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a treasonable offence at the time.

The evidence is faurly strong and has at least some foundation as John, his father had Papist sympathies, and there are now a great many scholars involved in restudying the plays with Catholicism in mind. Nevertheless, he did indeed strike out on his own and evidently successfully for by 1592 he was of sufficient stature in the London theatre to be attacked byRobert Greene, a jealous playwright.

By now of course Shakespeare was well regarded as both an actor and a dramatist. In spite of his great success as a dramatist, Shakespeare continued to act throughout his career and there are references to him as one of the "new players" as late as 1608. From 1594 he worked for a performance company known as the Chamberlain's Men who became the resident company at The Globe Theatre after 1599.

It was now that Shakespeare became the only dramatist of his time known to have held shares in a theatre as a business concern, owning a ten percent share in the The Globe. He had inherited his father's head for business. Managing to amass a not inconsiderable fortune. His thoughts were never far from home and in 1597, he bought for his family one of the largest houses in Stratford , New Place. He also invested heavily in property in and around Stratford, gaining in the process the nickname of "the money man of Stratford".

In the ensuing years, his life becoming dominated by his work in the theatre, Shakespeare began to gain a reputation as a poet, with the publication of Venus and Adonis in 1593 and following this with the opening pieces of his celebrated collection of Sonnets. 1954 saw the publication of The Rape of Lucrece. This new branch of literature for him was concentrated on in the years when closure of the playhouses in London became necesary for months at a time because of the outbreak of plague.

In 1596, his 11 year old son Hamnet, the twin of Judith, died. This surely had a very profound effect on him as his subsequent work was tinged with an increasing sense of sorrow and anguish.

In around the year 1611, some four years following the marriage of his first daughter, Susanna, to Dr John Hall, and two years after the full publication of the Sonnets, William Shakespeare retired to Stratford. In 1616 his remaining daughter Judith married Thomas Quincy. This seems to be what he was waiting for, for later in that same year, William Shakespeare died.

He was buried in the churchyard in Stratford upon Avon on 25th April 1616. He had carefully drawn up his will barely a month before his death with his principle bequests of property going to his children. But he remembered his roots and there were small gifts for actors and friends.

	The Life of William Shakespeare: a brief overview Very little is known for sure about the Life of William Shakespeare. This is not altogether surprising for only state dignitaries and those of high standing in the church were considered worthy of having their lives recorded for posterity in Elizabethan England. It is true that Shakespeare's parents were well regarded but they were not of sufficient standing to warrant the attention of a biographer; and although their son is without doubt the most important literary figure in the history of the English language, it must be remembered that medieval actors were not seen in the same light as their modern counterparts.
	William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon and baptised there on 26th April 1564. His father was John Shakespeare, an agricultural merchant and glove-maker. He achieved high social rank, being elected Chamberlain of Stratford three years previously and becoming High Bailiff (the equivalent of a mayor today) in 1568. His mother, Mary Arden, was a member of a respectable family of landowners. His
	childhood is the subject of much theory and conjecture though the notion that he attended grammar school has some merit. He was obviously well read and highly educated. We do know that in November 1582 and at the age of eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, a woman eight years older than he. The following year, the couple's first child a girl, was born. They named her Susanna. Two years later, in 1585, they had
	twins they named Hamnet and Judith. William was the son of a prosperous Stratford merchant, and as such it would be reasonable to expect himto live a life of ease and contentment with his young family. There is not yet any reasonable explanation as to why he left the family security, though there is now a school of thought that he went into hiding at Hogworth Hall in the North because of papist leanings, Catholicism being
a treasonable offence at the time. The evidence is faurly strong and has at least some foundation as John, his father had Papist sympathies, and there are now a great many scholars involved in restudying the plays with Catholicism in mind. Nevertheless, he did indeed strike out on his own and evidently successfully for by 1592 he was of sufficient stature in the London theatre to be attacked byRobert Greene, a jealous playwright. By now of course Shakespeare was well regarded as both an actor and a dramatist. In spite of his great success as a dramatist, Shakespeare continued to act throughout his career and there are references to him as one of the "new players" as late as 1608. From 1594 he worked for a performance company known as the Chamberlain's Men who became the resident company at The Globe Theatre after 1599. It was now that Shakespeare became the only dramatist of his time known to have held shares in a theatre as a business concern, owning a ten percent share in the The Globe. He had inherited his father's head for business. Managing to amass a not inconsiderable fortune. His thoughts were never far from home and in 1597, he bought for his family one of the largest houses in Stratford , New Place. He also invested heavily in property in and around Stratford, gaining in the process the nickname of "the money man of Stratford". In the ensuing years, his life becoming dominated by his work in the theatre, Shakespeare began to gain a reputation as a poet, with the publication of Venus and Adonis in 1593 and following this with the opening pieces of his celebrated collection of Sonnets. 1954 saw the publication of The Rape of Lucrece. This new branch of literature for him was concentrated on in the years when closure of the playhouses in London became necesary for months at a time because of the outbreak of plague. In 1596, his 11 year old son Hamnet, the twin of Judith, died. This surely had a very profound effect on him as his subsequent work was tinged with an increasing sense of sorrow and anguish. In around the year 1611, some four years following the marriage of his first daughter, Susanna, to Dr John Hall, and two years after the full publication of the Sonnets, William Shakespeare retired to Stratford. In 1616 his remaining daughter Judith married Thomas Quincy. This seems to be what he was waiting for, for later in that same year, William Shakespeare died. He was buried in the churchyard in Stratford upon Avon on 25th April 1616. He had carefully drawn up his will barely a month before his death with his principle bequests of property going to his children. But he remembered his roots and there were small gifts for actors and friends.

The Life of William Shakespeare: a brief overview