1564

Shakespeare was born in 1564. He probably studied Latin in the village school, and his plays show that he had read widely the books in his day, but we know little of his education. He left his hometown in 1586 and in 1592 he was well known in London as an actor and a dramatist.
In the next few years he published two poems, and by this time he was also writing some famous poems. His life seems to have lacked the adventure found in the careers of many Elizabethans and indeed in those of some of his early dramatists. He early became a member of one of the leading dramatic companies and he continued a shareholder in its profits until his death.
Shakespeare’s plays were popular both in the theatre and at court, but less than half were printed. It was only late in his career that man began to realize that his successful and interesting dramas were to be a part of the world’s great literature. Shakespeare did not appear as an actor after 1603, but he continued writing plays for nearly ten years more, when he was retired to his hometown, where he died in 1616.