WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

In 1582, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a farmer. In 1583, their first child Susanna was born, then in 1585 twins, Hamnet and Judith were born. Hamnet died in 1596.

Shakespeare apparently arrived in London around 1588, and by 1592 had achieved success as an actor and playwright. He soon secured the patronage of Henry Wriothesley, the 3rd Earl of Southampton. Although generally popular in his time, these plays were frequently little esteemed by his educated contemporaries, who considered English plays of the day to be only vulgar entertainment.

Shakespeare's professional life in London was marked by a number of financially advantageous arrangements that permitted him to share in the profits of his acting company, the Chamberlain's Men, later called the King's Men, and its two theaters, the Globe Theatre and the Blackfriars. His plays were given special presentation at the courts of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I more frequently than those of any other contemporary dramatist. It is known that he risked losing royal favor only once, in 1599, when his company performed �the play of the deposing and killing of King Richard II� at the request of a group of conspirators against Elizabeth. In the subsequent inquiry, Shakespeare's company was absolved of complicity in the conspiracy.

After about 1608, Shakespeare's dramatic production lessened and it seems that he spent more time in Stratford, where he had established his family in an imposing house called New Place and had become a leading local citizen. He died in 1616, and was buried in the Stratford church.