Romantic Inspiration

The works of William Shakespeare have wowed readers all over the world for years. Here’s a look at the timeline of William Shakespeare, which makes a mention of some important events in his life.

“To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil.”

William Shakespeare –Hamlet

A very talented English poet and playwright, William Shakespeare is known the world over as the greatest writers in the English language. With several plays, poems and sonnets to his credit, he has been highly regarded as the finest writers by lovers of this classic literature all across the globe. His works- Hamlet and Macbeth are considered to be the finest written by him. Here, we shall take a look at the timeline of William Shakespeare, which records some main events from his personal and professional life. So, take a journey through this timeline of William Shakespeare, which gives you a glimpse about his life.

Timeline of William Shakespeare:
1564: William Shakespeare was baptized on the 26th of April, 1564. Born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, he was the third of the eight children born to this couple. His real date of birth is unknown and is observed on 23rd of April.

1571: This was the year which is rumored to be the period when William Shakespeare began his formal education. Many biographers have recorded Shakespeare being educated at the King’s New School in Stratford.

1582: At the age of just 18 years, William Shakespeare fell in love with Anne Hathaway, who was 26 years old, miles older than Shakespeare. They married on 27th November at a small village named Temple Grafton, a few miles away from Stratford.

1583: Anne Hathaway gave birth to Susanna; Sussana was baptized on 26th May 1583.

1585: William Shakespeare had a pair of twins, Hamnet and Judith and they were baptized on 11th August. This period (1585-1592) is the time that is speculated to be Shakespeare’s Lost Years. Many scholars have been unable to trace accurate events that happened during this period.

1590: Scholars have referred to this year as the one where he began to write Henry VI-Part II and Part III.

1592: His first brush with London theatre happened in this year. He was even mentioned in print by playwright Robert Greene who criticized Shakespeare’s works.

1593: This was the time when William Shakespeare published two poems titled Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece; both were based on erotic themes.

1594: The period from 1589-1594 was considered to be the time when Willian Shakespeare wrote his famous work, The Comedy of Errors. This was also the time when he penned down Love’s Labour’s Lost.

1595: Speculations about the Merry Wives of Windsor mention that this was probably written in 1595, which was ultimately published in 1602.

1596 – 1597: This was the time when William Shakespeare began writing the Merchant of Venice. He also penned down Henry IV-Part I.

1598: It is believed William Shakespeare wrote Henry IV- Part II, this year. His name was also listed as an actor in a play titled Every Man in His Humor.

1599: It is believed Shakespeare began his work on Hamlet this year. This was considered to one of his greatest plays of all times! A Midsummer Night’s Dream was written during the 1590s.

1600- From this year, scholars believed he mainly wrote about tragedies hence the period 1600-1608 is marked as his Tragic Period.

1601: He began writing The Phoenix and The Turtle. He also wrote Twelfth Night around this time. It is also rumored this was also the time when he wrote All’s Well That Ends Well which he completed in 1608.

1602: Scholars believe William Shakespeare wrote Troilus and Cressida around this time.

1604: It is rumored, his play, Measure for Measure was written around 1604.

1605: This year marked two performances of The Merchant of Venice. This performance was held at King James court.

1606: It’s believed he composed Anthony and Cleopatra around this year.

1610: This year, Othello was performed at the Oxford college.

1610 – 1611: It is believed William Shakespeare wrote The Winter’s Tale. He also penned a play called The Tempest.

1612: William Shakespeare was called as a witness in a court case. This was in connection with a marriage settlement of Mountjoy’s daughter.

1614: The Globe Theatre, the first playhouse built by actors (for actors) was reopened this year. He also spent time in London with his son-in-law named John Hall.

1616: William Shakespeare died on 23 April in the year 1616. A large amount of his estate was left to his eldest daughter, Susanna. William Shakespeare was buried in the chancel of the Holy Trinity Church. This was done two days after his death.

Thanks for Reading.