 1585 to 1592 are regarded as Shakespeare’s “lost years,” as little record of his life during this time survives. By 1594, he had reappeared as an important figure in the London theatre scene, leading a playing company known as Lord Chamberlain’s Men. Upon his reemergence he was a popular actor and already composing many of his popular early plays. Plays dating from the early 1590s include Richard III, Titus Andronicus, Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
He continued acting and writing prolifically through the first decade of the 1600s, with his final non-collaboratively written play, The Tempest, appearing in 1611. His famous book of 154 sonnets was published in 1609, although the poems probably date from throughout his writing career. By the time of his death in 1616, he had earned considerable wealth from his writing and acting career, and he was able to leave his family a handsome estate.
William Shakespeare poems: