William Shakespeare's Childhood

Very little is known about Williams Shakespeare's childhood.

 

WIlliam Shakespeare was third of eight children. He was born on the 23rd of April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon and baptised on the 26th of April 1564. He died on the 23rd of April 1616. 

 

William's father, John Shakespeare, was a prominent local citizen who served as an alderman and bailiff (important roles in local government). His mother was Mary Arden Shakespeare, after whom Shakespeare named the Forest of Arden in the play As You Like It. 

 

William Shakespeare started his education at the Stratford grammar school, around the age of 6 or seven. A few years later William chose grammar, literature and Latin at Kings high school.

 

Queen Elizabeth I and her successor, King James I, were both big fans and patrons of literature. Under their rule, writers like Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, Edmund Spenser, and John Milton were able to thrive.