William Shakespeare
                     WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Introduction
• William Shakespeare was a renowned English 
poet, playwright, and actor born in 1564 in 
Stratford-upon-Avon. 
• His birthday is most celebrated on 23 April 
which is also believed to be the date he died in 
1616.
Source: 
www.shakespeare.org.uk
Shakespeare’s 
Poems 
• Shakespeare was a prolific writer during 
the Elizabethan and Jacobean ages of 
British theatre. 
• Shakespeare’s plays are perhaps his 
most enduring legacy, but they are not 
all he wrote. Shakespeare’s poems also 
remain popular to this day. 
Source: 
www.shakespeare.org.uk
Childhood and 
Education
• Scant records exist of Shakespeare's 
childhood and virtually none regarding 
his education. 
• Scholars have surmised that he most 
likely attended the King's New School, 
in Stratford, which taught reading, 
writing and the classics. 
Source: www.biography.com
Family Life
•  John Shakespeare married Mary 
Arden, and together they had eight 
children. 
• John and Mary lost two daughters as 
infants, so William became their 
eldest child. 
• William Shakespeare would have lived 
with his family in their house on 
Henley Street until he turned 
eighteen.
Source: 
www.shakespeare.org.uk
Shakespeare in London
• Shakespeare's twins were baptised in 1585, and 
that by 1592 his reputation was established in 
London, but the intervening years are considered 
a mystery. Scholars generally refer to these years 
as ‘The Lost Years’.
Source: 
www.shakespeare.org.uk
FIRST POEM
• During this time in London, Shakespeare’s first printed 
works were published. They were two long poems, 
'Venus and Adonis' (1593) and 'The Rape of Lucrece' 
(1594). 
• He also became a founding member of The Lord 
Chamberlain’s Men, a company of actors. 
Source: 
www.shakespeare.org.uk
Shakespeare's Works
• Shakespeare's works include 38 plays, 2 narrative 
poems, 154 sonnets, and a variety of other 
poems. 
• No original manuscripts of Shakespeare's plays 
are known to exist today.
Source: 
www.shakespeare.org.uk
Shakespeare’s legacy 
• Shakespeare’s legacy is as rich and 
diverse as his work; his plays have 
spawned countless adaptations across 
multiple genres and cultures. 
• His plays have had an enduring 
presence on stage and film.
Source: 
www.shakespeare.org.uk
Shakespeare’s 
WRITINGS
• His writings have been compiled in 
various iterations of The Complete 
Works of William Shakespeare, which 
include all his plays, sonnets, and other 
poems. 
• William Shakespeare continues to be 
one of the most important literary 
figures of the English language.
Source: 
www.shakespeare.org.uk
A home in Stratford
• Shakespeare’s success in the London 
theatres made him considerably 
wealthy, and by 1597 he was able to 
purchase New Place, the largest house 
in the borough of Stratford-upon-Avon.
Source: 
www.shakespeare.org.uk