William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford on about April 23rd 1564.  His father William was a successful local businessman and his mother Mary was the daughter of a landowner. Relatively prosperous, it is likely the family paid for Williams education, although there is no evidence he attended university. In 1582 William, aged only 18, married an older woman named Anne Hathaway. Soon after they had their first daughter, Susanna. They had another two children but William’s only son Hamnet died aged only 11.William Shakespeare wrote 154 Sonnets mostly in the 1590s. Fairly short poems, they deal with issues such as lost love. His sonnets have an enduring appeal due to his characteristic skill with language and words.The plays of Shakespeare have been studied more than any other writing in the English language and have been translated into numerous languages. He was rare as a play-write for excelling in tragedies, comedies and histories. He deftly combined popular entertainment with a rare poetic capacity for expression which is almost mantric in quality.During his lifetime, Shakespeare was not without controversy, but he also received lavish praise for his plays which were very popular and commercially successful. Shakespeare died in 1664; it is not clear how he died although his vicar suggested it was from heavy drinking. It is true to say that each line of Shakespeare has been poured over by scholars and students - no idea or concept has been left unturned. Shakespeare has left a profound and lasting impact on literature, cinema and theatre.