William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England to parents John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. He received a classical education at grammar school but did not attend university. In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway and by the late 1580s had moved to London to begin his career in theater. During Shakespeare's life, Queen Elizabeth I ruled England and London was growing rapidly from a small town to a big city. Shakespeare wrote his plays for the Globe Theater, which had to be located outside the city limits due to Puritan beliefs, and his plays featured male actors portraying female roles. The Globe burned down in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII and Shakespeare died three years later in

1. Shakespeare’s England
March 24, 2014
D. Cifu

2. Early Life
William Shakespeare was born in 1564 to Mary
Arden and John Shakespeare.
John was a glover or leatherworker.
The oldest record of William Shakespeare, John
and Mary’s eldest son, was his baptism on April
24, 1564.
April 23 is typically the day believed to be
Shakespeare’s birthday.

3. Education
He attended grammar school and was educated
in classical literature.
He did not go on to attend a university, but the
classical education he received would be a good
education even by today’s standards.

4. Later…
He married a woman named Anne Hathaway in
1582.
We do not know much about Shakespeare
between 1585 and 1592 except that he went to
London in the late 1580s to begin his career in
theater.

5. Historical Context
During Shakespeare’s life, Queen Elizabeth I was the
ruler of England.
Elizabeth took the throne in 1558 and she ruled until
1603.
Elizabeth was a Protestant, which led to a fear of
Catholicism and of foreign invasion during this time
period.
Protestants are Christians who follows the doctrine of
the Church made after the Reformation.
London was growing dramatically in this time period;
it went from a small town to a big city.

6. The Theatre
Shakespeare's plays were performed in the
Globe Theater,
At this time, theaters had to be outside of the
London city limits because the city officials were
Puritans.
Puritans are known for being very strict
Protestant Christians.

7. The Globe
People paid anywhere between 1 and six pence
to watch a play at The Globe depending on
where they wanted to sit.
Those who paid 1 penny were admitted into the
pit and stood during the play; they were known
as groundlings.
One of the peculiar things about Shakespeare’s
plays is that the women were portrayed by young
men

8. Untimely Ends
The Globe burned down in 1613 during a
performance of Henry VIII.
Shakespeare died three years later on April 23.